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Kowit Somwaiya
Practices
Office
Languages
    • Thai
    • English
Professional Qualification
    • Thai Lawyer License
    • Registered Patent Attorney
    • Notarial Services Attorney
Professional Membership
    • Lawyers Council of Thailand and Thai Bar Association
    • Intellectual Property Association of Thailand (Director 2009-2016, Vice President 2017-2019)
    • ASEAN Intellectual Property Association
    • Asian Patent Attorneys Association (Co-Chair of Emerging IP Rights Committee 2013-2015, Member of the Anti-Counterfeiting Committee 2016-2018)
    • International Trademark Association (Chair of East Asia & Pacific Sub-Committee of Anti-Counterfeiting Committee 2014-2015, Chair of Harmonization of Trademark Law and Practice Committee 2016-2017, Co-Chair of Global Advisory Council-Asia & Pacific 2016-2017, Member of Global Advisory Council-Asia Pacific 2018-2019, Member of the Board of Directors 2018-2020)
Education
    • Certificate of Instruction for Lawyers, Harvard Law School, USA
    • LL.M.University of Illinois, USA
    • LL.B., Thammasat UniversityThailand
    • BA (Education), Ubon Ratchathani Rajbhat University
Kowit Somwaiya
Senior Partner
Biography
Languages:
  • Thai
  • English
Professional Qualification:
  • Thai Lawyer License
  • Registered Patent Attorney
  • Notarial Services Attorney
Professional Membership:
  • Lawyers Council of Thailand and Thai Bar Association
  • Intellectual Property Association of Thailand (Director 2009-2016, Vice President 2017-2019)
  • ASEAN Intellectual Property Association
  • Asian Patent Attorneys Association (Co-Chair of Emerging IP Rights Committee 2013-2015, Member of the Anti-Counterfeiting Committee 2016-2018)
  • International Trademark Association (Chair of East Asia & Pacific Sub-Committee of Anti-Counterfeiting Committee 2014-2015, Chair of Harmonization of Trademark Law and Practice Committee 2016-2017, Co-Chair of Global Advisory Council-Asia & Pacific 2016-2017, Member of Global Advisory Council-Asia Pacific 2018-2019, Member of the Board of Directors 2018-2020)
Education:
  • Certificate of Instruction for Lawyers, Harvard Law School, USA
  • LL.M.University of Illinois, USA
  • LL.B., Thammasat UniversityThailand
  • BA (Education), Ubon Ratchathani Rajbhat University

 

Kowit obtained an LL.B. from Thammasat University, an LL.M. from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a Certificate of Instruction for Lawyers from Harvard Law School.  Before founding LawPlus Ltd. in 2003, he was the Managing Partner of the Bangkok Office of Herbert Smith Freehills.  He established LawPlus Myanmar Ltd. in 2013.  He has over 30 years of experience on intellectual property, banking, commercial, corporate and M&A, FDI, employment, investment promotion, IT, telecoms, data privacy, arbitration, litigation, probate and inheritance.

Kowit is a member of the Lawyers Council of Thailand and the Thai Bar Association.  He used to serve in leadership positions at the Intellectual Property Association of Thailand (Director 2009-2016, Vice President 2017-2019),  the Asian Patent Attorneys Association (Co-Chair of the Emerging IP Rights Committee 2013-2015), and the International Trademark Association - INTA (member of the Board of Directors 2018-2020, Co-Chair of the Global Advisory Council-Asia Pacific 2016-2017, Chair of the Harmonization of Trademark Law and Practice Committee 2016-2017, and Chair of the Anti-Counterfeiting Committee East Asia and Pacific Sub-committee 2014-2015).

Kowit has been recognized, recommended and ranked as rising star, expert and leader by global survey and ranking institutions and publications, such as the Legal 500, the Chambers & Partners, the Asia Business Journal, the Asia Law Magazine, the WIPR, the IAM Patent, to name a few.

Recently the Legal 500 Asia Pacific 2020-2024 recommended him for corporate and M&A and intellectual property.  The Who's Who Legal: Telecoms, Media & Entertainment 2024 recommended him as one of the world's leading practitioners.  The Asia IP 2023 named him as one of the 2023 IP Experts in Thailand.  The Asia Business Law Journal selected him as one of The A-List Lawyers in Thailand for 2023.

Under his leadership, LawPlus Ltd. has been ranked and recognized as:

•   “Tier 1 Law Firm” by the Media Law International, 2021-2023.

•   “Leading IP Firm in Thailand for Its Expertise in Patent” by the Iam Patent 1000, 2021-2022.

•   “Top-Ranked Corporate and M&A and Intellectual Property Firm in Thailand” by the Legal Media 360 2022.

•   One of the “Top 10 Patent Firms in Thailand” by the Patent Lawyer Magazine Law Firm Rankings 2023, CTC Legal Media.

•   One of the “Top 10 Trademark Firms in Thailand” by the Trademark Lawyer Magazine Law Firm Rankings 2023, CTC Legal Media.