You need a lawyer in Phuket when your question depends on Thai law or a Thai office: land and condos, visas, a company, tax, family, inheritance. We are Lex Estate Co., Ltd. Our lawyers, licensed by the Lawyers Council of Thailand, work in English, Russian and Thai and reply within 24 hours.
In short
- The team is licensed Thai lawyers and works in English, Russian and Thai.
- The first reply comes within 24 hours. You get a fixed quote before work starts, and government fees are paid separately.
- In a Thai court you are represented by a lawyer licensed by the Lawyers Council. A licence requires Thai nationality, and foreign lawyers do not conduct cases in Thai courts (Lawyers Act B.E. 2528, s. 35; APEC; Chambers, 2 December 2025).
- "English-speaking" describes a language, not a qualification. Ask any lawyer for the licence number.
- Outcomes depend on documents, offices and courts. We name the risks and the quote up front and do not guarantee results.
What do people come to us for?
We work on six kinds of task: buying or checking property, staying beyond 30 days, opening a company, sorting out tax, making a will and putting documents in order. Each has its own page with the work, the timing and the package price.
- Property: buy a condo, buy a villa, property lawyer.
- Visas: stay longer than 30 days, DTV visa.
- Business and tax: open a business, tax for foreigners.
- Wills and estates: make a will, inheritance in Thailand.
- Documents: notary and powers of attorney, apostille and legalisation.
We watch changes in the rules and update the pages they touch. Recent months changed rules that many foreigners' plans depend on:
| Date | What changed | Where it is covered |
|---|---|---|
| 31 August 2026 | DTV: you apply as a national or permanent resident, a police certificate is mandatory, and missions differ in the details | DTV visa |
| 15 September 2026 | Visa exemption: 30 days instead of 60 | Visa exemption: 30 days |
| 28 February 2027 | The Apostille Convention takes effect for Thailand, except with states that object to its accession | Apostille and Thailand |
Sources: Royal Thai Embassy London announcement of 8 September 2026, Interior Ministry notifications in the Royal Gazette of 31 August 2026, HCCH (7 October 2026).
How does the first consultation work?
You describe your situation in the form or on a messenger, and within 24 hours a lawyer replies with what to do, which documents to gather, what it costs and how long it takes. If that is not enough, we set up a video call or a meeting at our office in Cherngtalay. The quote is agreed before work starts.
The consultation runs in English, Russian or Thai, and papers for Thai offices come as a bilingual version: Thai plus English or Russian. The office is in Thalang district and opens Monday to Friday, 9:00 to 18:00 Phuket time (UTC+7). The address and contacts are on the Contact page. Bring or send:
- A scan of your passport and visa, if the question is about entry or stay.
- The contract, the reservation or your correspondence with the developer, if it is about property.
- Letters and notices from offices: a refusal, a request, receipts.
- The date you need the result by: the visa end date, the registration day, a contract deadline.
The lawyer will ask your aim, your nationality and where you live, where the money comes from and which signatures are already on paper. The rules and the document list depend on those answers.
What is different from using a lawyer back home?
Three things differ from using a lawyer at home. Thai law is civil law written in Thai, so documents arrive in Thai and need translations. A Thai court case is run by a Thai-licensed lawyer. Home-country papers do not carry over: a UK grant of probate has no force in Thailand (ThaiLawOnline, 1 October 2026).
- Your home lawyer stays useful for home tax and home-country documents. A foreign lawyer can hold only a limited licence for advice on foreign and international law (APEC).
- A Thai will for Thai assets plus a separate will at home is the common structure (ThaiLawOnline, 1 October 2026), so both lawyers should see both texts: make a will in Thailand.
- Papers signed at home go through a legalisation chain until 28 February 2027: apostille and legalisation.
- Pay from your own account and keep the bank document for each transfer: condo buyer's checklist.
How do we treat the law and our sources?
Every rule on this site carries a verification date and a source: a statute, an office, a court or a major newspaper. When sources disagree, we say they disagree, and we do not present proposals such as a 75% foreign quota or 99-year leases as law (Thaiger, 3 July and 31 July 2026).
What we do not do:
- We do not offer nominee schemes. They breach the Foreign Business Act, s. 36, and carry criminal risk, not savings: Company and work permit in 6 weeks.
- We do not promise a result. An office or a court decides.
- We do not take "everything is in place" on trust. We ask for the permit number or the letter and check the register.
When do you need a lawyer in court?
In a Thai court you are represented by a lawyer licensed by the Lawyers Council, and only a Thai national can be licensed (Lawyers Act B.E. 2528, s. 35). Foreign lawyers may hold a limited licence for foreign-law advice but conduct no cases (APEC; Chambers, 2 December 2025). An English-speaking lawyer without a Thai licence cannot appear for you. Rules are as of 7 October 2026.
Many tasks for a foreigner end without a court: at offices, banks and registrations. A court appears when the parties do not agree. A contested divorce goes to the Family Court and typically takes 6 to 12 months. That is ThaiLawOnline's estimate, not a statutory deadline (undated page; our sources show no change to these rules in 2025 or 2026). The Probate Court appoints the administrator of an estate (ThaiLawOnline, 1 October 2026).
We try to settle first, with a claim letter, negotiation or corrected documents. A typical situation: a written claim got a reservation deposit back from a developer (The 49% quota ran out a week before closing). If a case heads to court, we name the form of representation and the quote before we start, and a licensed lawyer appears for you.
How to choose a lawyer in Phuket: five checks
Check five things before you sign: the licence, the written scope, the quote, the language of the papers and where your money goes. Do not send money for a purchase to a lawyer's or an agent's personal account: unlicensed lawyers who hold client funds risk criminal liability (Hua Hin Legal, July 2025).
- Licence. Ask for the Lawyers Council licence number of the lawyer who will run your matter.
- Scope. Put in writing what is included and what is not.
- Quote. Ask for a fixed price and a list of fees you pay separately.
- Language. Sign only what you understand, and have a Thai version if the paper goes to a Thai office.
- Money. Pay the seller, an escrow or a bank, and keep the bank document for the transfer.
Describe your situation in the form below: a few words on what happened or what you plan, and the date you need a result by. Within 24 hours we tell you what needs to be done, what it costs and how long it takes.
