Chandler Mori Hamada has hired a tax team consisting of senior partner Piphob Veraphong, partner Rachanee Prasongprasit? and associate Theeravuth Temsiriwattanaku to establish a tax practice in Thailand.
“The tax team would supplement our M&A and corporate advisory work, as well as provide an opportunity to build out some capabilities on the dispute side because of the potential tax disputes that we can likely advise upon,” V? Joseph Tisuthiwongse, co-managing partner at Chandler Mori Hamada told Asia Business Law Journal.
In addition to the three new tax lawyers, the firm has also hired Surapol Srangsomwong as senior adviser in its dispute resolution team. The new four hires will assume their roles at the firm on 1 September.
Veraphong joins the firm from LawAlliance where he served as co-founder and partner for 23 years. Prior to establishing his own firm, Veraphong worked as partner at Linklaters for four years and Baker McKenzie for nine years. He specialises in M&A, taxation, tax litigation and customs duties.
He also specialises in petroleum tax, which would supplement the firm’s existing oil and gas capabilities, said Tisuthiwongse. Veraphong will lead the tax practice at Chandler Mori Hamada.
Prasongprasit also joins the firm from LawAlliance. Additionally, she worked as a tax practitioner at Baker McKenzie and PricewaterhouseCoopers. She advises on M&A and corporate restructuring projects, securities, investments, financial matters and tax incentives, among others.
Temsiriwattanaku is a tax law academic and practitioner in Thailand. He advises on specific tax issues, such as royalty income classification involving offshore entities, interpretative issues in the oil and gas industry, and customs duty.
Meanwhile, Srangsomwong also co-founded LawAlliance and joins the firm from Herbert Smith Freehills in Bangkok where he previously served as managing partner and worked as a partner for seven years, said Tisuthiwongse. He also currently serves as director at publicly listed Thai company Loxley, Premier Technology PCL and the office of Thai Commercial Arbitration.
He would also be involved in formulating strategy and working with clients, said Tisuthiwongse. He added that Srangsomwong’s position as a statesman in the market would support the development of the firm’s team, whether through strategic direction or overall skill enhancement.
Tisuthiwongse added that having a tax practice was critical to ensuring that the firm provided a comprehensive offering to clients, whether it’s M&A, initial corporate setup, divestments, disputes with the revenue department, or customs duties issues.
He noted M&A transactions would inherently involve tax issues as buyers and sellers of businesses, or investors need to understand the tax implications on any valuation and plan accordingly. With the onboarding of Thailand’s leading tax team, the firm would offer a one-stop service for clients, incorporating tax considerations into its transactional advice, said Tisuthiwongse.
