Legal service for foreign clients
Monthly Legal Retainer for Foreign Businesses Operating in Thailand in Thailand
A standing lawyer who already knows your business and answers before a problem becomes a case.
Quick answer
A legal retainer is a fixed monthly fee that buys a defined block of lawyer time: written advice, contract review, demand letters, and meetings with counterparties. Contentious work is quoted separately. Contact our team for a quotation.
Contact our team for a quotation — contact our team for a quotation for ten hours; overflow hours bill at a pre-agreed rate and litigation is quoted separately. · Timing depends on documents and the authority; no completion date is promised
Who this is for
- Foreign companies without an in-house legal function
- Businesses signing Thai-language contracts regularly
- Employers managing dozens of staff and their labour issues
- Executives who want written opinions before deciding
What you receive
- Written answers to legal questions within the timeframe agreed in the engagement
- Thai-English contract review with a note on the risky clauses
- Demand and notice letters issued in the company's name
- Review of employment paperwork, work rules, and termination letters
- A month-end report of time used and matters still open
Documents to prepare
- Company affidavit and the list of authorised signatories
- The contracts in use today: sales, employment, and lease
- The current employee work rules
- Any dispute or complaint open on the start date
How it works
4-step process
- 1
Opening risk review
We read the core contracts and employment file, then issue a memo ranking what should be repaired first.
- 2
Set the channel and the ground rules for time
We agree who may raise matters, the urgency levels, and the answer format, so hours are not spent re-answering the same question.
- 3
Run the month and track open items
Advice, drafting, and follow-through on unfinished matters, all logged in one register.
- 4
Quarterly review and package adjustment
We compare hours used against the package and adjust it, rather than letting you pay for time you never use.
In depth
Monthly Legal Retainer for Foreign Businesses Operating in Thailand: what foreign clients need to know
A monthly legal retainer makes sense when a company has a steady flow of legal questions — customer contracts, employment terms, licences, or letters from authorities — but does not yet need in-house counsel. This guide explains which matters the included hours should cover, which work is quoted separately, how to submit questions so answers come back quickly, and what management should check in the monthly time report.
Retainer hours work best on prevention
The highest-value uses of included hours are pre-signature contract review, questions about employment rules, review of internal notices and policies, and advice before replying to a counterparty or an authority. Issues caught before signing usually take a fraction of the time a dispute would.
We recommend one named contact who sends each question with the complete documents, the business deadline, and the output needed — a draft reply, a risk rating, or simple sign-off. A precise brief reduces hours spent chasing facts.
Matters outside the retainer
Court litigation, arbitration, share-purchase due diligence, Foreign Business Licence applications, and negotiations requiring several meeting days should be quoted separately, because each needs its own scope, court or agency fees, and a dedicated team.
Whether unused hours roll over, the rate for excess hours, and an alert when 80 percent of the monthly allowance is used should all be written into the engagement letter so management can decide before the budget is exceeded.
A monthly report you can audit
The report should show the date, lawyer, matter, time spent, and status of each request, plus open risks such as contracts not yet amended as advised or licences nearing expiry. It lets directors see which risks the fee actually reduced.
For companies with foreign shareholders or managers, we provide bilingual opinions when in scope and state clearly that the Thai version is the one relied upon with Thai authorities, reducing translation misunderstandings.
Confidentiality and conflicts
Before accepting the engagement, the firm checks that it does not act for an opposing party in the same matter, and lawyers owe confidentiality under the Lawyers Council's professional conduct rules. The company should also limit internal circulation of legal advice to people who need it.
Cost structure: government fees vs professional fees
| Item | Official fee | Professional fee | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly retainer | None | Contact our team for a quotation | Excess-hour rate set in the engagement letter |
| Litigation and arbitration | Court fees based on claim value | Quoted per matter | Assessed after reviewing evidence |
| Licensing and due diligence | Agency fees apply | Quoted by scope | Document list agreed upfront |
When to act, and when waiting is fine
New contracts or legal questions arrive every month
A retainer is usually cheaper than ad-hoc billing
Legal questions arise only a few times a year
Engage per matter and revisit as volume grows
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Do unused hours roll into the next month?
They carry forward one month, which covers an unusually heavy period, but not indefinitely — the team reserves capacity for you every month regardless.
If a matter turns into litigation, do we change lawyers?
No. The lawyer already on your account carries the file because the facts are familiar. Court work is simply billed outside the retainer under a separate engagement letter.
Can the advice be relied on by our parent company?
Yes, when the addressee is named in the document from the start. That is why we ask who will rely on it; if the parent or the auditor needs it, we issue a version that states the scope and limits plainly.
How are conflicts with your other clients handled?
We screen counterparties before accepting each matter. If the other side is already a client we say so immediately and offer options, such as referring that single matter elsewhere, without disclosing either side's information.
When can the retainer be cancelled?
With thirty days' notice and no penalty. On exit we hand over copies of the file and a note of every open item so the next lawyer can pick it up at once.
Can everything be handled in English?
All communication with you can be in English, but documents filed with courts and agencies must be Thai. We therefore deliver both, with the Thai version as the operative one and the English for your own review.
Do unused retainer hours roll over?
It depends on the engagement letter. We typically allow carry-over within the same quarter and show the balance in each monthly report.
Can a retainer replace an in-house legal team?
For small and mid-sized companies it often can. If contracts arrive daily or someone must attend internal meetings routinely, consider in-house counsel alongside the retainer.
Related services
Draft & Review Business Contracts — NDA, JV, Shareholder
Thai–English contract risk review and transaction-specific dispute terms.
Labor Lawyer — Termination, Severance, Labor Court
Both employer- and employee-side, at all Labor Courts nationwide.
Monthly Outsourced Accounting for Foreign-Owned Thai Companies
Books closed monthly, filings on time, and an English report your head office can actually read.
Written by: Thai Law & Accounting Services — attorneys and licensed accountants
Professional review: A lawyer must review the applicable law and facts before use in a real matter. This notice does not establish that this page has been reviewed or certified by a lawyer.
Last updated: 2026-08
Information as of August 2026. Government fees and processing times change — verify with the relevant agency before acting, or let our team verify for you.