Partners

Chusert Supasitthumrong

Partner and Director, Dispute Resolution

Key Practices

Qualifications

  • LLB, Chulalongkorn University

Chusert Supasitthumrong, partner and director of Tilleke & Gibbins’ dispute resolution and litigation group, is a trial and appellate lawyer with an extensive history of helping clients achieve successful outcomes in the Thai court system. With unmatched expertise and qualifications in labour and employment dispute resolution, Chusert is recognised as the go-to lawyer for Thailand’s largest employers for his ability to help clients solve critical employment disputes, from labour strikes to layoffs to contested for-cause terminations.

A formidable advocate with extensive experience litigating complex matters before the Labour Court and the Supreme Court, Chusert is equally successful in securing favourable settlements and contract terms for his clients. His labour practice includes advising clients in multiple-party labour disputes and collective bargaining negotiations. Chusert is one of just a handful of private practice lawyers in Thailand licensed as a Labour Relations Advisor with Thailand’s Ministry of Labour, which enables him to engage directly with labour unions in negotiations on behalf of corporate clients.

Chusert also handles commercial disputes related to product liability, customs, maritime, international trade, company reorganisations, tax, and white-collar crime, and in his role as director of the firm’s dispute resolution and litigation department provides guidance to teams working on contentious matters across virtually every practice area.

He is a regular speaker on these topics as well, presenting at regional legal conferences, for corporate clients at in-house seminars, and on televised programs. He is also a frequent contributor to the Bangkok Post and other leading periodicals.

  • Planned and executed the layoff of 1,900 employees. Thereafter, 279 of the affected employees submitted claims against the client in the total amount of THB 300,000,000. Chusert successfully proved that the client had cause to terminate its employees and that the terminations were fully compliant with Thai law, resulting in judgment in the client’s favour. This was a high-stakes matter because, had the case been lost, an approximately 1,600 additional employees would have filed claims totalling approximately THB 2,000,000,000.
  • Prevailed in a highly publicised termination case wherein the client sought court permission to terminate the president of a labour union based on her television appearance while wearing a controversial T-shirt. The president maintained that she had given the interview in her own time and that her actions were protected by the Constitution. Although she was supported by many NGOs, the court ruled in favour of the client.
  • Negotiated a favourable settlement of a highly contested termination of a company director involving the client, the director, and the company of the spouse of the director. The dispute included two criminal cases and two civil cases (one of which involved a claim of THB 20,000,000). Chusert successfully gathered evidence of the director’s misconduct and leveraged that evidence to secure a favourable settlement for the client.
  • Planned the layoff of approximately 1,000 persons and created a multifaceted strategy to manage the response of the employees and the labour union. The labour union mounted a strong challenge to the client’s activities. Nonetheless, Chusert successfully responded to the opposition and completed the downsizing of the company without any employee claim.
  • Helped a manufacturer respond to the creation of a labour union and the lodging of a labour demand. Chusert advised the client and created a plan of action for managing all issues. Ultimately, the employees stopped the process of the labour demand and withdrew the application for registration of the labour union.
  • Represented a manufacturer in negotiations with a labour union on strike. Chusert successfully negotiated the terms of a collective bargaining agreement (CBA), thus expediting the conclusion of the strike. In the CBA, Chusert secured favourable terms for the client and the return of certain management rights.

Chambers Asia-Pacific
Labour and Employment 2023 – Band 2 for 2 consecutive years

The Legal 500 Asia-Pacific
Labour and Employment 2023 – Leading Individual

Asialaw Leading Lawyers
Labour and Employment 2024 – Distinguished Practitioner for 4 consecutive years

Benchmark Litigation
Labour and Employment 2023 – Litigation Star for 5 consecutive years