Julito R SARMIENTO

Introduction

Julito “Sarge” R Sarmiento, graduated with a Bachelor of Arts, Pre-Divinity (cum laude) and Bachelor of Laws, second honours (ranked top 5% in his graduating class), both from the Ateneo de Manila University. He obtained his Master of Laws and Doctor of Science of Jurisprudence (candidate with thesis pending) from Yale Law School in 1993 as a Myres S McDougal Fellow and World Bank Scholar. Sarmiento also has a Master of Business Administration degree and was a gold medalist with the highest perfect grade of 4.0 in all subjects in a joint programme of the Ateneo de Manila University Graduate School of Business and the Colorado-based Regis University.

Sarmiento has focused his legal practice on corporate work and special projects, particularly on energy, infrastructure, mining, environment, foreign investment, privatisation, family law, crisis management and social licence. Given the challenges of bridging the trust divide between investors in resource-dependent industries and their affected local stakeholders, he established the pioneering social licensing practice.

As the head of the firm’s mining and natural resource practice, Sarmiento has a formidable presence in the mining industry not only due to his legal expertise but also his management skills. In 2022, he became the first Filipino global executive chairman of Celsius Resources, a dual ASX and LSE’s-AIM-listed mining company with a portfolio of world-class copper-gold assets. He is also concurrently the president of three Philippine mining companies.

Sarmiento has been awarded various recognitions as a Leading Lawyer in Natural Resources Practice by international bodies such as Chambers Asia, Corporate International, and Finance Asia, to name a few. Asia Business Law Journal has consistently ranked Sarmiento among the Philippines’ Top 100 Lawyers in 2023 and 2024. He is admitted to the New York State Bar and is a member of the American Bar Association and the Yale Club.