Lawyers
Mario C. Cerilles, Jr., JD, MSc, LL.M
Mr. Cerilles is a founding partner and currently the managing partner of CFIP Law. He is an experienced professional in the fields of Intellectual Property, Immigration, and Litigation. His wide- Mr. Cerilles is a founding partner and currently the managing partner of CFIP Law. He is an experienced professional in the fields of Intellectual Property, Immigration, and Litigation. His wide-ranging practice and extensive network allow him to advise clients on various areas of Philippine law. Prior to joining CFIP Law, Mr. Cerilles was an associate handling both immigration matters and intellectual property cases at Angara Abello Concepcion Regala and Cruz, one of the leading law firms in the Philippines.
Mr. Cerilles obtained his Juris Doctor degree from the University of the Philippines in 2014. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology, cum laude, from the same university. He holds a Master of Laws (LL.M) degree from the University of California, Berkeley as an Asia Pacific Scholar with Certificates of Specialization in Law and Technology and in Public Law and Regulation. Mr. Cerilles also obtained a Master of Science degree in Human Rights from the London School of Economics and Political Science under a Chevening Scholarship.
Mr. Cerilles is also an educator and researcher. He is a Senior Lecturer at the U.P. College of Law and an Assistant Professor at the Asian Institute of Management (AIM). He is also the Academic Program Director of AIM’s Master in International Business Law.
Mario also regularly attends international conferences on Intellectual Property. He was selected by the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) to represent the country in the Japan Patent Office (JPO) IP Rights Training Course for Practicioners Specializing in Trademarks in 2021 and in the JPO IP Rights Training Course for IP Educators in 2024. Mario was also selected to attend the Advanced International Certificate Course (AICC) on IP Asset Management for Business School Based on the IP Panorama Toolkit and DL-450 IP Management Course hosted by the Korean Intellectual Property Office, World Intellectual Property Organization, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology and Korea Invention Promotion Association in 2021 and 2023.
Harry Gwynn Omar M. Fernan, JD
Mr. Fernan is a founding partner of CFIP. As an IP lawyer, He has an extensive experience in trademark and patent prosecution, intellectual property litigation, Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) Applications, trademark applications through the Madrid Protocol, copyright protection, and the foreign prosecution of patent and trademark applications.
Before founding CFIP, Mr. Fernan was an IP lawyer in the Angara Abello Concepcion Regala and Cruz Law Offices, a top IP firm in the Philippines, where he handled the patent and trademark portfolios of some of the largest domestic conglomerates and international clients. Prior to taking up law, Mr. Fernan was also part of a technology company that provided information technology (IT) support to the government.
Mr. Fernan obtained his Juris Doctor degree from the University of the Philippines, where, he was also awarded as the Best Researcher of the University of the Philippines – Office of Legal Aid. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in Applied Physics – with specialization in Complex Systems, from the same university.
Mr. Fernan is adept in scientific and technical writing, having published several researches in the field of science and technology as well as in law. His interest in research and innovation, along with his desire to protect intellectual creations, motivated him to become a lawyer and pursue a career in intellectual property law. Harry understands the challenges of local scientists and inventors and assists them in securing timely and effective intellectual property protection.
As part of his advocacy, Harry writes papers and articles in international journals, international IP blogs, and national news publications tackling looming issues in Intellectual Property Law. This way, he can spread awareness on intellectual property protection in the Philippines – a country where scientific tradition is still developing.