OUR PRACTICE
A Practice Built Around Family Inheritance
Sila Law was established to give families in Thailand access to considered legal counsel during some of the most difficult circumstances they will face.
Back to HomeOUR STORY
How Sila Law Came to Be
Sila Law was founded in Bangkok by practitioners who had, over many years in broader legal practice, come to see inheritance matters treated as something peripheral — passed between departments, handled without the depth the subject requires, and resolved with more haste than the families involved deserved.
The name Sila draws from the Thai and Sanskrit word for stone — something that endures, that holds its form through time. It reflects the kind of work we do: careful, deliberate, and built to last. Records we prepare, distributions we document, representations we conduct — these have consequences that extend for years.
The practice opened its doors in Phaya Thai in 2016 with a single commitment: to work only on inheritance matters, and to work on each one with the full attention it requires. That has not changed.
We serve Thai nationals, expatriate residents, and international families with assets or family members in Thailand. We work in English and Thai, and we are accustomed to matters that cross more than one legal system.
OUR MISSION
What We Are Here to Do
Our purpose is not to resolve every inheritance matter as quickly as possible, but to handle each one as thoroughly as it requires. We have no interest in generating work where none is needed, and no interest in simplifying what is genuinely complex.
Families come to us at moments of loss, sometimes of long-standing family tension, and sometimes of both together. We think it matters that the legal process does not add its own pressures. We proceed at a considered pace, we communicate clearly, and we keep the family informed at each stage.
Our measure of a good outcome is not simply that a matter was concluded, but that the families we worked with understood what happened and why — and that the documentation produced will serve them reliably for years to come.
ESTABLISHED
Bangkok, 2016
Phaya Thai district, serving clients across Thailand and internationally.
THE TEAM
The People Behind the Practice
Khajorn Phitakwong
PRINCIPAL, INHERITANCE COUNSEL
Called to the Thai Bar in 2008, Khajorn has handled inheritance matters since 2011 and founded Sila Law in 2016. His work focuses on complex statutory distributions and contested estate proceedings.
Nattaya Laohaphan
ASSOCIATE, DOCUMENT AUTHENTICATION
Nattaya joined in 2019, bringing experience in cross-border document matters developed during four years at an international notarial practice. She manages our authentication service and liaises with foreign authorities.
Siriporn Panyawat
CLIENT RELATIONS & CASE MANAGEMENT
Siriporn coordinates client communications and manages the administrative record for each matter. She is typically the first point of contact and ensures that no enquiry is left without a response.
HOW WE WORK
Standards We Hold Ourselves To
Thai Bar Association Membership
All practitioners at Sila Law hold current membership of the Lawyers Council of Thailand and comply with the professional conduct rules of the institution.
Written Scope Before Work Begins
We define the scope of each engagement in writing before any substantive work is undertaken. Clients know exactly what they have retained us to do and at what cost.
Client Confidentiality
All information shared with us in connection with an inheritance matter is held in strict confidence. We do not discuss client matters with third parties without written authority.
Honest Assessment of Prospects
We will not encourage a client to pursue a course of action we do not think is well-founded. Our advice reflects our genuine reading of the matter, not an interest in prolonging the engagement.
Secure Document Handling
Original documents entrusted to us are stored securely, logged on receipt, and returned to clients on completion of the matter. Digital records are held in encrypted systems.
Regular Status Updates
For matters that extend over several weeks, we provide written status updates at agreed intervals so that clients are never in the position of wondering where things stand.
ABOUT OUR FIELD
Inheritance Law in Thailand — Why Specialist Counsel Matters
Thai inheritance law, governed principally by the Civil and Commercial Code, sets out a framework of statutory heirs, mandatory provisions, and procedural requirements that applies differently depending on the nationality of the deceased, the nature of the assets, and the family structure. For straightforward matters involving Thai nationals and Thai-located assets, the framework is navigable but requires careful reading. For matters that cross international borders — a common occurrence in Bangkok — the analysis becomes considerably more involved.
The authentication of inheritance documents presents its own distinct challenges. A will executed in a foreign country, notarised or apostilled there, must still satisfy Thai requirements before it can take effect with respect to Thai-located assets. Family records produced in jurisdictions with different civil registration systems may require translation, verification, and formal recognition before they are treated as reliable. These are not merely administrative steps — they are points at which an inheritance can become contested or significantly delayed if not handled correctly.
Disputes within families over inheritance are among the most sensitive matters that come before Thai courts. The legal questions are often intertwined with long-standing family relationships, expectations, and grievances that have nothing to do with the law. A practitioner who understands only the legal dimension of such a matter is working with an incomplete picture. At Sila Law, we take time at the beginning of any disputed matter to understand the full human context, because it shapes the legal strategy, the settlement opportunities, and the manner in which proceedings are conducted.
Our practice is built around these specific challenges. We do not handle criminal law, commercial contracts, or property transactions. Inheritance is what we do, and doing it well requires the kind of accumulated experience that comes only from sustained focus on one area.
We Are Available to Speak with You
Whether your matter is straightforward or you are not yet sure what it involves, we are glad to have a first conversation and help you understand what is involved.
Get in Touch