In June 2015, with a combined twenty-five (25) years of practice between them, Rommel, having been admitted to the Philippine Bar in May 2002, and Elijo in May 2004, Rommel C. Bellones and Elijo Sharon R. Herrera-Bellones founded Bellones and Herrera-Bellones. The core practice areas of the firm then were labor law, energy and real estate. In December 2019, Elijo was appointed as Presiding Judge of the Regional Trial Court, Branch 27 in Iloilo City, and is currently on leave from practice to focus on her judicial duties.
The law firm was dissolved and re-established as Bellones Law Office.
Remaining true to its core, the law firm’s practice areas have since expanded to labor standards compliance, human resource management, termination disputes, corporate registration and housekeeping. It likewise provides legal counselling to small and medium enterprises which are in transition from a family-based arrangement to a corporate structure. Real estate and its related activities, such as titling and conversion, land disputes, agrarian law implementation is also an area of practice that the law firm concentrates on. It also handles family law cases including adoption and custody, dissolution of marriages and estate planning. The law firm also provides services for matters related to administrative compliance before government agencies.
The clientele of the law firm is varied across different industries, from real estate development, power distribution, banking, fishing, and construction to hospitality and tourism industry.
The diverse matters referred to it by its clientele has provided the law firm valuable experience in providing innovative solutions to matters within its practice areas.
At present, the law firm has five (5) lawyers[1] and two (2) paralegals[2]. Both founding partners are professors at the University of San Agustin-College of Law in Iloilo City, with Rommel teaching Labor Standards, Labor Relations and Labor Law Review, and Elijo handling Succession and Legal Ethics. Rommel and Elijo completed their Master of Laws at the University of Sto. Tomas-Graduate School of Law, both graduating with highest honors, Summa Cum Laude. All lawyers, including Ros, JR, Nestor, Christine, and paralegals Josh and Joanne, are alumni and students of the University of San Agustin-College of Law.
[1] Rommel C. Bellones (USA 2002), Ma. Roscelin H. Palomo (USA 2015), Leonardo B. Billones, Jr. (USA 2018), Nestor C. Fariolan (USA 2020), Christine C. Chavez (USA 2021)
[2] Josh Iron Von B. Tondo (USA 2023) and Joanne Pauline G. Ronzales (USA 2022)