
Based on research conducted by Asia Business Law Journal, the following are Thailand’s top 100 lawyers (including foreign legal counsel/advisors/consultants practising in Thailand).
Click here to read the editorial report that accompanies the A-List.
Biographies and contact details, where provided, were written by the lawyers themselves and have not been independently verified.
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Vinay Ahuja DFDL |
Key practice areas: Banking & finance, fintech & cryptocurrency, technology, telecommunications, private equity |
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Stephen Bennett Hunton Andrews Kurth Tel: +66 2 645 88 11 Email: bennetts@HuntonAK |
Key practice areas: Corporate/M&A; banking and finance; capital markets; technology media and telecommunication; project finance and development |
Resident in Thailand since 1994, Stephen is head of the Asia Corporate Team at Hunton Andrews Kurth. He has more than 25 years of practice experience in Thailand in mergers and acquisitions, telecommunications, fintech, foreign investment and corporate finance.
Before joining Hunton Andrews Kurth, Stephen was a partner of Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer. Stephen has served as counsel for both private and public entities, and has completed some of the largest M&A transactions in Thailand. In the last 12 months, he has represented International Finance Corporation as arranger and subscriber for Thailand’s first women entrepreneurs bonds issued by Bank of Ayudyha PCL; advised JP Morgan on its Thai listed derivative warrant program; advised Italian-Thai PCL in respect of the elevated high speed rail link to U-Tapao Airport; advised Tencent in the restructuring of its joint venture with Ookbee and Wecomics; and advised SSG Capital Management in respect of its equity and debt positions in G Steel PCL and GJ Steel PCL. |
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Sorachon Boonsong Baker McKenzie |
Key practice areas: M&A; insurance company M&As; power projects, oil, gas and petrochemicals matters |
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James P Bradley Hunton Andrews Kurth Tel: +66 2 645 8833 Email: jbradley@huntonak.com |
Key practice areas: Energy and infrastructure; real estate; commercial contracts; financing; M&A |
Jim is a partner in the firm Hunton Andrews Kurth. He focuses on electric power and commercial real estate projects in Southeast Asia.
He has had involvement with projects throughout Southeast Asia, including significantly in Thailand, the Philippines, and Cambodia and also in Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, and Vietnam. He has assisted sponsors and owners with major complex agreements for development, financing, engineering, procurement and construction, operation and maintenance, including advising on negotiation, administration, and compliance issues. He has significant experience with mergers and acquisitions, including effective due diligence review and reporting, and risk allocation. He also has significant experience with commercial agreements for joint venture formation, development, financing, construction, and operation for commercial office and hotel assets. He has been practicing in Asia since 2000. He joined Hunton & Williams (which following the combination with Andrews Kurth Kenyon in 2018 became Hunton Andrews Kurth) as an associate in 1994 before moving to Bangkok when the opportunity to do cross-border work out of that city arose. He has been project counsel to the highly regarded Quezon Power (Philippines), Limited Co since 2001 and worked with the manager on contracts and contract administration for the new San Buenaventura Power Ltd Co 460 MW supercritical plant situated on the same site on Luzon which achieved commercial operation on September 26, 2019. Recent notable work includes the following.
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Thinawat Bukhamana Baker McKenzie |
Key practice areas: Project and corporate financing; banking and finance regulations; loans; derivatives and financial products |
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Peter Burke AXIS Consultants |
Key practice areas: Corporate, M&A, commercial, inward investment, banking |
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Pramual Chancheewa Pramuanchai Law Office Tel: +66 2219 2155 – 60 Email: pmclaw@cscoms.com |
Key practice areas: Shipping; marine insurance; non-marine insurance; aviation; dispute resolution |
Founder and senior partner and managing director of Pramuanchai Law Office Co Ltd, Pramual’s wide range of areas of expertise includes commercial laws, marine and non-marine insurance, shipping and aviation claims including collision and oil pollution claims.
He has played an active role in drafting Thai laws on shipping, maritime, transport and insurance. He has contributed a significant part in drafting many local insurance policies such as fire insurance policy, inland cargo policy, carrier’s liability policy, MTO’s liability insurance policy, product liability policy. Pramual regularly gives lectures at conferences, seminars, academic institutions and prestigious universities in Thailand. His academic works have earned him professorship in mercantile marine. His professorship was officially announced in the Royal Gazette in 2009. He is also the author of fourteen handbooks and textbooks on marine and non-marine insurance, transport and logistics. |
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Albert Chandler Chandler MHM |
Key practice areas: Business law; energy law; international transactions; project financing; investment projects |
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Daniel Chernov Siam ADR Tel: +66 2 252 7664 Email: daniel@siamadr.com |
Key practice areas: Litigation (civil disputes and “white-collar” criminal matters); arbitration; mediation; M&A; property & real estate |
Daniel Chernov is the managing partner of Siam ADR, a boutique law firm specializing in dispute resolution services — including litigation, arbitration and mediation. Daniel is an American attorney licensed to practice law in Washington DC and an alumnus of Georgetown University Law Center (1986).
Prior to establishing Siam ADR in 2011, Daniel worked for several international law firms in the Asia-Pacific region (Tokyo, Thailand, and Vietnam). Over the course of three decades devoted to international legal practice, Daniel developed substantial expertise in resolving international business conflicts in multicultural environments. Siam ADR employs a small cadre of highly skilled and dedicated professionals providing legal services through its office located in Bangkok’s central business district. Siam ADR’s attorneys practice law in Thai civil courts, and have obtained remarkable results for their clients through favourable judgments and lucrative settlements. Simply stated, the firm has won more than 90% of its cases before Thai civil courts and arbitral tribunals. Mr Chernov is also an accomplished advocate in international commercial arbitration before the Thai Arbitration Institute (TAI) and American Arbitration Association (AAA). He has successfully represented prominent multinational corporations before the TAI and AAA, and secured arbitral awards against numerous “Fortune 500” companies. In addition to dispute resolution services, Siam ADR also advises foreign investors in Thailand with respect to international commercial transactions, foreign direct investment, cross-border mergers & acquisitions, and real estate transactions. Siam ADR practices law the old-fashioned way — based upon integrity, sound legal analysis, and decades of international legal experience. Education: Professional memberships: |
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David Doran DFDL |
Key practice areas: Project development; energy, mining and infrastructure; project development |
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Walter Heiser DFDL |
Key practice areas: Energy, mining and infrastructure; project finance; banking & finance |
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Komkrit Kietduriyakul Baker McKenzie |
Key practice areas: Banking & finance; capital markets & securitization; restructuring & insolvency; major projects & infrastructure |
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Rashane Leerabandhu DFDL |
Key practice areas: Corporate finance (including capital markets); M&A; real estate (commercial/residential properties/hotels and resorts); banking & finance; aviation |
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Chaveewan Likhitwattanachai Baker McKenzie |
Key practice areas: Banking & finance; financial institutions; restructuring & insolvency |
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Wynn Pakdeejit Baker McKenzie |
Key practice areas: Dispute resolution; construction; tax & customs; compliance & anti-Corruption; insolvency & debt restructuring |
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Viroj Piyawattanametha Baker McKenzie |
Key practice areas: Banking & finance; project financing; debt and equity; capital markets |
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Ratana Poonsombudlert Chandler MHM |
Key practice areas: M&A, corporate law, project financing |
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Satyapon Sachdecha Satyapon & Partners Tel: +66 0 2254 8858 Email: satyapon@satyapon.com |
Key practice areas: Trademark prosecution; patent prosecution; litigation; IPR enforcement; IP transactions |
Dr Sachdecha, a graduate of George Washington Law School, has been practising exclusively in the field of intellectual property law for over 30 years, founding Satyapon & Partners in 1995, and continuing to run the firm as its managing director. He is a registered patent agent and Barrister-at-Law in Thailand. He plays a leading role in the IP community both nationally in Thailand and internationally, and is in high demand as a guest lecturer.
Under his guidance, Satyapon & Partners has grown steadily into one of the top firms in Thailand representing businesses and individuals from SMEs to globally renowned multinational corporations, A-List local and Hollywood celebrities, state owned enterprises, local government agencies, and a growing list of foreign governments thanks to their work on the highly publicized “Pisco War” GI dispute, representing Chile against Peru. He served as the president of the Intellectual Property Association of Thailand for five consecutive terms from 2009-2019. He has been serving as the vice-president of AIPPI in Thailand for over 10 years. He sat on the IP Law Development Committee for the Thai Ministry of Commerce helping draft the current Trademark Act. Appointed by the Cabinet of Thailand as an intellectual property expert to the Trademark Board of Thailand, during his eight-year tenure he was in charge of appeals and cancellations, which gives him unique insight into the functions of the board. A leading global publication wrote, “The world’s most lucrative brands rely on the expertise of Satyapon & Partners” to protect their trademarks, enforce their rights and resolve their IP disputes in Thailand. Dr Sachdecha is a pioneer in anti-counterfeiting and brand enforcement in Thailand, and his firm is one of only a handful in the country to have an in-house enforcement team. Pernod Ricard, Hermes, Yamaha, NFL Properties, Oracle and many more trust Satyapon & Partners to handle their IP portfolios in Thailand. As well the firm now manages portfolios for many foreign clients in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam, with many Thai multinationals entrusting their global portfolios to the Satyapon team. |
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Jessada Sawatdipong Chandler MHM |
Key practice areas: Banking & finance, project finance, cross-border energy and natural resources, infrastructure and real estate projects |
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Troy Schooneman Kudun and Partners Tel: +66 85 600 6060 Email: troy.s@kap.co.th |
Key practice areas: M&A; banking & finance; real estate; private equity; foreign direct investment |
Troy Schooneman is a partner of Kudun & Partners and head of the firm’s international practice group. Troy is engaged primarily in the areas of mergers and acquisitions, foreign direct investment, banking and finance, and general corporate law. With a career spanning more than 25 years in Asia, Troy has extensive experience in advising a broad spectrum of Thai and international public and private companies, private equity funds and government agencies, on domestic and cross-border mergers and acquisitions, private equity investments, joint ventures, project and corporate financings, real estate developments, energy projects, and general corporate matters.
Prior to joining Kudun & Partners, Troy was a partner at White & Case in Bangkok and later at Weerawong, Chinnavat & Partners, where he focused on domestic and cross-border investment and general corporate transactions for both Thai and international clients. In 2019, Troy was named in Asia Business Law Journal as one of Thailand’s Top 100 Lawyers. He has also been recognized as a leading lawyer in banking and finance, projects and energy by the Legal 500 (2009- 2014) and praised for his in-depth knowledge and experience of pan-Asian markets (the Legal 500, 2012) and respected for his expertise in corporate matters (IFLR100, 2014). He obtained his BA and LLB degrees from Monash University, Australia, and is admitted to practice law in Australia, Hong Kong and England. Troy has been based in Bangkok since 1999 and is fluent in Thai. |
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Sawanee Sethsathira Baker McKenzie |
Key practice areas: Banking & finance; energy, mining & infrastructure; infrastructure; oil, gas & petrochemicals; power; project finance |
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Audray Souche DFDL |
Key practice areas: Energy, mining and infrastructure; corporate & commercial; merger & acquisition |
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Jirapong Sriwat Nishimura & Asahi Tel: +66 2 168 8224 / +66 92 282 7078 Email: jirapong.sriwat@jurists.jp |
Key practice areas: Corporate M&A; Private equity and finance |
As Thailand partner and the founding member of the Bangkok office of Nishimura & Asahi, Jirapong advises on a wide range of international corporate finance, M&A transactions, joint ventures, foreign direct investments and restructurings. His expertise is advising, structuring and leading complex transactions both within and outside of Thailand.
He regularly represents, among others, Thai, Japanese and international investors, international investment banks, international private equity investors, hedge funds, international corporations and financial institutions. His main areas of practice include public and private M&As, legal due diligence, fund raising, listings, block trades, stock exchange and securities exchange related laws, restructuring of shareholdings and general corporate advice. His additional areas of practice also cover banking and finance, renewable energy in Japan and Thailand, exchange control law, labour law, and debt restructurings. Before setting up the Bangkok office of Nishimura & Asahi in 2013, he worked with Linklaters for more than nine years. Jirapong obtained LLB with Honours from Thammasat University in 2004 and obtained LLM in corporate and securities laws with High Merits from London School of Economics in 2009. He is also a registered arbitrator of the Thai Arbitration Institute (TAI) with the areas of expertise in corporate M&A, joint venture, banking and finance, capital markets, debt restructurings and energy. |
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Kudun Sukhumananda Kudun and Partners Tel: +66 880884288 Email: kudun.s@kap.co.th |
Key practice areas: M&A; capital markets (debt); capital markets (equity); real estate funds; restructuring & insolvency |
Kudun Sukhumananda is the founding partner of Kudun & Partners Limited. His passion for changing the paradigm through providing more commercially minded and creative legal advice to clients has led to the creation of Kudun & Partners in 2015 and now represents the fastest growing corporate law firm in Thailand with nine partners and a support team of 36 professional lawyers serving both Thai and international clients.
Kudun advises diverse local and international clients on a wide range of capital market offerings including initial public offerings (IPOs), debt securities offerings and stock exchange listings. He has a wealth of experience in M&As representing a variety of sectors in all stages of both domestic and cross-border cases. He advises on the formation and structuring of property and infrastructure funds and REITs across the full spectrum of securities, tax and regulatory issues. He assists international (FDI) clients investing in Thailand with full recommendations on the optimal investment structures to use from establishing an investment entity to applying for BOI promotions, business licenses and permits. Prior to establishing Kudun & Partners, Kudun was partner at Weerawong, Chinnavat & Partners. He received his LLB from the prestigious Chulalongkorn in Thailand and his LLM from Columbia University School of Law in the USA. Kudun is consistently recognized as a leading lawyer for capital markets and corporate/mergers & acquisitions in directories including IFLR1000, Legal 500 and asialaw. He is currently ranked highly regarded lawyer by IFLR1000 for capital markets – debt/equity and M&A. |
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Apisith John Sutham Apisith & Alliance Tel: +66 2650 9850 Email: john@apisithalliance.com |
Key practice areas: Trade remedies; M&A; corporate & commercial; capital market; litigation |
Apisith Sutham is the founding and managing partner of Apisith & Alliance, a mid-sized independent commercial law firm in Bangkok. His legal practice and experience are broad-based, covering a wide spectrum of corporate, commercial, transactional, finance and international trade laws including trade remedy investigations, international commercial arbitration, cross-border commercial transactions, outbound and inbound foreign investment, capital market, investment funds and mergers and acquisitions.
He has extensive experience representing Thai and foreign clients in antidumping and safeguards investigations as well as advising industries on trade and investment strategy. He advised Thai and multinational clients on mergers and acquisitions and foreign investment in various industries. Apisith Sutham has been named as a leading lawyer for Thailand by Chambers Asia-Pacific and asialaw and as an expert in Who’s Who Legal. Through his leadership and guidance, Apisith & Alliance is recognized as asialaw’s highly recommended firm for Corporate/M&A and as recommended firm for energy, real estate, capital market and dispute resolution for Thailand. He received his juris doctor degree from Fordham University School of Law in 1991 and an MBA degree from the Solvay Business School, Free University of Brussels, in 1994. He is admitted in New York. |
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Dhiraphol Suwanprateep Baker McKenzie |
Key practice areas: E-commerce; Telecommunications law; IP; licensing; franchising |
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Joseph Tisuthiwongse Chandler MHM |
Key practice areas: Project finance; renewable energy; M&A |
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Peerapan Tungsuwan Baker McKenzie |
Key practice areas: Corporate and M&A |
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Kitipong Urapeepatanapong Baker McKenzie |
Key practice areas: Financial services; capital markets; M&A; corporate restructuring; private equity; tax; family business governance |
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Melisa Uremovic Rajah & Tann Tel: +66 2656 1991 Email: melisa.u@rajahtann.com |
Key practice areas: Competition/antitrust; custom and trade |
Melisa Uremovic is a partner in the Bangkok office of Rajah & Tann Asia, the largest legal services provider in Southeast Asia headquartered in Singapore.
Melisa has more than 20 years’ experience in Thailand, representing multinationals in trade and customs matters, as in all aspects of their licensing and compliance requirements. Melisa has worked on some of the largest customs disputes in Thailand, particularly those involving highly regulated products in the tobacco, alcohol and automotive industries. She works with clients in anti-dumping, safeguard and subsidies matters, and extensively advises on the use of bilateral and multilateral investment agreements. Melisa has assisted many companies in establishing or restructuring trading and manufacturing operations in Thailand. She has a particular expertise in complex regulatory matters involving foreign ownership issues, anti-corruption, competition and data protection, focusing on both compliance and investigations. Given the new legislative regimes that apply to areas such as competition and data protection in Thailand, she is able to draw on her deep regional experience to provide practical guidance to clients in these areas. Rajah & Tann’s Bangkok office, known as R&T Asia (Thailand) Limited, is a full-service law firm with 60 lawyers. Melisa works closely with her colleagues in internal and regulatory audits and other investigations matters. In particular, she works closely with the office’s dispute resolution team, which is recognised in publications such as the Legal 500: Asia Pacific for its extensive experience in customs and tax litigation matters as well as in representing clients in regulatory investigations. Melisa enjoys a strong international reputation for her deep knowledge of trade and customs law and regulation across the Asia-Pacific region and is one of a small number of attorneys recognized by specialist publications such as Who’s Who Legal: Trade & Customs 2018 and 2019. |
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Surasak Vajasit Rajah & Tann Tel: +66 2656 1991 Email: surasak.v@rajahtann.com |
Key practice areas: International arbitration; restructuring & insolvency, banking & finance; regulatory |
With more than 35 years’ experience in the private and public sectors, Surasak Vajasit represents some of Thailand’s largest financial institutions and publicly traded companies in corporate and financing transactions, as well as multinational clients in complex Thai regulatory matters involving customs and anti-corruption proceedings. Drawing upon his previous experience as a judge in Thailand, Surasak’s practice largely focuses on representation in litigation and dispute resolution proceedings, including arbitrations – local and international – as counsel and arbitrator. Surasak recently successfully represented a large Japanese car manufacturing company in Tax Court proceedings involving alleged underpaid duty of THB10 billion (US$329 million).
R & T Asia (Thailand) Limited is headed by the highly respected Surasak Vajasit, who is noted for his rich experience in restructuring matters, as well as corporate and financing transactions and his previous experience as a judge. He is recommended by clients as a knowledgeable and prompt counsel, and is respected by peers for his depth of ability. Surasak is also regularly called upon to represent multinational clients in complex litigation and to act as an arbitrator in international arbitration proceedings. R & T Asia (Thailand) Limited is part of the Rajah & Tann Asia network of firms and offers the highest standards of legal service by bringing together leading law firms and lawyers in 10 regional countries. With a team of 60 lawyers in Bangkok, the firm has the capacity to handle the most intricate regional and cross-border transactions and to provide seamless legal counsel across the region, with access to more than 600 outstanding lawyers across Asia. Based in Bangkok, R & T Asia (Thailand) Limited is well-equipped to work towards giving clients a home advantage wherever they are throughout Asia, using its full-service capabilities and conducting business in ways that only native speakers can. The firm can deliver the most complex advice coherently, ensuring that clients are comfortable in legal and cultural landscapes that may seem unfamiliar. |
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Warot Wanakankowit Warot Business Consultant Tel: +66 08 1802 5698 Email: warot@warotbusinessconsultant.com |
Key practice areas: M&A; corporate & commercial transactions; foreign direct investment; taxation; labour & employment |
Warot Wanakankowit is a founding partner at Warot Business Consultant and Wingman & Partners. He has substantial experience with taxation, corporate and commercial transactions, foreign direct investment and foreign business law, labour and employment and merger and acquisition transactions. Warot has also taken director roles in various companies in order to help set up operations and manage those companies.
Warot Business Consultant has worked with several corporations for commercial transactions and joint venture matters and assisted multinational companies in setting up business in Thailand either by establishing wholly owned subsidiaries or partnering with Thai companies. Further, Wingman & Partners, is one of the best-known law firms in the startups scene in Thailand. It has actively helped and represented both VCs and startups in Thailand for a few years. Warot’s recent cases include representation of a reputable truck manufacturer in Thailand in negotiating the shareholders agreement with one of the biggest distributors of automotive parts in Australia to set up a joint venture company in Thailand and representation of one of the fast-growing advertising companies in negotiating the shareholders agreement with three corporate venture capitals for the fundraising. Warot has been invited to be a speaker at many startup events such as Techsauce Global Summit and Thailand Startup Week. Prior to founding his own firm, Warot worked at Weerawong, Chinnavat & Peangpanor, one of the leading law firms in Thailand. Before that he worked at KPMG Phoomchai Tax as well as with PricewaterhouseCoopers Legal and Tax Consultants in Thailand. Warot obtained an LLB degree from Thammasat University and an LLM degree from King’s College University in the UK. |