Partners

Chaiwat Keratisuthisathorn

Partner, Corporate & Commercial

Key Practices

Qualifications

  • LLM, Case Western Reserve University School of Law
  • LLB, Thammasat University

Chaiwat Keratisuthisathorn is a partner in Tilleke & Gibbins’ corporate and commercial group and head of the firm’s real estate practice in Thailand. He specialises in real estate matters (acquisitions, sales, leases, etc.) in Thailand and advises clients on property laws, legal and land due diligence, title searches and transfers, requisite agreements, preparing required documents, and representing clients at the land office to register property rights. Chaiwat is ranked as a leading real estate lawyer in Thailand by Asialaw Profiles and The Legal 500 Asia Pacific.

Chaiwat is also heavily involved with M&A matters, for which he regularly leads legal due diligence exercises ahead of major commercial transactions. In addition, he advises clients on establishing and operating a business in Thailand (e.g., limited company, representative office, branch office, foreign business license and foreign business certificate, corporate secretary services, etc.) and on immigration and work permit matters.

Chaiwat graduated with a law degree from Thammasat University and obtained a master’s degree from Case Western Reserve University. He is a member of the Lawyers Council of Thailand and the Thai Bar Association. He currently sits on the Board of Directors for the Australian-Thai Chambers of Commerce.

  • Assisted the Thai subsidiary of one of the world’s leading container transportation and shipping companies in the negotiation and review of a 20-year sublease agreement and related securities agreements/documents for a 36,700 sq.m. plot of land that the client will use as a container yard/depot. Notably, the agreed upon rental fee for the land was THB 600 million (approx. USD 18.7 million).
  • Advised a global diversified media and entertainment company on property lease agreements (valued at approx. USD 1 million total) for three separate filming sites in Bangkok, including careful drafting of lease agreements to include demolition and construction rights.
  • Worked with a major international law firm to advise a leading Japanese multinational conglomerate on tenancy termination issues stemming from lease agreements between the client and an American commercial real estate company that specialises in shared workspaces for tech start-ups.
  • Represented a Thai real estate company in the procurement of THB 390 million (approx. USD 12.23 million) in financing from a multinational investment bank in order to refinance a major real estate project.
  • Advised a major American manufacturer on its THB 220.3 million (approx. USD 7.34 million) land acquisition, transaction documents, and THB 4 billion (approx. USD 133.3 million) construction contract for a mega-factory in Thailand.

The Legal 500 Asia-Pacific
Real Estate 2023 – Leading Individual

Asialaw Leading Lawyers
Real Estate 2024 – Notable Practitioner for 3 consecutive years