Wasin Lertwalaipong | People

Biography

Wasin is a partner in the Dispute Resolution Practice Group. He joined the Bangkok office of Baker McKenzie in April 2007 and has worked at Baker McKenzie's Sydney office during the fall of 2010 on a secondment.

In 2013, he successfully obtained his MJur from Oxford University on a scholarship awarded by the Firm. Since his return to the firm, Wasin has been expanding his expertise to more areas including tax and customs law, arbitration, and class action proceedings. In May 2019, Wasin led in-depth sessions on the emerging risks of class actions and its effect on businesses in a client seminar, a collaborative event between the Bangkok, Shanghai, Sydney and Tokyo offices of Baker McKenzie. As a leading specialist, he shared his insight with clients on the types of class action cases against goods manufacturers or retailers and healthcare organization in other countries, as well as the potential types of securities fraud class actions in Thailand.

Practice Focus

Wasin works on a wide range of litigations involving construction disputes, administrative law, environmental law, taxation, criminal law, international trade, commercial law, bankruptcy, business reorganization, and inheritance disputes. He acts for globally leading corporations in a wide range of industries including automotive, telecommunication, and finance.

Representative Legal Matters

Arbitration

Represented a foreign government in a USD 32 million arbitration related to the termination of lease contracts of local lessors.
Represented a manufacturing company in a USD 20 million damage claim against an Austrian company for breaches of joint venture and shareholder agreements.

Tax

Represented an automotive manufacturing company in the Tax Court and successfully defended the Custom Department's USD 33 million assessment in relation to the applications of import duty privileges under international agreements among ASEAN countries.
Represented a leading automotive engine manufacturer in challenging the Custom Department's assessments on the import duties imposed on engine parts and its interpretation and application of the Harmonized System (HS) Code.

Environment

Represented a number of major petrochemical companies in a dispute regarding billion-dollar projects in Rayong Province. The dispute involved successfully defending the companies against injunctions filed by NGOs seeking suspension of major petrochemical projects in the region.

Telecommunications

Represented one of Thailand’s biggest telecommunications companies in complex disputes in Administrative Court, Civil Court, and arbitration. The disputes involved interconnection charges and breaches thereof, regulations on frequency allocation, mobile number portability, prepaid mobile service, claims for access charges, regulations and administrative orders relating to service charges between on-net and off-net tariffs.

International trade

Defended a major sugar manufacturing conglomerate in a USD 10 million claim made by a shipping company for expenses incurred during the embargo of a shipment.

Construction and real estate

Represented an international real estate management and investment company in disputes over a large plot of land located in Samutprakarn Province.
Defended a construction company in a USD 3 million claim lodged by a sub-contractor in relation to the construction of Suvarnabhumi Airport. The work also included a USD 10 million counterclaim made against the sub-contractor.

Miscellaneous

Represented a number of companies in disputes arising from the issuance of regulations prohibiting alcohol advertisements featuring state agencies.

Professional Associations and Memberships

Law Society of Thailand

Admissions

Thailand (2008)

Education

Oxford University (Magister Juris) (2013)
Thammasat University (LLB, First class honors) (2007)

Languages

English
Thai