ตรวจสอบโดย ThaiLawOnline สำนักงานกฎหมายไทยที่ได้รับใบอนุญาตและดำเนินกิจการในประเทศไทยตั้งแต่ปี พ.ศ. 2549 ทนายความผู้รับผิดชอบสำนวน: วิชุดา อรรถเมธากุล, น.ม., ใบอนุญาตเนติบัณฑิตไทย เลขที่ 3149/2556.
อัปเดตล่าสุดเมื่อ 5 กันยายน 2569
เอ registered Thai lawyer (holding a lawyer licence, ใบอนุญาตทนายความ, bai anuyat thanai khwam) is a lawyer whose name has been entered on the register of the Lawyers Council of Thailand and who holds a current licence issued under the Lawyers Act B.E. 2528. Registration and the licence go together: the register records who is admitted, and the licence card, with its number, is the proof carried by the lawyer. The number is the quickest way to confirm that the person handling a case may lawfully do so.
สารบัญ
Registration, licence and the number
การลงทะเบียน follows the Council’s admission decision. The applicant, a Thai national holding an ปริญญาตรีด้านกฎหมาย and having passed the Council’s legal practice training, applies for entry on the register and pays the licence fee, and the Council issues a licence card. The number on the card is written as a serial number, a slash and the Buddhist year of issue, so a number ending in 2556 was issued in 2013. Under the Lawyers Act a licence is issued either for two years, renewable on application, or for life; a lawyer whose two-year licence has lapsed may not practise until it is renewed.
The Council keeps the register current: it records renewals, changes of office address, suspensions and removals. A lawyer struck off for a disciplinary offence or a criminal conviction loses the right to practise, and the register is the only authoritative record of that status.
Checking a lawyer before engaging one
Ask for the licence card. A registered lawyer will produce it without hesitation; the photograph, name and number can be compared with the ID card, and the number confirmed with the สภาทนายความแห่งประเทศไทย. It is also reasonable to ask which lawyer will sign the court pleadings, because in Thai procedure the lawyer of record signs the complaint and files an appointment of attorney form, and only a registered lawyer can do that.
Read the engagement letter. It should name the registered lawyer, the scope of work and the fee. Foreign clients are sometimes served by a company whose staff are paralegals or translators while the registered lawyer appears only at the hearing; that is lawful if the registered lawyer is in fact responsible for the case, and a problem if no such lawyer exists. ThaiLawOnline has operated since 2006 with the licence numbers of its lawyers published on its team page.
Registered lawyer, legal adviser and disciplinary status
| สถานะ | ความหมาย | Can appear in court |
|---|---|---|
| Registered lawyer, current licence | On the Council register, licence in force | ใช่ |
| Registered lawyer, licence lapsed | Two-year licence not renewed | No, until renewed |
| Suspended or struck off | Disciplinary or criminal sanction recorded by the Council | เลขที่ |
| Legal adviser or consultant | No Council registration (often a foreigner) | เลขที่ |
The distinction from a “legal adviser” matters most in litigation. A legal adviser may negotiate, draft and translate, but the moment a document must be filed with a court in the client’s name, a registered lawyer has to sign it. Disciplinary complaints about a registered lawyer are made to the Lawyers Council, which investigates under its code of ethics and can admonish, put the lawyer on probation, suspend for a fixed period or remove the name from the register.
คำถามที่พบบ่อย
What does a Thai lawyer licence number look like?
It is a serial number followed by a slash and the Buddhist calendar year in which the licence was issued. The number appears on the Lawyers Council licence card together with the lawyer’s photograph and name, and it is the reference used to look the lawyer up on the Council’s register.
How often must a Thai lawyer renew the licence?
A two-year licence must be renewed on expiry by applying to the Lawyers Council and paying the renewal fee; a lawyer who practises on a lapsed licence is acting unlawfully. The Lawyers Act also provides for a lifetime licence, which does not require renewal but remains subject to the Council’s disciplinary powers.
Is a registered Thai lawyer the same as a licensed Thai lawyer?
In practice yes. Registration is the entry of the lawyer’s name on the Lawyers Council register, and the licence is the card and number issued on registration. A person cannot be one without the other, and both terms describe someone entitled to practise law and appear in Thai courts.
ดูเพิ่มเติม: ทนายความไทยที่ได้รับใบอนุญาต, สภาทนายความแห่งประเทศไทย, notary (notarial services attorney), and our guides on the ethical code for Thai lawyers, how to choose a lawyer in Thailand และ ThaiLawOnline team.
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อัปเดตข่าวสารกฎหมายไทยในภาษาเข้าใจง่าย ที่ส่งผลกระทบต่อชาวต่างชาติ: อสังหาริมทรัพย์, วีซ่า, การสมรส, ธุรกิจ และพินัยกรรม จดหมายข่าวสั้นเพียงฉบับเดียวต่อเดือน จากสำนักงานกฎหมายที่ดำเนินงานมาตั้งแต่ปี 2549 ไม่มีการส่งสแปม ยกเลิกรับได้ทุกเมื่อ.