Lorna Patajo-Kapunan is a veteran Filipino lawyer, radio host, and newspaper columnist widely known as a litigator for high-profile clients, earning her a reputation as a “lawyer for the celebrities.”
Over a legal career spanning nearly five decades, she has built a practice covering corporate, entertainment, family, and humanitarian law, while also being recognized as an advocate for environmental and women’s rights, including securing the first Writ of Kalikasan ever issued by the Philippine Supreme Court.
Profile
| Full Name | Lorna Taaca Patajo-Kapunan |
| Date of Birth | April 1, 1952 |
| Age | 74 |
| Birthplace | Manila, Philippines |
| Nationality | Filipino |
| Occupation | Lawyer, Radio Host, Newspaper Columnist, Former Senatorial Candidate |
| Parents | Retired Supreme Court Justice Lino M. Patajo and Cristeta Taaca Patajo |
| Spouse | Judge Eduardo Roden E. Kapunan (deceased) |
| Children | Five sons: Lino-Chris, Marko Edoardo, Ceasario Rex, Eduardo Roden Jr., and Reginald Patrick (deceased) |
| Relationship Status | Widow |
Early Life
Lorna Taaca Patajo was born on April 1, 1952, in Manila, the daughter of Lino M. Patajo, who went on to serve as a Justice of the Philippine Supreme Court, and Cristeta Taaca Patajo, a former dean of the Manila Doctors School of Nursing.
She completed her early education at St. Mary’s College in Quezon City before pursuing higher studies at the University of the Philippines.
Education
Kapunan earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of the Philippines Diliman in 1973, where she was a consistent awardee of the Order of the Purple Feather, and went on to complete her Bachelor of Laws at the UP College of Law in 1978.
She later attended specialized seminar courses, including at the Japan Institute of Invention and Innovation in Tokyo (1997), the World Intellectual Property Organization’s Asian regional program in Taejon, South Korea (1998), the National Institute of Humanitarian Law in San Remo, Italy (2005), and a summer course in International Humanitarian Law at Magdalene College, Cambridge University (2010).
Career
Kapunan began her legal career as an associate at Angara Abello Concepcion Regala & Cruz (ACCRA) from 1978 to 1986. She then became a senior partner at Roco Buñag Kapunan Migallos Perez & Luna Law Offices starting in 1986, serving as its managing partner from 1996 to 1999.
In 2009, she became senior partner of Kapunan Lotilla Garcia & Castillo Law Offices, and in 2011 she founded her own firm, Kapunan & Castillo Law Offices, where she remains senior partner.
Her legal practice spans licensing, franchising, corporate and commercial law, joint ventures, mergers and acquisitions, international humanitarian law, criminal law, family law, and estate and succession law, alongside a specialty in entertainment law protecting the equity and royalty rights of performers and broadcasters.
She has represented a number of high-profile clients, including businessman Atong Ang, basketball player James Yap, physician Hayden Kho, actress Rhian Ramos, and Janet Lim-Napoles, the accused mastermind of the Priority Development Assistance Fund scam. Kapunan is recognized as the first lawyer to obtain a Writ of Kalikasan from the Philippine Supreme Court, for her work on the West Tower/Barangay Bangkal oil spill case.
In 2015, she launched an unsuccessful bid for the Philippine Senate on the ticket of presidential candidate Grace Poe. Beyond litigation, she hosts the radio program “Laban Para Sa Karapatan” on DWIZ and previously wrote the column “Legally Speaking” for BusinessMirror.
She has also served in numerous civic roles, including as Governor and Legal Adviser of the Philippine Red Cross, an advisory board member of the World Wildlife Fund, and president of the Stop Trafficking of Filipinos Foundation.
Awards & Nominations
- 1992 — Women Lawyers Circle (WILOCI) — Child Defender Award — Won
- 1998 — University of the Philippines — Outstanding Women of UP Award — Won
- 2016 — Filipina Women’s Network — 100 Most Influential Filipino Women — Recognition
- 2019–2021 — Top 100 Lawyers of the Philippines — Recognition (three consecutive years)
- 2024 — Women In Law Awards — Corporate Law, Philippines — Won
Personal Life
Kapunan is the widow of former Regional Trial Court Judge Eduardo Roden E. Kapunan, whom she met as a classmate at the UP College of Law. The couple had five sons, two of whom — Lino-Chris and a grandson, Kyle Linus — also became lawyers. In August 2024, Kapunan drew national media attention after being questioned during a Philippine Senate hearing by Senator Robin Padilla on the subject of marital obligations, a remark that generated public backlash and later prompted an apology from the senator.
Net Worth
No verified net worth figure is currently available.
Notable Cases & Contributions
- West Tower/Barangay Bangkal oil spill case — first Writ of Kalikasan issued by the Philippine Supreme Court
- Legal counsel to entertainment and sports figures including James Yap, Hayden Kho, and Rhian Ramos
- Legal counsel to Janet Lim-Napoles in the Priority Development Assistance Fund scam case
- 2016 Philippine Senate candidacy under the Poe-Escudero ticket
- Founder, Kapunan & Castillo Law Offices (2011–present)
Conclusion
Across nearly five decades in Philippine law, Lorna Kapunan has built a reputation as both a formidable litigator for high-profile clients and an advocate for environmental protection and women’s rights.
Her landmark legal victories and continued public visibility as a broadcaster and columnist have made her one of the most recognizable legal figures in the Philippines.
