The Face You Already Know
Spend any time in the expat groups on Facebook and one name keeps appearing: Brian Ramsden.
Brian is the General Manager of Foreign Affairs for Lawyers for Expats Thailand and the spokesperson for the firm. He is the person who answers when a foreigner reaches out, the voice in our videos, and the bridge between our foreign clients and Lawyer Pook — Kanokpich Ukritdutsadee — the head of our law firm and our all-Thai legal team.
That bridge matters more than most people realise. Thai law is precise, and it must be handled by Thai lawyers. But precision is worthless to a client who does not understand what is being said to them. Brian's role is to make sure nothing is lost between the two worlds: your questions reach the legal team accurately, and their advice reaches you in language you actually understand.
How It Works
The Interface Between Foreign Clients and the Legal Team
Every matter that comes into the firm follows the same path.
You speak to Brian first. He listens, takes the full picture, and identifies what is really being asked — which is often not the question the client started with. He then takes the matter to Lawyer Pook and the legal team, where the Thai-law analysis is done by qualified Thai lawyers licensed under the Lawyers Council of Thailand.
When the answer comes back, Brian makes sure it is explained clearly, that you know what happens next, what it costs, and what documents are needed. Nothing is left as a mystery.
Lawyer Pook — Kanokpich Ukritdutsadee — is a Thai lawyer and barrister with 21 years of experience and heads the legal department. All legal advice given by the firm comes from her and her team.
Beyond the Title
A Higher Calling, Not a Job Description
Brian is a Christian, and he does not treat that as a private matter kept separate from his work. His ethics and his charity show in the way he deals with people.
He goes the extra mile — not as a slogan, but as a habit. Foreigners in Thailand know they can call him about almost anything. Sometimes the call is a serious property or immigration problem. Sometimes it is somebody a long way from home who simply needs another person to listen. Brian listens either way.
He sees the work as a higher calling: to help foreigners living in Thailand who are navigating an unfamiliar legal system, an unfamiliar language, and often a difficult moment in their lives. That conviction shows in everything he does, and it is a large part of why clients keep coming back and keep sending their friends.
The Difference
Dealing With Someone Who Really Cares
There is a difference between being handled and being cared for, and every foreigner who has dealt with an office in a foreign country knows it immediately.
Being handled means your matter is a file number. You are given a form, quoted a fee, and moved along. Nobody asks why you are worried. Nobody remembers your name the second time you call.
Dealing with Brian is not that. He remembers your situation. He asks how you are before he asks about your documents. If your matter is stuck at a government office, you will hear from him rather than having to chase him. If you are anxious at ten o'clock at night, he would rather you sent the message than sat with it until morning.
He will also tell you the truth. Someone who really cares does not agree with everything you say to keep you comfortable — he tells you when a plan will not work, when a deal should be walked away from, and when the structure somebody else has offered you is unsafe. Foreigners have lost a great deal in Thailand by being told what they wanted to hear. Brian would rather give you an honest answer today than an expensive apology in three years.
And when the matter is finished, the relationship is not. Clients stay in touch. They come back years later with a new question, and they send their friends. That is what dealing with someone who really cares actually looks like over time.
Official Recognition
Appointed by the DBD to Assist Foreign Business
Recently the Department of Business Development (DBD) appointed Brian as their representative to assist foreigners who wish to do business in Thailand.
It is a recognition of the role he has already been performing for years — standing between the Thai authorities and the foreign community, explaining each to the other. For clients, it means the firm's business work is grounded in direct engagement with the DBD rather than guesswork:
- Company formation and shareholding structures that are lawful and defensible
- Foreign Business Licence and Foreign Business Certificate questions
- Treaty of Amity structures for U.S. nationals
- BOI-related routes for qualifying activities
- Ongoing DBD filings, compliance and registrar liaison
And it reinforces the line we have never crossed. We do not offer nominee arrangements. We do not sell foreigners the illusion of land ownership. We structure businesses and property lawfully, so that what you build cannot be taken away from you later by the very structure that was supposed to protect it.
Summary
What This Means for You
- One point of contact who speaks your language and stays with your file
- Thai-law advice from a Thai lawyer and barrister of 21 years' standing
- Direct engagement with the DBD on foreign business matters
- Straight answers about what is legal and what is not, even when it is not what you hoped to hear
- Someone who will pick up the phone, and who genuinely cares what happens to you
Get in Touch
Talk to Brian
Reach out on WhatsApp, by phone, or by email — Brian is the first point of contact for every new matter.
Brian Ramsden is General Manager of Foreign Affairs and client liaison for Lawyers for Expats Thailand. He is not a lawyer and does not provide legal advice. All legal advice is provided by Kanokpich Ukritdutsadee (Lawyer Pook), Head of Legal Department, a Thai lawyer and barrister with 21 years of experience, and the firm's all-Thai legal team. This page is general information only and does not constitute legal advice on any specific matter.