Lorna Kapunan Biography: Nationality, Parents, Age, Children, Awards
Lorna Patajo-Kapunan is a prominent Filipino litigation lawyer, media personality, and advocate for women’s and children’s rights, known for representing a string of high-profile clients across four decades of legal practice.
In 2026, she drew renewed national attention as a private prosecutor in the impeachment trial of Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte.
Profile
| Full Name | Lorna Patajo-Kapunan |
| Date of Birth | April 1, 1952 |
| Age | 74 (as of 2026) |
| Birthplace | Manila, Philippines |
| Nationality | Filipino |
| Occupation | Lawyer, litigator, media personality, advocate |
| Parents | Lino Mejia Patajo, former Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines (father); Cristeta Taaca Patajo, former Dean, Manila Doctors School of Nursing (mother) |
| Spouse | Eduardo Roden E. Kapunan, former Regional Trial Court Judge (married; predeceased her) |
| Children | Five sons, including two who are also lawyers |
| Net Worth | No verified net worth figure is currently available. |
Early Life
Lorna Patajo-Kapunan was born on April 1, 1952, in Manila, Philippines, the daughter of Lino Mejia Patajo, who went on to serve as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines, and Cristeta Taaca Patajo, a former Dean of the Manila Doctors School of Nursing. She has described her father as her “anchor and moral compass in life and in law.”
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 a member of the university’s editorial board, followed by a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) from the University of the Philippines in 1978.
She later completed seminar coursework at institutions including 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 International Institute of Humanitarian Law in San Remo, Italy (2005), and a summer course on international humanitarian law at Magdalene College, Cambridge University (2010).
Career
Kapunan began her legal career as a senior associate at the law firm Angara Abello Concepcion Regala & Cruz (ACCRA) in 1978, remaining there until 1986.
She subsequently became a senior partner, and later managing partner, of Roco Buñag Kapunan Migallos Perez & Luna Law Offices.
In 2009, she founded the Kapunan Lotilla Garcia & Castillo Law Offices, which she reorganized in 2011 as her own firm, now known as Kapunan & Castillo Law Offices, where she remains senior partner.
Over her career, she has practiced across litigation, intellectual property law, corporate and commercial law, mergers and acquisitions, international humanitarian law, family law, and estate law.
She served as President of the Intellectual Property Association of the Philippines from 1997 to 2002 and its Chairman from 2002 to 2004, and was a Bar Examiner in commercial law in 1988. Kapunan has represented a number of high-profile clients over the years, including businessman Charlie “Atong” Ang, basketball player James Yap, physician Hayden Kho, actress Rhian Ramos, and Janet Lim-Napoles.
In 2016, she ran for the Philippine Senate as part of a slate associated with senatorial aspirant Grace Poe, receiving more than a million votes but placing 29th. In 2026, she served as a private prosecutor on the prosecution panel in the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte.
Kapunan is also a longtime media personality, hosting the weekly radio program “Laban Para Sa Karapatan” (Fight For Your Rights) on DWIZ and writing a weekly legal affairs column, “Legally Speaking,” for BusinessMirror.
Awards & Nominations
- 1992 — Women Lawyers Circle of the Philippines (WILOCI) — Child Defender Award — Win
- 1995 — Zonta International — Outstanding Zontian Award — Win
- 1996 — Philippine National Police — Plaque of Recognition — Win
- 1997 — Rotary International — District Governor’s Award — Win
- 1998 — University of the Philippines — Outstanding Women Alumni Award — Win
- 2016 — Filipina Women’s Network — 100 Most Influential Filipina Women in the World — Named
- 2018–2019 — Top Philippine Lawyers (A List) — Named
Social Media
No verified personal social media handles for Lorna Kapunan could be independently confirmed for this profile.
Personal Life
Kapunan is the widow of Eduardo Roden E. Kapunan, a former Regional Trial Court judge and her classmate in law school at the University of the Philippines.
The couple had five sons, three of whom later had children of their own, and two sons, along with a grandson, went on to become lawyers themselves. She founded the King Kapunan Leukemia Foundation for Children in honor of one of her sons.
Beyond her legal practice, Kapunan has held roles including Governor and Legal Adviser of the Philippine Red Cross, Trustee of the Cultural Center of the Philippines, and Legal Adviser to Ballet Philippines, and has volunteered with organizations including the World Wildlife Fund and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.
Net Worth
No verified net worth figure is currently available for Lorna Kapunan.
Publications & Public Roles
- “Legally Speaking,” weekly column, BusinessMirror
- “Laban Para Sa Karapatan” (“Fight For Your Rights”), weekly radio program, DWIZ 882 AM
- Founder, Kapunan & Castillo Law Offices
- President/Chairman, Intellectual Property Association of the Philippines (1997–2004)
- Private prosecutor, impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte (2026)
Conclusion
Across more than four decades of legal practice, media commentary, and advocacy, Lorna Kapunan has built a reputation as one of the Philippines’ most recognizable litigators, remaining a prominent figure in the country’s legal and public affairs into 2026.
