Next Generation Partners

Rising Stars

Firms To Watch: Labour and employment

Led by Chanakarn BoonyasithSCL Nishimura & Asahi Ltd’ practice engages in both advisory work and litigation, as well as negotiating settlements, interviewing employees and managing whistleblowing hotlines and processes.

Labour and employment in Thailand

Baker McKenzie LLP

Baker McKenzie LLP’s ‘commercial and pragmatic’ team advises on matters concerning restructurings and reorganisations, compliance issues, employment litigation, business protection and collective industrial relations, as well as whistleblowing and investigations. The team is led by Suriyong Tungsuwan, who has demonstrable experience advising on the employment-related aspects of major corporate restructurings, M&As, spin-offs and divestitures, and post-acquisition integrations. The practice also counts on the expertise of associate Theeranit Pongpanarat, who focuses on issues ranging from industrial disputes and post-termination restriction enforcements to work permit and immigration complexities, and Nam-Ake Lekfuangfu, who advises on employment and immigration law matters.

Practice head(s):

Suriyong Tungsuwan


Other key lawyers:

Theeranit Pongpanarat; Nam-Ake Lekfuangfu


Testimonials

‘The best in Thailand. Very commercial and pragmatic advice from partners and associates.’

‘Each lawyer has good knowledge, experience and excellent abilities to give advice to clients.’

Key clients

Thai Airways International


Bangkok Airways


Standard Chartered Bank


Takeda


Mitsubishi Electric Asia (Thailand) Co., Ltd.


Isuzu Motors Company (Thailand) Limited


Swarovski


Unilever


John Deere


Work highlights


  • Assisted an multinational corporation operating in the food industry on reorganisation of its workforce and massive layoffs involving 100 employees across targeted functions as part of the reorganization process.
  • Advised a multinational healthcare company on various employment issues as part of the strategic partial business transfer to the client’s another entity.
  • Assisted a client in the healthcare space to expand its business into specific countries in the Asia-Pacific region, as well as Latin American counties, advising on specific employment issues, including the modern workforce arrangement, hiring directly from abroad via the local manpower company, and hiring in a specific term arrangement.

Tilleke & Gibbins

Working domestically and internationally, Tilleke & Gibbins has experience in employment and labour litigation, as well as advising on matters concerning labour management relations, liability prevention, and regulatory and statutory compliance. On the non-contentious side, the practice handles issues relating to labour expansion and integration, as a result of M&A transactions and corporate restructurings. Chusert Supasitthumrong, who is licensed as a Labour Relations Advisor with the Thai Ministry of Labour, enabling him to engage directly with labour unions in negotiations, jointly leads the team alongside ‘pragmatic’ Pimvimol Vipamaneerut, who assists employers in strategising and executing staffing plans for operations in Thailand.

Practice head(s):

Chusert Supasitthumrong; Pimvimol Vipamaneerut


Testimonials

‘The team has provided us with clear and comprehensive advice on the implications/rules/requirements in relation to Covid-19 and the workplace in Thailand for one of our global clients.’

‘The team have always been responsive and worked to our deadlines/budgets. Despite the differences in legal systems and language, the advice we’ve received has been clear and helpful.’

‘The partners and associates I’ve worked with have been pro-active in developing our relationship, including Pimvimol Vipamaneerut, who paid our firm a courtesy visit to build on our working relationship.’

‘The team is partner led and responsive to requests. Pricing is competitive, and they are commercial in their outlook.’

‘Pimvimol Vipamaneerut leads the team and is our primary point of contact. She is always available and gives very commercial and sound advice.’

‘Pimvimol Vipamaneerut is very responsive and pragmatic in her advice.’

Key clients

Alibaba


Booking.com


Dell


Microsoft


Oliver Wyman Pte. Ltd.


Oracle


Teva Pharmaceuticals


United Overseas Bank


UPS


Walt Disney (Thailand)


Work highlights


  • Worked with Simmons & Simmons to advise Alibaba on critical employment law issues in Thailand.
  • Assisted Oracle, an American multinational computer technology corporation, with reviewing and updating their existing policies and work rules in Thailand.
  • Provided WarnerMedia with comprehensive advice on how the company could proceed with their “Return to Work” project in light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

DLA Piper

DLA Piper’s ‘responsive, professional and highly collaborative’ employment team is led by Komson Suntheeraporn, who was promoted to partner in May 2021 and represents clients in labour court proceedings, as well as handling non-contentious and advisory matters. The practice also counts on the expertise of associate Natnicha Nakhwan, who focuses on employment disputes and claims in Thailand. Noted for its demonstrable capability in employment-related data privacy issues, the team advises on a broad range of contentious and non-contentious matters, from the employment aspects of M&A and restructuring transactions to dismissal cases and discrimination claims, as well as immigration law mandates.

Practice head(s):

Komson Suntheeraporn


Other key lawyers:

Natnicha Nakhwan


Testimonials

‘Responsive, professional and highly collaborative. True experts in their field.’

‘Approchable and fast responsive.’

‘The firm has a quick response time and fast dynamic understanding of the legal aspects of a case.’

Work highlights


  • Advising various multinational companies operating in Thailand on changes to employment conditions due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • Acting for a shipping service company in a maritime labour dispute.
  • Advising an infrastructure and transportation company on a secondment arrangement for the supply of manpower in the operation and maintenance of a project in Thailand.

R & T Asia (Thailand) Limited

Fielding ‘a solid team’, R & T Asia (Thailand) Limited acts for multinational companies and Thai conglomerates on a range of contentious and non-contentious mandates, from reviewing HR policies and employment contracts to matters concerning retrenchment of executives, disciplinary proceedings and termination for misconduct, in addition to employment litigation. Saroj Jongsaritwang and Piroon Saengpakdee jointly lead the team, while Ittichai Prasongprasit has experience in disputes involving labour unions, as well as matters concerning the revocation of orders of the Ministry of Labour, Labour Protection Officer and Labour Relations Committee.

Practice head(s):

Saroj Jongsaritwang; Piroon Saengpakdee


Other key lawyers:

Ittichai Prasongprasit


Testimonials

‘Rajah & Tann fields a solid team when it comes to employment law. We can rely on their knowledgeable employment law advice for our projects.’

Siam Premier International Law Office Limited

Siam Premier International Law Office Limited’s ‘highly capable and responsible’ practice is led by Rawat Chomsri, who advises domestic and multinational clients on contentious and non-contentious, as well as industrial relations issues, and Sumit Masrungson, who has experience in handling employment disputes. The team’s workload includes matters relating to collective agreement administration, collective bargaining, discipline and termination of employment, and industrial conflicts, such as strikes, lock-outs and picketing.

Practice head(s):

Rawat Chomsri; Sumit Masrungson


Testimonials

‘Big yet well-organised firm. Their lawyers are quite capable, highly responsible and always behave professionally.’

‘The team is highly capable and responsible and performs duties professionally.’

Chandler MHM Limited

Chandler MHM Limited’s multidisciplinary team is jointly led by Waree Shinsirikul, who advises on contentious employment matters, and Chisako Takaya, who focuses on the employment aspects of M&A transactions and corporate restructurings. The practice acts for domestic and multinational clients on a range of contentious and non-contentious employment mandates, from reorganisations of corporate structures and review of employment agreements to unfair dismissal mandates and cases of workplace fraud.

Practice head(s):

Waree Shinsirikul; Chisako Takaya


Kudun & Partners

Kudun & Partners has expertise across a broad range of contentious and non-contentious employment and labour matters, including reorganisations, redundancies and alternative workforces, as well as managing workforce size and restructurings relating to spin-offs and disposals. Somboon Sangrungjang has experience in employment disputes and jointly leads the team alongside head of the firm’s international practice, Troy Schooneman. Other key contacts in the group include Niruch Winiyakul, who focuses on employment litigation and has experience across the automotive, transport, banking, insurance and financial services sectors.

Practice head(s):

Somboon Sangrungjang; Troy Schooneman


Other key lawyers:

Niruch Winiyakul


Key clients

Royal Enfield (Thailand) Ltd.


Go Exchange


Crown Equipment Corporation


Work highlights


  • Assisting Royal Enfield (Thailand) Ltd. on the transfer of foreign skilled workers and their family members from head office in India to Thailand, including the submission of applications for obtaining a visa and work permit under the privileges of investment promotion from the Office of the Board of Investment.

Watson Farley & Williams (Thailand) Limited

Watson Farley & Williams (Thailand) Limited’s cross-practice group advises its roster of clients on employment contracts, labour compliance issues, redundancy programs, as well as defending employers and employees against claims in the Labour Court. The team is led by Ratthakarn Boonnua, who represents clients across the maritime, insurance and energy sectors in employment disputes, and Christopher Osborne, who focuses on matters concerning employee share option plans, terms of employment and redundancy programs.

Practice head(s):

Ratthakarn Boonnua; Christopher Osborne


KPMG Law Thailand

With demonstrable experience across the technology, telecoms, insurance, power and energy, and manufacturing sectors, KPMG Law Thailand advises clients on issues ranging from recruitment processes to employment termination. The team is jointly led by Kannika Boontaim, Threenuch Bunruangthaworn, who acts for clients on labour compliance matters, and Archaree Suppakrucha, who regularly advises on employment agreements, change of employer and early retirement issues. The practice is praised for its ‘expertise in employment and labour law in Thailand’.

Practice head(s):

Kannika Boontaim; Threenuch Bunruangthaworn; Archaree Suppakrucha


Testimonials

‘Quick to respond, great expertise in employment and labour law in Thailand.’

Key clients

Ctrip (Thailand) Co., Ltd.


iQIYI


Lumileds


Oh-Ebashi LPC & Partners


Persolkelly Pte Ltd


Qatar Chemical and Petrochemical Marketing and Distribution Company


Snap-On (Thailand) Co., Ltd.


Work highlights


  • Assisting Ctrip Group on the review of the Employee Handbook to comply with Thai labour laws, including the preparation of bilingual document of the employment documents.
  • Assisting Munters on the review of the Contract Confirmation Letter and Frame Agreement for using human resource professional services from NES Fircroft (Hong Kong).
  • Assisting Oyster HR, a startup and platform that helps companies through the process of hiring, onboarding and providing contractors and full-time employees in the area of “knowledge work” with HR services like payroll, benefits and salary management, on employment matters