Biography
Gil Roberto Zerrudo is a partner in the Employment Practice Group of Quisumbing Torres, where he is a member of its Management Committee, and co-head of the Technology, Media & Telecommunications Industry Group. Gil also participates in initiatives of Baker & McKenzie International of which Quisumbing Torres is a member firm. He currently chairs the Baker McKenzie's Nominating Committee, while also serving in the Global Policy Committee, Inclusion, Diversity & Equity Committee, and Asia Pacific Regional Council.
In his more than 25 years of law practice, Gil is consistently cited as a Legal 500 and Chambers Asia Pacific Leading Individual for Employment. Gil’s strategic focus on Employment practice propelled his and the team's consistent top-tier ranking in The Legal 500 since 2006 to the present and the Chambers Asia Pacific since 2009 to the present.
Practice Focus
Gil regularly advises on employment agreements, employee benefits and compensation, executive compensation, transfers, and employment-related investigations and terminations. He also handles occupational health and safety matters, discrimination law advice, trade union recognition procedures, and labor litigation. He has extensive experience representing clients engaged in business process outsourcing, IT/telecommunications, and digital transformation in the pharmaceuticals, healthcare, and manufacturing sectors.
Representative Legal Matters
- Successfully assist an American health insurance company in implementing a redundancy in the Philippines.
- Successfully assist and execute for a premier global provider of market intelligence, advisory services and events the separation of a high-end level executive in the Philippines.
- Represent and successfully defend the premier developer and operator of convergent social gaming platforms and games in a misclassification case filed by its independent contractor in the Philippines. Assist in various employment-related concerns arising from its establishment of a business presence in the Philippines.
- Conduct an independent investigation for an international, non-governmental organization focused on human rights, law and law enforcement in relation to certain allegations disclosed to the organization regarding sexual abuse, sexual assault, and other misconduct committed by an ex-employee. Assess the sufficiency of client's policies and procedures on hiring, behavior, conduct, and disciplinary proceedings and investigation in addressing a situation similar to the matter.
- Assist a public American electronics producer of audio communications equipment for business and consumers in the disciplinary investigation and dismissal of its highest ranking officer in the Philippines involved in significant fraudulent expense reimbursements. Represent client during conciliation-mediation conferences and submit pleadings before the labor court to defend the validity of dismissal.
- Assist a mixed-signal and digital signal processing technology company in the disciplinary investigation of a high ranking officer, who is privy to human resources processes and policies.
- Regularly advise and assist an American health care company offering health care products and insurance services in various labor standards, company policy, disciplinary and employment termination concerns, including handling of employment litigation cases.
- Assist an American multinational entertainment company on Philippine employment laws on hiring and various employment-related issues, including corporate and employment tax obligations, in relation to the establishment and/or management of outsourcing operations in the Philippines.
- Advise and assist a diverse industrial conglomerate on the substantial and procedural requirements on their employee-related decisions in view of the impact of COVID-19 new normatives on their operations and on various employment related issues and matters including review of employment and visitor´s policies, and employment contracts.
Professional Honors
Eminent Practitioner for Employment, Chambers Asia Pacific, 2024
Hall of Fame for Labor and Employment, The Legal 500 Asia Pacific, 2021 to 2024
Leading Individual for Labor and Employment, The Legal 500 Asia Pacific, 2008 to 2020
Band 2, Leading Lawyer for Employment, Chambers Asia Pacific, 2020 to 2023
Band 1, Leading Lawyer for Employment, Chambers Asia Pacific, 2009 to 2019
Litigation Star for Labor and Employment, Benchmark Litigation, 2019 to 2023
Distinguished Practitioner for Labor and Employment, asialaw Leading Lawyers, 2020 to 2023
A-List Lawyer, The Philippines' Top 100 Lawyers, Asia Business Law Journal, 2022 to 2023
Professional Associations and Memberships
Integrated Bar of the Philippines
Inter-Pacific Bar Association
International Bar Association
Employers' Confederation of the Philippines
European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines
British Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines
Ateneo de Manila School of Law - Faculty (on leave)
Manila Polo Club - Legal Committee Member
Union Church Manila - Legal/HR Committee Member
Corporate Responsibility
Leveraging his firm management roles in Quisumbing Torres' Management Committee and the various global and regional committees of Baker & McKenzie International, Gil drives socially relevant and meaningful initiatives of the firm like its CSR/pro bono work with an international, nongovernmental organization focused on human rights, law and law enforcement, in several cases involving illegal trafficking of women and children, and the D&I committee advocacies like:
- HeForShe - A solidarity campaign for the advancement of women, initiated by UN Women. Its goal is to achieve equality by encouraging men to be agents of change and to take action against negative inequalities that women still face today. Gil champions the Quisumbing Torres' Women in Law series that celebrates the talent, mentorship and passion of the great female lawyers of the firm.
- bAgile - designed to educate, inspire and facilitate a consistent approach to more flexible ways of working – for all of our people. It is a flexible work initiative for all employees providing increased access to a range of agile working arrangements including telecommuting and working alternative schedules.
- LIFT - Leaders Investing for Tomorrow is an internal program that initially focus on a number of high potential women legal professionals, and is designed to ensure access to the tools and support they need in order to build a great career at all levels within the Firm.
Admissions
Philippines (1989)
Education
Ateneo de Manila University (LLB) (1988)
Ateneo de Manila University (BA) (1984)
Languages
English
Filipino