A full-service Thai law firm

Choosing the right practice area: start with the outcome you need

Many clients contact us without knowing whether their issue is civil, criminal, a document matter or a licensing question. The simplest starting point is the result you want: payment from the other side, a document a foreign authority will accept, a correctly structured company, or protection for a brand name. Once the goal is clear, we can route the matter to the right team.

Some matters need several practice areas at once. A foreign national buying a condominium and marrying a Thai partner may need property, family, translation and notarial work. Keeping these under one firm reduces back-and-forth and lowers the risk that names, dates or passport details differ between documents.

Lawyer, Notarial Services Attorney and translator: what each one does

A Thai lawyer advises, drafts contracts and represents clients in court. A Notarial Services Attorney is a lawyer who has completed additional training and registration with the Lawyers Council of Thailand to certify signatures and copies. The certification confirms who signed or that a copy matches the original; it does not confirm that the content of the document is legally correct.

A translator is responsible for the accuracy of the translation. Some destinations require a specific credential, such as NAATI translators for Australia, or require the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs to legalise a translation before an embassy accepts it. Always check the receiving authority’s rules before choosing a translator.

How the Thai court system is organised

Thailand’s Courts of Justice have three tiers: Courts of First Instance, Courts of Appeal and the Supreme Court. There are also specialised courts, including the Labour Court, the Tax Court, the Intellectual Property and International Trade Court, and the Juvenile and Family Court. Certain disputes with state agencies fall under the Administrative Courts. Filing in the wrong court costs time, so jurisdiction should be checked before a claim is lodged.

Many civil claims have limitation periods, and a claim filed too late may be barred. Out-of-court options such as mediation and arbitration can suit commercial disputes where confidentiality or an ongoing trading relationship matters.

Preparing for your first consultation

Bringing the right information makes the first meeting focused and helps us outline options quickly:

• A short timeline of events with key dates
• Copies of contracts, receipts, chat messages or emails
• Names and contact details of the other party, if known
• Any summons, notice or letter from a court, the police or a government office
• The country where documents will be used and that authority’s checklist

Fees, confidentiality and conflict checks

Fees depend on complexity, document volume and the steps involved. We confirm the scope of work and a written quote before starting, and list court or government fees separately so you can see what is paid to third parties.

Information you share is protected by a lawyer’s duty of confidentiality. Before accepting a matter we check that we have not acted for the other party in the same matter, in line with the Lawyers Council of Thailand’s professional conduct rules.

Working with a Thai law firm from abroad

Clients outside Thailand can instruct a Thai lawyer through a power of attorney. A power of attorney signed before a Notarial Services Attorney or a Thai embassy or consulate officer is generally accepted by Thai authorities. Documents intended for use in court may need additional certification steps under the rules of the court or agency concerned.

There are several ways to sign documents from overseas: signing before a Notary Public in that country and having the document legalised for use in Thailand, or scheduling the signing for a visit to Thailand. Each route has different requirements, so the signing sequence should be planned with your lawyer before you travel or send original documents across borders.

Timelines: what we control and what depends on the authority

Work done inside the firm, such as drafting contracts, translating documents or assembling filing sets, has a clear schedule that we confirm before starting. Work that must be submitted to a government office, such as registrations, licence applications or document legalisation, moves at the pace of that office and can vary with seasonal filing volumes.

Most delays come from incomplete documents or details that differ between documents, such as name spellings or passport numbers. Checking completeness before filing avoids most correction requests, so we always share the document list and the common problem points for review first.

Official sources you can check yourself

You can verify a lawyer’s registration with the Lawyers Council of Thailand, review court procedures through the Office of the Judiciary, and check document legalisation rules with the Department of Consular Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This page is a general overview and is not legal advice for a specific situation.