Lex Bangkok represents international businesses and individuals in commercial litigation, civil disputes, and arbitration across all Thai courts. Bilingual legal counsel from case assessment through judgment enforcement.
Registered with the Lawyers Council of Thailand
Full bilingual communication for international clients
Representation in civil, commercial, labour, and IP courts
Whether you are facing a commercial contract breach, an employment dispute, an intellectual property claim, or need to recover a significant debt, Lex Bangkok provides experienced litigation lawyers in Thailand who represent international businesses and individuals across all Thai courts and arbitration forums.
As a bilingual law firm with deep expertise in Thai civil and commercial law, we offer strategic legal counsel from initial case assessment through to enforcement of judgments — protecting your interests at every stage.
Our litigation lawyer Thailand team handles a wide range of commercial and civil disputes for both international and domestic clients:
Breach of contract, shareholder conflicts, partnership disagreements, joint venture disputes, and supply chain litigation. We represent clients in the Commercial Court Bangkok and provincial courts across Thailand.
Wrongful termination claims, wage and benefit disputes, non-compete enforcement, and Labour Court proceedings. We advise employers and employees on Thailand's Labour Protection Act and related regulations.
Trademark infringement, copyright violations, patent disputes, and trade secret misappropriation. Our lawyers represent clients before the IP and International Trade Court in Thailand — a specialized division with jurisdiction over IP matters and international trade cases.
Land ownership conflicts, lease disputes, construction defects, condominium disputes, and boundary issues. We assist foreign nationals and companies navigating Thailand’s property laws.
From demand letters to enforcement of court judgments, we pursue efficient recovery of outstanding debts for businesses operating in Thailand. Our process includes asset tracing, securing provisional remedies, and enforcing judgments domestically and internationally.
Representation before the Thailand Arbitration Center (THAC), Singapore International Arbitration Centre (SIAC), and International Chamber of Commerce (ICC). We handle cross-border disputes involving parties from multiple jurisdictions.
Understanding which court hears your case is essential to an effective litigation strategy in Thailand. The Thai judicial system is divided into courts of first instance, appellate courts, and the Supreme Court (Dika Court).
| Court | Types of Cases | Jurisdiction |
|---|---|---|
| Civil Court | General civil and commercial disputes | Bangkok metropolitan area |
| Criminal Court | Criminal offences | Bangkok metropolitan area |
| Provincial Courts | Civil and criminal matters | Outside Bangkok |
| Labour Court | Employment and labour disputes | Nationwide |
| IP & International Trade Court | Intellectual property, international trade | Nationwide |
| Bankruptcy Court | Insolvency and restructuring | Nationwide |
| Tax Court | Tax disputes with Revenue Department | Nationwide |
| Appeals Court / Supreme Court | Appeals from courts of first instance | Nationwide |
We follow a structured five-step approach to every dispute, ensuring our clients understand the process, costs, and timeline at each stage
We review the facts, documents, and applicable law to evaluate the merits of your case and advise on the best course of action — whether litigation, arbitration, or negotiation.
Before filing suit, we issue formal demand letters and explore settlement opportunities. Many commercial disputes in Thailand are resolved at this stage, saving time and legal costs.
If settlement fails, we prepare and file the lawsuit, manage all procedural requirements, and represent you in court hearings. All filings are prepared in Thai with bilingual client communication throughout.
Our litigation lawyers present evidence, examine witnesses, and argue your case before the relevant Thai court. We ensure thorough preparation for every hearing to maximize your chances of a favorable outcome.
A favorable judgment is only valuable if it can be enforced. We handle post-judgment enforcement including asset seizure, garnishment orders, and cross-border enforcement where applicable.
For international businesses, arbitration often provides a faster, more flexible alternative to Thai court litigation. Thailand is a signatory to the New York Convention, making arbitral awards enforceable in over 170 countries.
The primary domestic arbitration institution in Thailand. THAC offers a cost-effective venue with Thai-language proceedings and experienced arbitrators familiar with local business practices.
A preferred venue for cross-border disputes involving Southeast Asian parties. SIAC awards are enforceable in Thailand under the New York Convention, and proceedings can be conducted in English.
The global standard for complex international commercial arbitration. ICC proceedings are commonly chosen when contracts involve parties from multiple jurisdictions or high-value claims.
Our arbitration team advises on clause drafting, seat selection, and procedural strategy to ensure our clients are well-positioned from the outset of any dispute.
The primary domestic arbitration institution in Thailand. THAC offers a cost-effective venue with Thai-language proceedings and experienced arbitrators familiar with local business practices.
A Thai commercial claim starts with a plaint filed at the Court of First Instance, moves through a settlement conference and evidence hearings, and ends in a written judgment. Most contested commercial matters take twelve to twenty-four months at first instance. Appeals add a further one to two years at each level.
Thailand runs a three-tier system. The Court of First Instance hears the evidence and decides the facts. The Court of Appeal reviews both fact and law. The Supreme Court, the Dika Court, takes a narrower class of case. Specialised courts sit alongside this structure, including the Central Intellectual Property and International Trade Court, the Labour Court and the Bankruptcy Court, and choosing the right forum at the outset saves months.
| Stage | What happens | Realistic timing |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-action | Demand letter, evidence preservation, limitation check, forum and jurisdiction analysis | 2 to 6 weeks |
| Filing | Plaint drafted in Thai, court fee paid, service arranged on each defendant | 1 to 3 weeks |
| Service and answer | Defendant answers within 15 days of service inside Thailand; service abroad takes far longer | 1 to 6 months |
| Settlement conference | Court-led mediation; a large share of commercial matters resolve here | 1 to 2 months after answer |
| Evidence hearings | Witness statements, documentary evidence, expert evidence, cross-examination | 6 to 15 months |
| Judgment | Written judgment delivered by the Court of First Instance | 1 to 3 months after final hearing |
| Appeal | Court of Appeal, then leave to the Supreme Court where available | 12 to 24 months per level |
| Execution | Writ of execution, asset tracing, seizure and sale through the Legal Execution Department | 6 to 18 months |
Court fees on a money claim run at two percent of the amount claimed, capped at THB 200,000 for claims up to THB 50 million, with a further 0.1 percent on the excess above that figure. Those are the figures fixed by the Civil Procedure Code. Everything else in a litigation budget is set by the individual matter rather than by any published scale.
| Cost element | How it is set | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Court filing fee | 2 percent of the claim, capped at THB 200,000 below THB 50m | 0.1 percent applies to the excess above THB 50m |
| Certified Thai translation | Charged per page by the translator | Every foreign-language exhibit needs one, so the volume of documents drives this |
| Expert evidence | Quoted by the expert for the specific instruction | Arises in construction, valuation and accounting disputes |
| Security for costs | Set by the court | Only where section 253 is invoked against a foreign claimant |
| Execution | Percentage of the amount recovered, plus disbursements | Asset tracing is billed separately |
One provision catches foreign claimants repeatedly. Under section 253 of the Civil Procedure Code, a defendant may apply at any time before judgment for an order that the plaintiff deposit money or furnish a guarantee for costs. The application is open where the plaintiff has no domicile or operating office in Thailand and no property here against which execution could run. A claimant that has already committed to the case can find itself funding a deposit it did not budget for. We assess that exposure before filing and, where it matters, structure the claim through an entity with a Thai presence.
Construction disputes in Thailand turn on three documents: the contract conditions, the programme, and the contemporaneous site records. Most international projects here adopt FIDIC-based conditions with an arbitration clause, so the forum is usually arbitral rather than judicial. Delay and variation claims succeed or fail on records kept during the works.
Foreign contractors and employers face a recurring pattern. The main contract arbitrates, the subcontracts litigate, and the same factual dispute then splits across two forums with no mechanism to join them. Multi-tier clauses compound the problem when the engineer determination or DAB step is skipped, because the respondent then challenges the tribunal on jurisdiction. Our construction work concentrates on three things: preserving the record while the works continue, testing whether each condition precedent to claim has been met, and keeping the dispute in a single forum wherever the contract structure allows.
Note also the licensing overlay. Engineering and construction services sit in List Three of the Foreign Business Act, so a foreign-controlled contractor needs to confirm its own permission position before it sues. We check that first, because a defendant will raise it.
An arbitral award is not self-executing in Thailand. The winning party applies to the competent court for enforcement under the Arbitration Act B.E. 2545 (2002), and must do so within three years from the day the award becomes enforceable, under section 42. Thailand is a New York Convention state, so foreign awards are enforceable on the Convention grounds.
Section 43 sets out the grounds on which the respondent may resist, and the burden sits on the party resisting. Those grounds track the Convention: incapacity of a party, an arbitration agreement that is not binding under its governing law, lack of proper notice or inability to present a case, an award going beyond the scope of the submission, irregular constitution of the tribunal, and an award that has been set aside or suspended at the seat. Section 44 adds two grounds the court may raise itself, namely that the subject matter is not arbitrable under Thai law or that enforcement would offend public policy or good morals.
Practically, enforcement proceedings run faster than a first-instance trial but they are not a formality. Expect a contested enforcement to take nine to eighteen months, and budget for translation of the award, the arbitration agreement and the tribunal record into Thai.
Thai courts decide commercial cases on documents far more than on oral testimony. Assemble the following before the first meeting, because reconstruction after a dispute has crystallised is slower, more expensive and easier to attack.
Four mistakes account for most of the value lost by foreign parties in Thai disputes. Each is preventable with early advice, and each is difficult to repair once proceedings have started.
For related matters, see our guidance on company registration in Thailand, foreign business licence requirements and choosing between BOI promotion and a foreign business licence. Court structure and case information are published by the Courts of Justice of Thailand.
Our team represented a European manufacturing client in a breach of contract claim against a Thai distributor. After filing in the Civil Court Bangkok and presenting documentary evidence of non-payment, we secured a full judgment and successfully enforced it through asset seizure.
We represented a multinational corporation in the Labour Court against a former senior employee’s claim for unfair dismissal and compensation. Through strategic evidence gathering and witness preparation, the court dismissed all claims in our client’s favor.
Acting for an international technology company, we obtained an emergency injunction from the IP and International Trade Court to stop a Thai competitor’s unauthorized use of proprietary software. The injunction was granted within 30 days of filing, preventing further financial damage to our client.
The primary domestic arbitration institution in Thailand. THAC offers a cost-effective venue with Thai-language proceedings and experienced arbitrators familiar with local business practices.
Filing a lawsuit in Thailand requires fluency in Thai legal procedure, language, and court practice. All court proceedings are conducted in Thai, and all documents must be submitted in Thai. Foreign companies and individuals need a litigation lawyer in Thailand who understands both the local legal system and the commercial realities of doing business across borders.
Lex Bangkok offers bilingual legal representation with deep experience in Thailand’s civil and commercial courts. Our team combines Thai-qualified lawyers with international legal training, ensuring that our clients receive strategic counsel that bridges the gap between Thai law and international business expectations.
Whether you are facing a contractual dispute, an employment claim, an IP infringement issue, or need to recover a debt in Thailand, our litigation team is ready to assess your case and advise on the best path forward.
Contact Lex Bangkok today for an initial consultation with an experienced litigation lawyer in Thailand.
A standard commercial case at the Civil Court typically takes 12 to 24 months from filing to first-instance judgment. Complex matters with multiple expert witnesses or extensive documentary evidence can run 24 to 36 months. Appeals to the Court of Appeal add another 12 to 18 months, and Supreme Court review adds 12 to 24 months more. Specialized courts such as the IP and International Trade Court tend to move faster. Lex Bangkok provides a realistic timeline estimate at the case-assessment stage.
Yes. Foreign companies have full standing to file civil claims in Thai courts. A foreign plaintiff must appoint a Thai-licensed lawyer, submit notarized and legalized incorporation documents, and in some cases post a security deposit for court costs. Lex Bangkok handles the document chain and represents the foreign client throughout proceedings.
Thai court litigation is the default forum for disputes governed by Thai law: lower-cost but slower, and conducted in Thai. SIAC (Singapore International Arbitration Centre) and similar institutional arbitration are private, faster, conducted in English by international arbitrators, and produce awards enforceable in Thailand under the New York Convention. The right choice usually depends on the contract’s dispute-resolution clause and the parties’ preference for confidentiality and international enforcement.
Thailand is not party to a general bilateral treaty on enforcement of foreign judgments, so a foreign court judgment cannot be directly registered or executed in Thailand. It can however be used as strong evidence in a fresh civil action filed in Thai courts to obtain a new Thai judgment on the same merits. Foreign arbitral awards, by contrast, are directly enforceable under the New York Convention. Lex Bangkok assesses which path applies and prepares the enforcement action.
Court filing fees are calculated at 2% of the claim amount up to a 200,000 THB cap, then 0.1% on amounts above that, subject to further caps under court rules. Under Section 161 of the Civil Procedure Code, the court typically orders the losing party to bear the winning party’s litigation costs — including reasonable lawyer fees and disbursements — in addition to the court filing fees.
Yes. Our attorneys are licensed by the Lawyers Council of Thailand and admitted to practice in all Thai courts. We routinely represent Thai SMEs, multinational subsidiaries, and foreign claimants and defendants in the Civil Court, Central Bankruptcy Court, Central Tax Court, Labour Court, and the IP and International Trade Court.
The Central Intellectual Property and International Trade Court (CIPITC) is a specialized first-instance court with exclusive jurisdiction over intellectual property disputes (trademark, copyright, patent, trade secret) and international trade matters (international sale of goods, carriage by sea, international payments). Its judges have specialist expertise and proceedings move faster than the general Civil Court. Appeals go directly to the Supreme Court’s specialized division.
Mediation is not mandatory before filing in most courts, but Thai courts strongly encourage settlement and most civil cases are referred to court-annexed mediation early in the proceedings. Certain matters such as consumer protection cases and labor disputes require pre-filing conciliation. Many commercial contracts also include mandatory mediation or arbitration clauses that must be exhausted before court action.
If you are facing a commercial dispute, employment claim, or need legal representation in Thai courts, contact our team for an initial assessment of your case and available legal options.
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