Legal Services & Corporate Law Firm in Thailand | Forvis Mazars

Legal Services | Forvis Mazars | Bangkok, Thailand

As an experienced corporate law firm in Thailand, we understand that businesses, and the regulations that govern them, are evolving at an ever-increasing pace. Management teams are under pressure to keep up with the changes in business practices while staying in compliance with all the laws and regulations governing them. 

Our legal advisory services team in Thailand will help facilitate your day-to-day business and enhance your special projects without slowing you down. You may need to set up a company, register a trademark in Thailand, or access any of a number of legal services - our international team brings both a local and global perspective with a hands-on approach. 

Unlike strictly law-oriented firms, we can work as one with Forvis Mazars' tax, accounting, and advisory professionals to ensure we offer you a seamless and complete solution that focuses on helping you achieve your business ambitions. Forvis Mazars offers a unique and comprehensive range of legal services in Thailand, working closely with your management team to deliver legal advice that is relevant to your business.

Approach

We work closely with businesses to support their day-to-day legal requirements and provide expert legal advice and consultation services in Thailand. As law firms in Bangkok go, our presence across multiple jurisdictions lets us bring broad and integrated support across corporate and commercial law, deals, restructuring, employment law, global compliance, advice on the new PDPA for companies in Thailand, dispute resolution, and competition law. 

We also offer a Thai labor law consultancy. Working together as one team, Forvis Mazars provides legal advice and guidance that is the result of a collaborative and pragmatic approach. Our legal consultant teams are encouraged to take an entrepreneurial and agile approach to working with clients, which enables them to develop a deeper understanding of your needs, make smarter decisions, and help you to unlock value in your business.

Forvis Mazars takes care of full legal, administrative, accounting and company secretarial services for a large number of clients in Thailand.

Forvis Mazars maintains very good internal communication with other internal business groups that are often handling associated work for the client to ensure that the most comprehensive view is taken of the client's affairs. Principal areas of service are:

Corporate & Commercial

Forvis Mazars, a leading corporate law firm in Thailand, provides a comprehensive range of corporate and commercial legal services. We can assist with incorporation, maintenance and/or dissolution of a variety of legal entities in Thailand, including representative offices, branch offices, partnerships, joint ventures, and limited companies. Our legal team is available to advise and assist with corporate restructuring (such as capital increases or decreases), the conversion of private companies into public companies, and mergers and acquisitions or amalgamation. Where Foreign Business Law or any other law requires various permits and licenses before you commence operations in Thailand, we are available to guide you through all application processes.

Company Secretarial Services in Thailand

Forvis Mazars assumes the role of company secretary on behalf of clients in Thailand, and our expert legal consultants will arrange and file the various legal documents required under Thai law. As an experienced Company Secretarial lawyer team in Thailand, we prepare notices, minutes, shareholder lists, and similar documents, and we file applications for change of registered capital, directors, authorities, and for amendments to the company structure for both private and public companies.

Contract

We assist clients in drafting and formalizing a wide variety of commercial agreements, in both Thai and English. Areas covered include setting up a company in Thailand, shareholders agreement, joint ventures, sale and purchase transactions, option agreement, franchising, licensing, royalties, real estate, employment, service, property management, construction, loans, guarantees, pledge, mortgage, distributorships, etc.

Investment

Our legal team can guide and advise you on Thailand's various investment laws and can assist you in negotiating and applying for the maximum tax incentives that may be available through the Thailand Board of Investment (BOI). After a successful application for BOI-promoted status, we can ensure that your project remains BOI-compliant. In addition, we also help our client to obtain the foreign business license and all operating licenses from various government authorities.

Mergers & acquisitions

Forvis Mazars in Thailand has extensive experience in providing legal support for mergers and acquisitions, including due diligence review, advice on transactions and business structures, and the drafting of related documentation. Our M&A lawyer team in Thailand works alongside our corporate finance and tax specialists to deliver integrated deal support from letter of intent through to completion.

Intellectual property

We can help clients to apply for the registration of trademarks, copyrights, patents, and trade secrets in Thailand. We provide legal advice regarding Thailand's intellectual property law, advise and act as your representative, and cooperate with our affiliates and/or international associated agents to acquire the international registration certification required in other countries.

Employment

Our team acts as an employment law consultancy in Thailand, and our labor lawyer team in Bangkok advises clients on numerous aspects of Thai labor law, including labor protection, social security, workmen's compensation, and provident funds. We also assist clients with the resolution of labor disputes and with the drafting of employment agreements and work rules and regulations.

Litigation

Litigation work is a complicated process, but we understand the complexities of legal issues in Thailand. We can advise and solve legal problems concerning business practices with practical legal solutions. As a litigation law firm in Thailand, our litigation lawyers handle lawsuits for business dispute resolution, labor, civil, and criminal issues, and are available to advise and assist our clients in court and through the arbitration process. For clients comparing law firms in Bangkok for litigation and advisory services, Forvis Mazars combines courtroom representation with the commercial perspective of an integrated professional services firm.

Work permit and visa services

The laws and regulations governing the employment of expatriates in Thailand are complex and subject to frequent changes. Forvis Mazars provides comprehensive legal advisory services to support expatriates and their families in navigating these requirements, ensuring full compliance while facilitating a smooth process for living and working in Thailand. 

Our immigration specialists deliver end-to-end visa and work permit services, including applications, renewals, amendments, and cancellations. We also assist with visa extensions, re-entry permits, and ongoing compliance obligations such as 90-day reporting, visa transfers, and notifications to the authorities.

In addition, we provide assistance with permanent residency and retirement visa applications, document certification with relevant authorities, and obtaining a Thai driving license. With extensive expertise and a practical understanding of regulatory requirements, Forvis Mazars ensures efficient, compliant, and reliable solutions for expatriates in Thailand. 

Thailand Legal Consultant Services for Foreign Investors

Thailand's regulatory environment presents specific considerations for foreign-owned businesses, from Foreign Business Act restrictions and BOI-promoted investment structures to the Treaty of Amity for US nationals and shareholding rules for land ownership. As a Thailand legal consultant serving inbound investors, our team helps clients choose the right entity type, navigate foreign shareholding rules, secure the appropriate licenses, and stay compliant once operational.

Foreign investors we commonly work with include:

• Multinational groups establishing Thai subsidiaries, branch offices, or representative offices;
• BOI-promoted companies managing the legal conditions attached to their investment incentives;
• Joint ventures between foreign investors and Thai partners, where shareholding and control provisions need careful drafting;
• Regional investors using Thailand as a hub for manufacturing, distribution, or services across Southeast Asia.

Because we sit within an integrated professional services firm, our legal team coordinates directly with our in-house tax, accounting, and outsourcing teams - so corporate structuring decisions are assessed against tax, transfer pricing, and reporting implications from day one.

Work with Forvis Mazars

When choosing among law firms in Bangkok, clients come to Forvis Mazars for one reason above all: we sit inside a full-service professional firm. Your legal matter is never handled in isolation - our lawyers draw on the same in-house tax, accounting, and advisory teams that support your business day to day. You get partner-led attention, bilingual Thai and English capability, and the commercial perspective that comes from advising clients across dozens of industries. Speak to our team today to discuss how we can support your next legal matter in Thailand.

Disclaimer: The information provided on this page regarding Thai corporate, employment, immigration, BOI, and tax regulations is for general guidance only and reflects rules applicable at the time of publication. Thai legislation and administrative practice are subject to change, and specific obligations may vary depending on company type, ownership structure, industry, and promotional status. This content does not constitute legal, tax, or professional advice. For advice tailored to your organization's circumstances, please contact Forvis Mazars in Thailand directly.

Frequently Asked Questions 

Q: How do I choose a corporate law firm in Thailand that fits my business?

A: Start by matching the firm's capability to your actual needs: Thai entity setup, contract drafting, M&A support, BOI applications, foreign business law, PDPA compliance, or employment matters each draw on different specializations. Ask about the team's experience with your industry and with companies of your size and ownership structure (foreign-invested, joint venture, or listed). For foreign-owned businesses, prioritize firms with bilingual lawyers and experience liaising with overseas parent companies. Check whether the firm can handle associated work such as accounting, tax, and company secretarial services under one roof, since this reduces coordination overhead. Finally, meet the partner or director who will own your relationship — not just the business development contact.

Q: What should I prepare before meeting a labor lawyer in Bangkok?

A: Bring the documents most relevant to your matter: employment contracts, the company's work rules and regulations, any warning letters or disciplinary records, payslips or payroll summaries, and copies of Labor Department or Social Security Office correspondence. For dispute matters, prepare a written timeline of events with dates, names, and supporting emails or chat records. Have a clear list of outcomes you want to achieve (settlement, reinstatement, termination, policy change) and any cost or commercial constraints. The more organized the initial file, the faster a labor lawyer in Bangkok can give you a practical opinion on risk, likely duration, and next steps.

Q: Can foreign-owned companies rely on external legal consultants instead of hiring in-house counsel in Thailand?

A: Yes, and many do, particularly at early and mid stages of operations. An external Thailand legal consultant typically handles corporate secretarial filings, contract drafting, employment advisory, work permits, and BOI compliance for a monthly or per-matter fee, giving foreign-owned companies access to senior specialists without the cost of a full-time general counsel. In-house counsel generally becomes worthwhile only when transaction volume, regulatory complexity, or group headcount justifies a dedicated role. Many multinational groups use external counsel for Thai-law matters even when they have in-house legal teams at headquarters.

Q: How long does it typically take to set up a company and obtain work permits for expatriates in Thailand?

A: Incorporating a Thai limited company ordinarily takes one to two weeks from the point all documents, signatures, and registered capital arrangements are in order, with the Ministry of Commerce issuing the company registration certificate shortly after filing. Tax and VAT registration typically follows within two to three additional weeks. For expatriate staff, a work permit application requires the company to first be incorporated and VAT-registered (if applicable) and to meet minimum registered capital and Thai employee ratio requirements. Once those conditions are met, a Non-Immigrant B visa is typically obtained abroad, followed by the work permit application in Thailand, which usually takes around seven to ten working days from complete filing. In total, foreign investors should plan for six to ten weeks from kick-off to having the first expatriate fully authorized to work.

Q: What is the difference between using an M&A lawyer in Thailand and a general commercial lawyer for a transaction?

A: General commercial lawyers are well-suited to standalone contract work and routine advisory matters. A dedicated M&A lawyer in Thailand brings transaction-specific experience: structuring the deal (share versus asset purchase); running legal due diligence; drafting and negotiating sale and purchase agreements, shareholders' agreements, and transitional services agreements; coordinating BOI approvals and Foreign Business Act considerations where relevant; and managing completion mechanics, including conditions precedent and escrow arrangements. For cross-border deals, M&A specialists also coordinate with overseas counsel and tax advisors so the Thai leg of the transaction aligns with the wider group structure. At Forvis Mazars, our M&A lawyer team works alongside our corporate finance, tax, and due diligence specialists to deliver integrated deal support.