Tilleke & Gibbins (Laos) > Vientiane, Laos > Firm Profile

Tilleke & Gibbins (Laos) > Firm Profile

Tilleke & Gibbins’ Vientiane office provides a full range of legal advice and services for foreign investors in Laos. Combining an intimate understanding of local law and culture with legal expertise from across Southeast Asia, we advise on major corporate and commercial issues in Laos, including share and asset sales, M&A, joint ventures, power projects, due diligence, permits and approvals, employment, distribution agreements, technology, data protection, franchising, and dispute resolution. In addition, our team has particular expertise in intellectual property law, and has assisted numerous multinational corporations with trademark and patent registration and enforcement in the jurisdiction.

Our firm: Tilleke & Gibbins is a leading Southeast Asian regional law firm with over 190 lawyers and consultants practicing in Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam. We provide full-service legal solutions to the top investors and high-growth companies that drive economic expansion in Asia.

Established in Bangkok in 1890, we have since grown into the largest independent law firm in Thailand and a leading international firm across Southeast Asia due to our commercial focus, local knowledge, and extraordinary service.

Commercial focus: Your long-term success is our utmost priority, and we take the time to learn about your unique corporate culture, operational needs, and commercial goals, to determine how we can best provide value to your organization. From highly technical experience in specific fields, to a deep understanding of your business, our team is committed to providing high-quality legal advice, tailored to meet your unique needs, to best help you succeed.

Local knowledge: You need a local partner to help you navigate emerging markets that can otherwise present unfamiliar challenges. We bring an international perspective, but we have deep roots in each jurisdiction where we practice. We know the local players in your industry, can identify advantageous private partnerships and areas for government collaboration, and act as your gateway through language and cultural barriers.

Extraordinary service: Our team takes pride in providing extraordinary service that exceeds your expectations. When you work with us, you can expect to have a team of collaborative advisors who provide you with clear, practical advice; who are responsive in all our communications; who represent you with integrity; and who apply an innovative approach in everything we do. With clients as extraordinary as ours, we know that nothing short of extraordinary legal services will suffice.

Our practice areas
Aviation: Tilleke & Gibbins’ cross-disciplinary aviation team serves airlines, aircraft lessors and lessees, insurers, banks, air cargo firms, and other aviation-related companies in Southeast Asia, one of the world’s fastest-growing aviation markets. With our firm’s top-ranked dispute resolution and corporate departments, as well as our multijurisdictional presence, we are well placed to advise clients in aviation matters.

Banking and finance: Through long-term relationships with domestic and international businesses, financial institutions, investors, and regulators, we consistently deliver insight and results to both borrowers and lenders to facilitate the region’s largest projects, groundbreaking real estate transactions, and most ambitious businesses.

Our banking and finance team is trusted by major local and foreign banks, securities brokers and dealers, equity and investment firms, and other financial institutions to assist with their lending activities, market entry, and day-to-day operations in the region. Through our advice on licensing and establishment, regulatory compliance, acquisitions and joint ventures, and every other aspect of operations, we have helped the region’s leading banking institutions thrive in the emerging markets of Southeast Asia.

We are also proud to be a trusted authority on technological solutions in the industry, with our robust technology industry group working with some of the world’s most innovative companies on fintech, cryptocurrency, blockchain, and cybersecurity matters.

Capital markets: We represent global and regional corporations and funds looking to issue equity instruments and debt securities, and we advise underwriters and issuers on crucial matters of disclosure when they prepare to offer securities to the public or to private investors. Our specialists advise on all types of financial instruments (including loans, securities, mutual funds, property funds, bonds, and derivatives), financial workouts and restructuring, and investment in regional assets and capital markets.

We have advised on the listing and secondary listing of hundreds of companies on markets around the world, and are well-equipped to quickly and confidently advise on navigating the regulatory requirements needed to advance your interests in Southeast Asia and beyond. Our extensive experience guiding clients through capital market regulatory frameworks in Southeast Asia and beyond has enabled clients to achieve the cash flow to support their investment goals. Issuers, underwriters, shareholders, originators, trustees, and depositaries all rely on Tilleke & Gibbins to ensure that investments with a Southeast Asian element are sound and secure.

Competition and trade: Tilleke & Gibbins provides real-world advice on antitrust and competition laws, including merger control and notifications, price-fixing, abuse of dominance, cooperation among competitors, antidumping, and countervailing duties. We understand the realities of business development in Southeast Asia and can help you create effective and compliant action plans for market entry and expansion.

Our regional trade practice is rooted in a deep understanding of the cross-border movement of goods and capital in Southeast Asia, and our dynamic practice represents clients in such diverse fields as life sciences, consumer products, financial services, technology, raw materials, and logistics. We advise on every aspect of trade, including valuations and customs investigations and compliance, origin and exporter verification, movement of hazardous materials, logistics and warehousing, import/export controls, and international treaty frameworks.

Compliance and investigations: Tilleke & Gibbins offers a wide array of specialist legal, regulatory, and practical advice on government and internal investigations, white-collar defense, compliance, and anti-corruption matters, tailored for local jurisdictions. Our multi-jurisdictional team can assist you seamlessly across borders with a deep knowledge of local business practices and cultures.

Our investigation and compliance practice includes:

• • Internal corporate investigations
  • Advising clients on criminal and regulatory investigations
  • Advising clients on the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and the U.K. Bribery Act
  • Providing insight into local anti-corruption laws, regulatory regimes, and business culture
  • Designing, advising, and implementing compliance programs
  • Anti-corruption due diligence on agents, partners, and M&A targets
  • Anti-corruption risk assessments and audits

Consumer products: The consumer products team at Tilleke & Gibbins will partner with you across all stages of commercializing your product in Southeast Asia.

At the concept and design stage, we help protect your innovation through patent and trademark services, and pave the way for market entry and product launches through market surveys and commercialization services.

At the realization stage, we work with you to secure favorable manufacturing and warehousing deals, enter into joint ventures with trusted local partners, and navigate the regulatory and labelling regimes to ensure that your products are compliant and profitable. When manufacturing is underway, we advise on labor and employment matters on an ongoing basis, and on the vital licensing, distribution, and franchising agreements to get your products to market worldwide.

Corporate/M&A: Tilleke & Gibbins serves both international clients wishing to acquire operations in Asia and domestic clients wishing to invest in businesses abroad.

With international legal experts throughout Southeast Asia, we are able to assemble a team for each matter that is tailored to the exact needs of each client. Our clients also tap into our worldwide network of associated law firms to assist with cross-border transactions, and benefit from our unique ability to negotiate and draft strong contracts in English, Thai, Vietnamese, Japanese, Chinese, and various other languages.

We also specialize in the mechanics of starting and operating a business in Southeast Asia, including registration, licenses and permits, company secretarial services, tax matters, employment, immigration, regulatory affairs, and property.

Dispute resolution and litigation: Tilleke & Gibbins is a stalwart advocate for companies facing disputes in Southeast Asia, as well as those seeking to mitigate risks from their Southeast Asian operations. From high-value commercial litigation to complex intellectual property rights management, we secure results for our clients before trial and appellate judges, arbitrators, and government adjudicators, and at negotiation tables across every area of legal practice.

We treat our clients as the most valuable members of our litigation teams, partnering you with the most appropriate litigators, specialized practitioners, and international dispute tacticians to give you the best possible support in difficult situations. We collaborate with each client to develop a strategy that matches your particular goals and budget, and staff our litigation teams with multilingual attorneys to ensure fluent, effective client communication.

Our size and experience allow us to handle an active caseload covering the full spectrum of civil and criminal matters, as well as alternative dispute resolution proceedings including arbitration, mediation, and conciliation. Whatever the problem, our team of dispute resolution practitioners stands ready to protect your interests.

Employment: Tilleke & Gibbins’ first goal is to help employers formulate long-term, yet flexible, strategies on conditions of employment, labor-management relations, and other critical employment issues. When conflict cannot be avoided, we assist our clients with employment claims in court. We combine the strength of our dispute resolution and litigation team with the expertise of our employment attorneys to offer the following services:

• • Strategic employment advice. Conditions of employment, work rules and regulations, employment agreements, benefit plans, executive compensation, labor protection, workers’ compensation, social security, provident funds, and safety issues.
  • Commercial transactions. Issues related to labor expansion, contraction, and integration due to mergers, acquisitions, and restructuring.
  • Labor-management relations. Conflicts in the workplace, strike management and control, lockouts, and labor demands.
  • Immigration. Work permits, visas, and permanent residence permits.
  • Employment and labor litigation. Enforcement of restrictive covenants related to competition and trade secrets, termination of employment claims, and sexual harassment claims.

Energy: We partner with national and multinational clients to ensure appropriate financing, licensing, success of major project investments, and proper labor and employment practices while also assisting with risk management and protection of technological innovation.

We act for clients across the energy mix in Southeast Asia. We support the activities of national and international operators in the petroleum industry, such as offshore drilling, rig decommissioning, oil and gas exploration, upstream and downstream operations, petrochemicals, transportation, and more. In clean energy technologies and renewables, we represent leading companies and exciting new players in solar and wind energy, as well as important hydroelectric projects in the region. We are also experienced in guiding generation and transmission projects past regulatory hurdles. Our expert legal advice on contracts and licensing, project finance, infrastructure development, joint ventures, and public-private partnerships enables our clients to power the ongoing development of our region.

Insurance: Tilleke & Gibbins offers a leading regional practice in insurance and reinsurance law across Southeast Asia. Our team is unique in being led by local practitioners with international industry experience and credentials gained through years of experience in-house at some of the world’s largest insurers. Our regular representation of many world-leading insurers and reinsurers, and our achievements while working with them, has led to regular recognition by world-leading legal industry directories such as Chambers Asia-Pacific, The Legal 500, and Asialaw Profiles.

Our insurance services include:

• • Property, casualty, and financial lines coverage disputes
  • Reinsurance litigation and arbitration
  • Professional indemnity, and directors and officers defense
  • Employers, public, product, and environmental liability
  • Aviation, marine, construction, and energy disputes
  • Mergers, acquisitions, and corporate restructurings
  • Online distribution, bancassurance, and broking activities
  • Market entry and regional operations
  • Regulatory compliance
  • Policy wording advice and localization

Intellectual property: We help creators strategically position, protect, and profit from intellectual assets in diverse markets worldwide. Our success on our clients’ behalf has led to global recognition as a leading intellectual property practice by such surveys as Asialaw Profiles, Chambers Asia Pacific, The Legal 500 Asia Pacific, Managing Intellectual Property, Practical Law Company, World Trademark Review, Asia IP, Asian Legal Business, and others.

We are versatile practitioners—well-educated in the overlapping fields of science, technology, and the law by top universities and real-world practice in one of the toughest IP regions in the world. Our IP group includes lawyers and patent agents with backgrounds in chemistry, biology, computer science, food science, materials science, and physics; support personnel including investigators and government/police liaisons; and technical specialists in various scientific fields, on an as-needed basis.

Life sciences: The Tilleke & Gibbins life sciences team combines experienced commercial attorneys, patent experts with technical degrees, and licensed pharmacists with industry experience to offer a full range of services to companies operating in pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, food and beverages, biotechnology, medical devices, veterinary products, consumer products, and other life sciences sectors. We regularly assist with:

• • Regulatory affairs. Registration and prosecution of pharmaceuticals, biotech products, food and food supplements, narcotic and psychotropic substances, medical devices, cosmetics, hazardous substances, and animal and crop health products with national food and drug agencies and agricultural regulators.
  • Corporate and transactional matters. Advising on corporate establishment, cross-border and multi-jurisdictional transactions, labor and employment, due diligence, compliance investigations, IP valuation and licensing, assignments and acquisitions, franchising, distributorship, technology transfer, and tax and customs issues.
  • IP registration. Strategic portfolio management of patents, trademarks, trade secrets, copyright, and geographical indications, including IP search, registration, freedom-to-operate opinions, recordal, and prosecution.
  • IP enforcement and litigation. Advising on pre-litigation and arbitration, IP litigation and strategy, validity challenges and invalidations, product liability, consumer complaints and recalls, and monitoring for infringing products in the market or under the application process.

Property: Tilleke & Gibbins provides efficient, cost-effective, business-oriented representation on property transactions. We work with domestic and multinational companies to develop tailored solutions for regional investment and global growth.

In addition to advice on contractual and conveyancing matters, our team provides a holistic approach to property transactions, advising on joint ventures, licensing and permits, zoning, insurance, tax, and, when necessary, dispute resolution and litigation. We are also one of the most trusted authorities on environmental law in the region, helping clients to ensure that their developments are compliant and sustainable.

We help clients in all industries, from manufacturing to hospitality, capitalize on opportunities for business success in Southeast Asian markets. Whether it’s helping a new joint venture establish a new factory, securing licenses and permits for a developer to start construction of residential or commercial real estate, or advising investors on land deals, Tilleke & Gibbins is proud to be a catalyst for the smart and sustainable development of Southeast Asia.

Regulatory affairs: Our dynamic regulatory affairs group is built on decades of practice in the region and is committed to keeping pace with discovery and innovation. Our client teams are led by experienced attorneys and specialized practitioners and include, as appropriate to the client and its industry, pharmacists, agricultural consultants, and other regulatory specialists. We guide our clients through the layers of formal and informal rules, policies, and procedures, and help our clients forge constructive relationships with regulatory authorities.

We assist with the registration and prosecution of pharmaceuticals, biotechnology products, food and food supplements, narcotic and psychotropic substances, medical devices, cosmetics, hazardous substances, and animal and crop health products with national food and drug agencies and agricultural regulators.

Our practice spans the following disciplines:

• • Clinical trials and consumer testing
  • Registration with public health authorities
  • FDA import, export, and manufacturing licenses
  • Crop care registration with agricultural regulatory authorities
  • Animal, aquatic, and hazardous substance registration
  • Import, export, and manufacturing licenses
  • Holding licenses
  • Regulatory compliance and maintenance
  • Labeling and advertising clearance
  • Intellectual property

Tax: Tilleke & Gibbins is consistently recognized as a top tax practice across Southeast Asia. The Legal 500 Asia Pacific credits the practice, headquartered in Thailand, with “excellent levels of service,” “prompt response times,” and “clear and well-structured advice.”

We dedicate our thorough understanding of the region’s tax regimes to helping clients achieve their business objectives, while also maximizing tax benefits and minimizing tax liabilities. We advise on an array of tax matters, including customs duties, excise tax, specific business tax, transfer pricing, petroleum income tax, corporate income tax, property and land tax, tax planning, double taxation treaties, personal income tax, stamp duties, signboard tax, and value added tax (VAT).

Market leaders in diverse sectors—including financial, manufacturing, consumer goods, construction, and energy—seek our advice in tax matters that span the spectrum of business activities. Our strategic approach to tax advice protects your commercial interests in the region and ensures that your business in Southeast Asia remains tax-efficient, well structured, and sustainable.

Technology: Our experts handle key issues and developments shaping the technology sector today, including emerging and swiftly evolving areas such as privacy and data protection, IT infrastructure, embedded technologies, the Internet of Things, data centers, fintech, insurtech, regtech, digital currency, ICOs, crowdfunding, and more.

Our firm represents leading multinational technology manufacturers, content developers and distributors, digital business operators, telecommunications providers, and other leading companies in cutting edge industries. We help our clients to strategically position, protect, and profit from their valuable intellectual property in diverse markets worldwide, and ensure the clearance and licensing of intellectual property as it relates to film, television, radio, and internet content.

Case studies

Please browse the case studies on our website to read about how we have helped various clients over the years.

Head office
Thailand (Bangkok): since 1890, Tilleke & Gibbins’ head office has been located in Bangkok, Thailand’s center of commerce, serving the drivers of the regional economy, from regional operating headquarters to manufacturing conglomerates to new entrants in the Southeast Asian market. The Bangkok office offers unparalleled legal representation in the areas of commercial transactions and M&A, corporate services, dispute resolution and litigation, and intellectual property. We are also recognized by independent third parties for excellence in the fields of tax, regulatory affairs, transportation and logistics, technology, multimedia, and communications, and banking and finance.

Other offices
Cambodia (Phnom Penh): built on a strong local foundation, the Cambodia practice offers a team of dedicated Khmer advisors who draw on the international expertise of the Bangkok office to provide advice on intellectual property, licensing, and regulatory issues. Among a range of industries, the team in Phnom Penh also specializes in sectors including franchising, life sciences, and high technology.

Indonesia (Jakarta): the Jakarta office, which operates as a dedicated intellectual property agency, brings Tilleke & Gibbins’ high standards of quality and client care to the Indonesian market. Leading multinational clients depend on our Indonesia team to protect their patents, trademarks, copyright, and other IP rights. Our team of qualified intellectual property consultants assists clients with patent, utility model, design, and trademark applications and registrations, renewals, searches, responses to office actions, oppositions, cancellations, recordal of license agreements, due diligence, watch services, copyright recordation, and a wide range of other services to help you manage your portfolio of intellectual assets.

Laos (Vientiane): the Vientiane practice provides legal advice for foreign investors in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic. With particular expertise in intellectual property law, our team has assisted hundreds of multinational corporations with trademark and patent registration and enforcement in Laos. Building on our expertise in IP law, the team in Laos is also well positioned to work with local associates to advise clients on a wide range of corporate and commercial matters, from company formation to projects and infrastructure to labor and employment issues.

Myanmar (Yangon): the Tilleke & Gibbins team in Yangon assists new market entrants to navigate this unfamiliar jurisdiction. As the Myanmar government pushes forward with establishing new legal frameworks governing how investors can operate businesses, our team provides the practical, on-the-ground experience necessary to meet business objectives in the country. Backed by the expertise of the Bangkok office, our Myanmar office has particular strength in the area of intellectual property, protecting and defending the building blocks of domestic and international businesses.

Vietnam (Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City): Tilleke & Gibbins has been practicing law in Vietnam since becoming the first foreign law firm to be granted a license to establish a representative office in Vietnam in 1992. With two office locations in the hubs of both the Northern and Southern parts of the country, Tilleke & Gibbins helps businesses capitalize on Vietnam’s abundant trade and investment opportunities.  The Vietnam teams play a part in this true emerging market, by providing a full array of legal services spanning virtually all industries and practice areas. The Vietnam offices have been recognized by top legal publications and directories in the areas of trademarks and patents, construction and real estate, corporate and M&A, banking and finance, dispute resolution, employment, and technology.

Legal Developments

Thailand Unveils Regulations for Cross-Border Personal Data Transfer

1st March 2024 On December 25, 2023, Thailand's Personal Data Protection Committee (PDPC) issued two notifications under sections 28 and 29 of the Personal Data Protection Act 2019 (PDPA) that address essential aspects and criteria for the cross-border transfer of personal data. These notifications are scheduled to come into effect on March 24, 2024.

Tilleke & Gibbins Appoints Two New Partners in Thailand and Indonesia

15th January 2024 Leading full-service Southeast Asian law firm Tilleke & Gibbins is pleased to announce the promotion of two outstanding lawyers to the firm’s partnership.

Tilleke & Gibbins Bolsters its Regional Corporate/M&A Capabilities with the Hire of Derrick Khoo

21st September 2021 Tilleke & Gibbins is pleased to announce that it has further strengthened its capabilities with the hire of Derrick Khoo as a partner in the regional Corporate/M&A team, where his cross-border transactional experience in handling complex legal matters amidst challenging legal and regulatory environments will facilitate the firm’s clients to achieve their business objectives in the ASEAN region.

Customs Recordation in Myanmar Fights Trade in Counterfeit Goods

22nd October 2020 The Myanmar Customs Department (MCD) organized another Intellectual Property Awareness and Product Identification Workshop at its Customs Training School in Yangon on August 6, 2020, for its frontline customs officers. Such workshops are held numerous times every year, serving as a platform for foreign brand owners and their local representatives to educate and update the enforcement officers on methods for differentiating their genuine products from counterfeits and imitations when inspecting suspicious shipments at ports of entry into the country. The training sessions are also useful in encouraging collaborative discourse between the private and public sectors to improve the efficiency of their joint intellectual property rights enforcement efforts.

Amendments to Thailand’s Civil Procedure Code to Allow Civil Mediation before Litigation

5th October 2020 Recent amendments to Thailand’s Civil Procedure Code (CPC) will allow parties to submit a matter for court-supervised mediation prior to the actual filing of the case. Encouraging mediation prior to filing a complaint is intended to save time and resources that would otherwise be expended on a trial.

Comparative Guides

• Thailand: Project Finance

  Published: January 2024

  Authors: Santhapat Periera Niti Muangkote Phatthraphon WaithanomsatPongnut Mengkred

  This country-specific Q&A provides an overview of Project Finance laws and regulations applicable in Thailand.

• Vietnam: Project Finance

  Published: January 2024

  Authors: Ms. Tram Ngoc Bich NguyenMr. Duong Duy Nguyen Ms. Lien Bich Nguyen Mr. Duc Minh Pham

  This country-specific Q&A provides an overview of Project Finance laws and regulations applicable in Vietnam.