Simeon Marcelo

Practice Areas

Simeon Marcelo has led a remarkable career covering four decades representing top corporations, public institutions including the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), President Fidel Ramos and other prominent individuals while doing substantial pro bono work (leading to his appointment as Chairman of the National Committee On Legal Aid of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines).

In December 2000, Mr. Marcelo became a national public figure when he was chosen by the public prosecutors to present its star witness, Governor Singson, in the impeachment proceedings against President Joseph Estrada.

In February 2001, he was appointed as Solicitor General, winning all his major cases in favor of the government. Almost two years later, he was appointed Ombudsman, the head of the independent Constitutional Office tasked to investigate and prosecute those accused of graft and corruption in the government. But considered as his most important achievement was leading the legal team that prosecuted and secured the conviction of President Estrada for the crime of Plunder. He stayed on as Ombudsman until 30 November 2005. Writing about his return to private practice two years later, two publications cited him “as perhaps the country’s best litigator”.