Section 61 — How an attorney is appointed
Statutory text (Thai original)
การตั้งทนายความนั้น ต้องทำเป็นหนังสือลงลายมือชื่อตัวความและทนายความ แล้วยื่นต่อศาลเพื่อรวมไว้ในสำนวน ใบแต่งทนายนี้ให้ใช้ได้เฉพาะคดีเรื่องหนึ่ง ๆ ตามที่ได้ยื่นไว้เท่านั้น เมื่อทนายความผู้ใดได้รับมอบอำนาจทั่วไปที่จะแทนบุคคลอื่นไม่ว่าในคดีใด ๆ ให้ทนายความผู้นั้นแสดงใบมอบอำนาจทั่วไป แล้วคัดสำเนายื่นต่อศาลแทนใบแต่งทนาย เพื่อดำเนินคดีเป็นเรื่อง ๆ ไป ตามความในมาตรานี้
English translation
The appointment of an attorney must be made in writing, signed by the party and the attorney, and filed with the court to be included in the case file. This letter of attorney appointment is valid only for the particular case for which it has been filed. Where an attorney has been given a general power of attorney to represent another person in any case, that attorney shall produce the general power of attorney and file a copy of it with the court in place of the letter of attorney appointment, in order to conduct each case, in accordance with this section.
This English translation is provided for reference only and has not yet been firm-verified — always rely on the Thai original.
Firm annotation
Section 61 sets the form for appointing an attorney. Three requirements are cumulative: the appointment must be in writing, signed by both the party and the attorney, and filed with the court in the case file. The letter of appointment (bai taeng thanai) is case-specific: it is valid only for the case in which it is filed, so a fresh appointment is needed for each matter. The section also accommodates an attorney holding a general power of attorney to act in any case, who may file a copy of that general power in place of a per-case letter. Compliance is not a formality: an appointment that does not meet section 61 leaves the person without authority, and steps taken on that footing are treated as those of an unauthorised outsider and do not bind the party. The section works with section 60 on who may appoint and section 62 on what an appointed attorney may do.
Why this matters in practice
Get the letter of appointment right at the start, because a defective one can unravel the whole case: unauthorised steps do not bind you and may have to be redone. Sign the bai taeng thanai yourself, have your lawyer sign it, and make sure it is filed in the correct case, remembering it covers only that case, so a new appointment is needed for a separate matter or a related new proceeding. For a company, confirm the signatory has authority to bind the juristic person. If you are engaging a lawyer, check they are a licensed attorney (see our glossary on the licensed Thai lawyer) before signing the appointment.
Supreme Court decisions interpreting this section
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Supreme Court Judgment No. 11418/2557 (2014)
An attorney's appointment must be in writing, signed by the party and the attorney, and filed with the court under section 61; failure to establish the signatory's authority means the person has no authority, and steps he then takes are those of an outsider and do not bind the party.
The attorney appointments were not supported by the orders showing the signatory's authority to act for the naval commander, and no such evidence was adduced. The Supreme Court held this failed to comply with section 61, so the ensuing proceedings were unlawful and the acts of a person without authority, which did not bind the party.
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Supreme Court Judgment No. 2929/2551 (2008)
Where a public prosecutor is appointed a consumer-protection officer and sues in that capacity, the consumers are not the plaintiffs and need not appoint the prosecutor under section 61.
The defendant argued that the consumers had not appointed the prosecutor under section 61. The Supreme Court held that because the plaintiff had appointed the prosecutor as a consumer-protection officer with power to sue in his own capacity, the consumers were not the plaintiffs and no appointment under section 61 was needed; the prosecutor's authority to sue was valid.
Curated decisions with case numbers verified against the Supreme Court database. English renderings are the firm's editorial translation for study.
Frequently asked questions
How is a lawyer formally appointed for a Thai court case?
Under section 61, the appointment must be in writing, signed by both the client and the lawyer, and filed with the court in the case file. This letter of appointment is valid only for that particular case.
Does one letter of appointment cover more than one case?
No. Under section 61, a letter of attorney appointment is valid only for the case in which it is filed, so a fresh appointment is needed for each case. A lawyer with a general power of attorney may instead file a copy of it for each case.