Defrasa Law

The people behind Defrasa

About Defrasa Law, a multidisciplinary law firm in Cebu

Three partners, three professional licences and one practice built to handle legal, tax and property questions together.

Our story

A firm named for the people who stand behind it

Defrasa Law was founded in 2026 in Lapu-Lapu City by Atty. Chezie K. Demegillo, Atty. Timothy Francisco and Atty. Antonio D. Sanchez Jr. The firm’s name joins the first syllables of their surnames, and the crest joins their initials around a single column of justice.

The partners came together from different directions. One spent more than two decades in Cebu’s labor and civil courts and in the classroom. One served as a Registered Nurse and as an aerodrome firefighter with MCIAA Fire before turning to litigation. One topped national board exams in accountancy, real estate brokerage and appraisal, and worked as a Senior Tax Associate at SGV & Co.

What they share is a belief that clients are best served when the lawyer in the room also understands the numbers, the property and the people involved.

DE
Demegillo
FRA
Francisco
SA
Sanchez
Lady Justice statue holding balanced scales

What we are here to do

Our mission

To give individuals, families and businesses clear, practical and principled legal counsel, combining courtroom advocacy with tax, accounting and real estate expertise so every client decision rests on solid legal footing.

Our vision

To be the multidisciplinary law firm Cebu turns to first: trusted for integrity, respected in court and valued for seeing the whole picture of a client’s legal and financial situation.

Partners

Meet the partners

United by two decades of legal mastery, operational agility and deep financial acumen.

Atty. Chezie K. Demegillo, Managing Partner of Defrasa Law
Managing Partner

Atty. Chezie K. Demegillo

A highly respected Cebu-based litigator with over two decades of experience in labor law, civil litigation and corporate practice. Admitted to the Philippine Bar in 2003, he holds a Master’s Degree in Industrial Relations, major in Labor Management Relations, from UP Diliman.

He is the published author of several textbooks on Labor Standards, Labor Relations and Constitutional Law, and teaches at Southwestern University, University of the Visayas and University of Southern Philippines Foundation.

Atty. Timothy Francisco, RN, Partner at Defrasa Law
Partner

Atty. Timothy Francisco, RN

A litigation practitioner with a solid background in civil and labor law, complemented by experience as a Registered Nurse and as an aerodrome firefighter with MCIAA Fire under the Department of Transportation (DOTr).

His practice centers on dispute resolution, ejectment, eviction, debt collection and illegal termination cases. He also serves as a Commissioned Notary Public in Lapu-Lapu City.

Atty. Antonio D. Sanchez Jr., CPA, REB, REA, Partner at Defrasa Law
Partner

Atty. Antonio D. Sanchez Jr., CPA, REB, REA

A multi-licensed CPA-Lawyer with 15 years of experience in corporate law, taxation, accounting and finance. A national board topnotcher: 2nd in the CPA Licensure Examination, 5th in the Real Estate Broker Examination and 9th in the Real Estate Appraiser Examination.

He previously served as Senior Tax Associate at SGV & Co.

What makes us different

A multidisciplinary bench

“A multidisciplinary bench combining litigation, healthcare-informed advocacy, and financial expertise.”

Legal and financial in one review

Tax exposure, valuation and accounting treatment are checked by a CPA-lawyer while the legal strategy is being built, not after.

Academic rigor

Our managing partner writes and teaches labor and constitutional law. Positions we take are researched to a textbook standard.

Healthcare-informed advocacy

Nursing and emergency-response experience helps in cases involving injury, workplace safety, and medical or disability evidence.

Licensed real estate professionals

Titling, transfers, brokerage and appraisal questions are handled by a licensed broker and appraiser inside the firm.

Talk to a lawyer

Have a legal, tax or property concern? Let's discuss it.