[nerrttrw]

Thanks for the insights.

[kranfid]

Wow, where do you get all these information. Thanks for sharing. I'll know where to look if I ever get in trouble with the law in Thailand. I hope I don't ever need a lawyer though.

[Franchise]

networking with the members of their profession who have experience in related areas is the best

[Kt-viagra]

if I were travel Thailand and have problem with local people I am sure this information is useful although I would never expect that ,cause it will certainly will ruin my vacation at beautiful Thailand soil

[leahjhburton]

HOW TO...: How to find the right lawyer

The Nation, Published on Mar 14, 2003

As has been mentioned more than a few times in this column, a range of transactions that you can often do on your own in the West, may require the services of a lawyer in Thailand. If you are buying a house or condo, applying for a work visa, setting up a company, working out your annual tax return or trying to have some other transaction taken care of, you may very well need the services of a lawyer – that sharp-suited gentleman with a leather briefcase filled with reams of forms written in a language you can’t understand, all ready for you to sign.

Some of the above transactions can be taken care of without a lawyer, and for low prices, but be prepared for a bureaucratic minefield.

Below is a list of lawyers and the services they offer. Like most things in Thailand, from carved wooden elephants to open-heart surgery, it pays to shop around for the best price. Most importantly, find out what you are exactly getting for the price.

Also find out what your involvement will be in the whole process besides signing forms and sitting on wooden benches for hours in various government offices. A lawyer who offers to get you a work permit for a few thousand baht may get you to sign pile upon pile of requisite forms, then get his secretary to show where the Immigration Department is on a street map. The rest is up to you, which is not good, as lawyers also need to be guides.

Insist on your lawyer being by your side every step of the way, most especially when visiting government offices.

For example, a friend who is a foreign correspondent opted for a relatively expensive, but reputable lawyer to apply for a journalist visa, which not only requires approval by the Immigration Department, but also the Foreign Affairs and Public Relations Departments. This potentially lethal bureaucratic cocktail was expertly mixed by the law firm’s helpful, professional and well-connected staff.

SCM International Law Office

Carries out lots of useful services including company formation, formation of foreign company’s branch offices, factory licenses, contracts and agreements, accounting and auditing, tax ID cards, and work permits. They also handle visas of every description from marriage and retirements visas to permanent residence and dependency visas. SCM also handles marriage, divorce and pre-nuptial agreements, wills, and property conveyance services. They can even get you a driver’s license.


Advance Adjusting Associates

The company has been in Bangkok for 20 years, and does visas and work permits, company set-ups, domestic relations, business contracts, handling of company labour disputes – often before going to court – and criminal law.

The well-experienced company is a member of the American Chamber of Commerce and has American expatriate staff.

Chandler & Thong-ek Law Offices

This company handles corporate, commercial and financial transactions in Thailand, including investment funds, real estate projects, foreign investments and tax matters.


Deacons

An Asia-wide law firm which handles things corporate such as banking and finance, communications and technology, property, litigation, construction and arbitration.


H Toosi International Law Offices

Extensive, all-round legal experience for labour laws, immigration, taxation, as well as services for obtaining permits and licenses from government agencies.


Marut Bunnag International Law Office

“One-stop” services cover licensing, tax, Board of Investment matters, factory licenses, visas, work permits, real estate, business and criminal law, arbitration and litigation.

Natee International Law Office

The company’s strong point is a litigation team, ready to help you sort out disputes over debt collection, termination of employment, international trade, shareholder agreements, construction, business restructuring and other commercial cases.


Russin & Vecchi – International Legal Counsellors

Much of the firm’s work is for foreign companies beginning or expanding their operations in Thailand.

Offers a range of services regarding business laws, real estate, insurance, labour laws, infrastructure and privatisation projects, and e-commerce and Internet law.


For issues of property requirements and laws, many international property consultants, such as Richard Ellis and Colliers Jardine, have legal departments that can be of help.

Phil Macdonald