About Our Practice
A Practice Shaped by the Matters Families Bring
Asoka Counsel was established to serve families facing the practical and legal responsibilities that accompany a death — bringing professional competence and a considered tone to proceedings that often arrive at moments of grief.
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Founded on Patience and Professional Care
Asoka Counsel was founded on the understanding that estate and succession law, however technical, is always personal. Families do not come to us with legal problems — they come to us carrying a loss, and the paperwork that loss inevitably generates.
Our chambers take their name from the Asoka tree, whose flowers have long carried significance in Thai ceremonial life. It is a name chosen deliberately — for the steadiness and quiet dignity the tree represents, and for the shade it offers during difficult seasons.
We maintain a focused practice: Thai inheritance law, probate proceedings, and succession disputes. This focus means that every matter we accept falls within our area of deep familiarity. We are not a general firm that handles estate matters among other things — this is the work we do.
Our Mission
Clarity and Calm in Legal Succession Matters
Professional Precision
Thai succession law is specific in its requirements. We work with precision — ensuring filings are complete, deadlines are observed, and the family's position is clearly represented at each stage of the process.
Measured Pace
We do not drive engagements forward at a speed that suits the firm. We adapt to the family's own readiness, while making clear which steps carry legal deadlines and why.
Honest Communication
We tell clients what is realistic — both in terms of likely outcomes and in terms of the time and cost involved. An honest conversation early is worth more than an optimistic one that proves false later.
Senior Counsel
The People Behind the Practice
Each member of our counsel has been selected for both legal competence and a particular temperament suited to sensitive succession matters.
Pattaraporn Charoenwong
Senior Partner
Called to the Thai Bar in 2003, Pattaraporn has spent over two decades advising families through probate and contested succession proceedings. She leads the chambers with a particular focus on estates involving real property in Bangkok.
Nattawut Thitiworakarn
Counsel — Probate & Litigation
Nattawut focuses on contested-will proceedings and cross-border succession matters. He holds an LLM from Chulalongkorn University and has appeared before the Bangkok Civil Court in numerous estate disputes.
Siriporn Kanjanavanit
Associate — Estate Administration
Siriporn handles the administrative and documentation stages of estate proceedings, coordinating with the Land Department and other public registries on behalf of executors and administrators.
Professional Standards
How We Maintain Our Practice
Our standards are not aspirational statements — they describe the actual conduct of our practice day to day.
Thai Bar Association Members
All practising counsel at Asoka Counsel hold current registration with the Lawyers Council of Thailand and maintain required continuing professional development.
Client Confidentiality
Estate matters frequently involve sensitive family information. Our practice maintains strict confidentiality protocols, and all client files are held under privilege.
Written Engagement Terms
Every engagement begins with a clear written agreement setting out scope, fees, and what each party may expect. We do not begin formal work without this in place.
Thorough Document Review
Before advising on any matter, we review the actual documents — the will, property titles, company records — rather than relying on the family's description alone. Precision begins with the original source.
Regular Written Updates
Clients receive written progress notes at each significant stage. We do not leave families wondering what is happening with their matter for weeks at a time.
Mediation-Preferred Approach
In contested matters, we are trained and accredited mediators as well as litigators. Our strong preference is to find a resolution through structured conversation before taking matters to court.
Our Approach to Inheritance Law
Thai Succession Law, Practised with Deliberate Care
Thai inheritance law is governed primarily by the Civil and Commercial Code, Books V and VI, which set out the rules for testate and intestate succession, the appointment and duties of executors, and the procedures for probate in the Thai civil courts. These provisions interact with Land Code restrictions on property ownership, Revenue Code requirements on estate taxes, and — for some families — the laws of other jurisdictions where assets may be held.
A well-handled estate proceeds in a defined sequence: verification of the will's formal validity; identification and notification of heirs and creditors; petition to the court for appointment of an executor or administrator; inventory and valuation of estate assets; settlement of debts and liabilities; and final distribution of the remaining estate to the beneficiaries named in the will or identified under the statutory order of succession.
At each stage, there are specific documents required, specific timelines to observe, and specific risks of delay or complication if the procedures are not followed correctly. The role of counsel is to ensure that the executor understands what is required at each step, that documents are prepared accurately and filed on time, and that complications — when they arise — are managed without unnecessary escalation.
Asoka Counsel brings this knowledge to every engagement with a particular awareness that estates are not merely procedural exercises. They are the final expression of a life's accumulation, and the families who inherit carry expectations, histories, and relationships that matter far beyond the documents. That awareness shapes the tone of everything we do.
We Are Available for an Initial Conversation
A first meeting at our chambers or by telephone carries no obligation. If you are dealing with an estate matter — at any stage — we are glad to listen and to advise on what may be required.