Ms. Bautista leverages on her extensive litigation experience. Her complex litigation work involves shareholder disputes, mass tort actions, telecommunications issues, and environmental law matters. She has conducted internal investigations involving allegations of self-dealing, fraud, and corruption, and has represented clients before trial and appellate courts and other government or regulatory agencies.
Her corporate and transactional law practice includes advising clients on a variety of issues on retail trade, foreign investment, government procurement, and data privacy. She also advises on telecommunications, media, and technology. Among her key accounts in this growing industry are cloud service providers, content streaming platforms, online marketplaces, and ride-hailing applications.
She has also handled cross border M&A deals in different industries. Among her significant M&A transactions involved the sale of 65.92% stake in LMG Chemicals Corporation, a listed company that manufactured industrial chemicals, which was suitable for backdoor listing, and another sale of 56.97% in another listed company, Chemical Industries of the Philippines, Inc. She also assisted Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation’s acquisition of 4.999% stake in Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation.
She has published articles in the Philippine Law Journal. She has also contributed the following chapters in local and foreign publications:
- Chapter on the Philippines (co-author), in Dennis Campbell and Christian Campbell, Eds., International Securities Regulation (Juris Publishing Inc. and Center for International Legal Studies, 2018, 2022, and 2022 eds.)
- Chapter on the Philippines (co-author), in Dennis Campbell and Christian Campbell, Eds., International Civil Procedure (Juris Publishing Inc. and Center for International Legal Studies, 2011-2014, 2017, 2020, and 2022 eds.)
- Chapter on the Philippines (co-author), in International Comparative Legal Guide (ICLG), Technology Outsourcing 2022 (Global Legal Group, 2022)
- Chapter on the Philippines (co-author), in Global Guide to Legal Privilege (Norton Rose Fulbright, 2021)
- Chapter on the Philippines (co-author), in Lending & Secured Finance (The Legal 500, 2021, 3rd ed.)
- Chapter on the Philippines (co-author), in Getting the Deal Through Anti-Corruption Regulation (Law Business Research Ltd., 2011- 2015 eds.)
- Chapter on the Philippines, Getting the Deal Through Anti-Money Laundering Law (Business Research Ltd., 2012 – 2015 eds.)
- Chapter on Arbitrability in the United States, in Diane A. Desierto, Ed., International Commercial Arbitration and Philippine Law (University of the Philippines, Institute for International Legal Studies, 2014)
She speaks on a variety of topics from data privacy, arbitration, and anti-corruption and bribery. Among her significant speaking engagements are:
- Issues and Challenges in Retail Trade Liberalization, ACCRALAW Seminar on Promoting Foreign Investments in the Philippines, 17 August 2022, Shangri-la at the Fort, Taguig City
- Forensic Engineering and Litigation, 24 November 2020, University of the Philippines, College of Engineering, Quezon City
- COVID-19 Pandemic: The Effects of the ECQ on Office Lease Contracts, 7 May 2020, Jones Lang LaSalle Philippines, Inc.’s Webinar
- Managing Data Breaches – Crisis Management, The Personal Data Protection Forum – Laws and Effects on Businesses Worldwide, 15 November 2018, Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre, Hong Kong;
- Data Privacy: Developing an Effective Compliance Program, 2017 In-House Congress, 13 July 2017, Makati Shangri-La, Makati City;
- Measures to Reduce Financial Crimes, 3rd Annual SEC-PSE Corporate Governance Forum, 22 November 2016, PICC, Manila;
- Compliance with Laws and Regulations: Prescriptions and Best Practices, ACCRALAW Business Law Forum, 22 September 2016, Dusit Thani Hotel, Makati City; and
- Arbitrability in International Business Transactions, 23 January 2015, IBP Makati, Makati City.
As early as 2007, she was recognized by Chambers Global among the Leaders in Their Field for both General Business Law and Dispute Resolution. She was described as “a resourceful and street-smart litigator” with “impressive courtroom skills”.
In 2022, Chambers Asia Pacific also ranked her among the distinguished lawyers in Dispute Resolution. According to this review, “[s]he is well regarded for her expertise as a commercial and civil litigator.” It was also mentioned that she advises clients “across a range of matters, including regulations on technology matters, as well as anti-competition and advertising.”
Ms. Bautista is a lecturer in the University of the Philippines, where she teaches courses in Criminal Procedure and Special Proceedings. She likewise taught courses on Civil Procedure, Torts and Damages, Agency and Partnership, and Credit Transactions. She also teaches Criminal Prosecution and Litigation for the University of the Philippines Law Center’s Paralegal Training Program.
She also participated in the Supreme Court’s initiative of drafting the proposed revised rules on Civil Procedure, particularly, the provisions on Filing of the Case, Pre-Trial and Trial. She currently sits in the Supreme Court’s Technical Working Group to Compile, Classify and Index the Rules of Pleading, Practice and Procedure.
Ms. Bautista was admitted to the Philippine Bar in 2001 and the New York Bar in 2010. She is a member of the Quezon City Chapter of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines and the Philippine Bar Association. She is currently a Trustee and Treasurer of the Philippine Bar Association.