On October 19, Chusert Supasitthumrong, partner and director of the firm’s dispute resolution department, and Suruswadee Jaimsuwan, counsel from the same department, offered an in-person seminar on labor law to assist companies in coping with ongoing issues and consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic and the current economic climate. After being welcomed by AMATA Corporation’s corporate communications senior section manager, Chusert began by giving attendees an overview of employment legal issues and concepts, such as employer-employee agreements, principles of labor demands, and strikes and lockouts. In the second part of the session, Suruswadee focused on termination of employment, highlighting notable consequences employers may face when terminating employees, rules for statutory termination payments, and unfair termination. This session at the AMATA City Chonburi Industrial Estate is part of a series of trainings and seminars that Tilleke & Gibbins’ employment specialists are organizing at industrial estates in Thailand to increase companies’ understanding of Thailand’s employment laws and the benefits of complying with these regulations.

On September 22, employment law specialists from Tilleke & Gibbins in Bangkok held a seminar to address current issues relating to employment regulations in Thailand for companies at Gemopolis Industrial Estate in eastern Bangkok. The presentations were on two main topics—employment conditions and termination of employment. Chusert Supasitthumrong, partner and director of the firm’s dispute resolution department, led the first presentation. In the session, Chusert gave an overview of employment conditions and agreements, discussed strikes and lockouts, noted some illustrative case studies, and provided practical advice on how companies can alter their employees’ contracts in compliance with Thai law. The second installment of the seminar was delivered by Piyawat Vitooraporn, an associate from the dispute resolution department. He explained for attendees the key considerations in termination of employment, including procedures, consequences, and causes of unfair termination.

On September 28, Tilleke & Gibbins’ dispute resolution group in Bangkok hosted a hybrid seminar entitled “Complex Commercial Litigation,” comprising three main topics—solutions for delay and disruption claims in construction disputes, product liability, and insurer liability in policies relating to product liability and construction. The sessions were presented in Thai language and were moderated by associate Jamorn Pornponwat. In the first presentation, Noppramart Thammateeradaycho, counsel, walked attendees through causes of delay and disruption in construction, went over notable case studies, shared practical tips for making a successful claim, and covered claims under delay and disruption. In the second session, Chusert Supasitthumrong, partner and director of the dispute resolution department, addressed product liability issues. In his presentation, Chusert covered topics such as liability of entrepreneurs, burden of proof, liability and exceptions, disclaimer agreements between consumers and entrepreneurs, representatives of damaged parties, damages, and prescription periods. He also explained some of the legal procedures and steps that accused parties can take to settle a case successfully. In the final presentation, Pongpalin Chantrapirom, associate, covered insurer liability. Pongpalin addressed notable characteristics of insurer liability in insurance policies for product liability and construction. He also raised some illustrative case studies and examples of relevant court judgments.

On October 5, three attorneys from Tilleke & Gibbins’ dispute resolution group in Bangkok—associate Anyamani Yimsaard, counsel Suruswadee Jaimsuwan, and partner Thawat Damsa-ard—met with Judge Paopun Chopnamtaan, the vice secretary of Thailand’s Courts of Justice, to offer their comments on a proposed new system of recording witness testimony in the criminal court in Thailand. The current practice for creating a record of witness testimony in Thai courts is for the judge to speak a summary of the witness’ courtroom statements into an audio recorder for a court clerk to transcribe. The transcription is then read for all parties and the witness to confirm the accuracy of the content. The courts are in the process of replacing this practice with a system of recording witnesses’ courtroom testimony on video. The dispute resolution lawyers’ feedback was sourced mostly from the department’s most recent internal training session. They commented on the pros and cons of the program and shared their experiences with similar systems elsewhere, such as Singapore and the UK. The judge welcomed the input, and looked forward to considering how to apply their suggestions so that the proposed procedural changes can answer various stakeholders’ needs.