About Lanna Estate
Counsel Built on
Care and Knowledge
We are a specialist estate and inheritance law practice in Chiang Mai, established to serve families navigating some of life's more difficult legal passages.
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Founded on a Commitment to Families
Lanna Estate was founded in Chiang Mai with a straightforward purpose: to provide families in Northern Thailand with access to careful, experienced legal counsel when inheritance and estate matters arise. The firm takes its name from the historic Lanna Kingdom, whose traditions of careful stewardship and considered record-keeping reflect the values we bring to every client engagement.
The practice grew from a recognition that estate matters in Thailand — particularly those involving land registration, complex family structures, or heirs residing abroad — require a specialist understanding that general legal practices often cannot provide. Families deserve counsel from people who have seen similar situations many times and who approach each matter with both technical knowledge and human sensitivity.
Our office on Suthep Road, within sight of Doi Suthep, has been serving Chiang Mai families since our founding. Over the years we have built longstanding relationships with the courts, district offices, and land registries of the region, which helps our clients move through formal processes with less friction and greater clarity.
We work with families at different stages — those planning ahead, those managing an estate following a loss, and those dealing with a dispute that requires careful professional guidance. In all circumstances, our approach is the same: listen carefully, advise honestly, and move at a pace that suits the client.
15+
Years in Practice
340+
Families Served
12+
Countries Represented
3
Practice Specialists
The Practice
Our Team
Somchai Kritsana
Founding Partner
Called to the Thai Bar with a focus on civil and succession law, Somchai has advised on estate matters in Chiang Mai for over fifteen years. He leads the firm's complex multi-generational engagements.
Napaporn Wattana
Senior Associate
Napaporn handles heir identification and verification matters, with particular experience in cases involving overseas heirs and incomplete documentary records. She reads both Thai and English legal documents fluently.
Phiraphan Suksai
Associate — Contentious Estates
Phiraphan concentrates on will validity questions and contested estate proceedings. He brings a careful analytical approach to circumstances where family members hold differing views about a testator's intentions.
How We Work
Professional Standards
Our practice operates under a set of clear commitments that define how we engage with every client and every matter.
Thai Bar Association Registration
All practising members of our team hold current registration with the Lawyers Council of Thailand and comply with continuing professional development requirements.
Client Confidentiality
All information shared with the firm is protected under professional secrecy obligations. Client files are maintained securely and access is restricted to fee earners working on the relevant matter.
Written Scope Agreements
Before beginning any work, we provide a written engagement letter confirming scope, fees, and expected timeline. Clients are never asked to proceed without a clear understanding of what has been agreed.
Regular Client Updates
We maintain a regular update schedule for all ongoing matters and respond to client enquiries within one working day. Clients are never left without a clear picture of where their matter stands.
Cross-Border Coordination
Where estates involve overseas elements, we coordinate with corresponding legal professionals in other jurisdictions and assist with the translation and authentication of documents required by Thai authorities.
Sensitivity and Respect
Estate matters often arise in the context of loss and family difficulty. Our team is trained to handle sensitive personal circumstances with appropriate care and to communicate in a way that does not add to existing stress.
Estate and Inheritance Legal Practice in Northern Thailand
The law of succession in Thailand is governed by the Civil and Commercial Code, which sets out a defined order of heirs and the procedures by which estates are administered. Land in the Northern Thai region is subject to additional considerations under the Land Code and may involve Chanote, Nor Sor 3 Gor, or other title categories, each carrying different implications for transfer to heirs.
Lanna Estate advises on the full range of inheritance matters arising under Thai law, from the initial appointment of an estate administrator through to the distribution of assets to entitled heirs. Where a will exists, we assist in validating and executing it. Where there is no will, we guide families through the statutory succession rules that apply to determine who inherits and in what proportion.
Northern Thailand has long attracted both Thai and international residents, and many estates in the Chiang Mai region involve a combination of Thai assets and heirs living abroad. The procedures for managing such estates require coordination between Thai civil courts, the land department, and in some cases foreign authorities. This is work our practice handles regularly, and we understand both the formal requirements and the practical realities involved.
Our firm maintains its practice exclusively in the area of estate and succession law. This focus means that our knowledge of the relevant procedures, court practices, and document requirements is current and detailed — and that clients benefit from counsel whose attention is not divided across unrelated areas of legal work.
Speak With Our Team
We welcome enquiries at any stage — whether you are planning ahead or dealing with an estate that has already opened. There is no pressure attached to an initial conversation.
Contact Lanna Estate