Nam-Ake Lekfuangfu

Biography

Nam-Ake Lekfuangfu is a partner of the Employment & Compensation Practice Group in Bangkok. He is experienced not only in employment laws but also, corporate and commercial law, mergers and acquisitions, environment and trade regulations. Over the past year, Nam-Ake was lead lawyer for a wide range of employment matters involving high profile clients. With his extensive legal knowledge, combined with insights on industrial knowledge and practices and Supreme Court rulings, Nam-Ake assists clients on employment and immigration works, ranging from day-to-day advice to complex matters, such as advising on employment trends impacting employers globally, including global mobility, the use of modern workforce and gender pay gap.

Practice Focus

Nam-Ake has also assisted clients extensively regarding employment issues in M&A transactions. He is a lead lawyer, conducting and supervising employment due diligence work to help clients identify any potential issues or deal breakers in the proposed transactions. In doing so, he helps clients plan how best to move employees from one company to another in different types of M&A transactions, and also helps the clients in actually implementing the plans (e.g. preparing FAQs for clients and attending meetings with employees).

Representative Legal Matters

Advised a world leading technology company on a wide range of employment matters from day-to-day operations to more complicated matters such as pay parity and alternative and innovative employment models.
Assisted a leading manufacturer of agricultural and construction equipment, in workforce restructuring necessitated by the change in their business model which resulted in the dissolving and reorganization of some business functions.
Advised and assisting multinational companies on employment issues associated with joint ventures, corporate structures and restructuring, corporate management and control, and mergers and acquisitions (both in terms of the business and its assets and shares), including internal corporate spin-offs.
Conducted due diligence and risk assessments regarding compliance with employment laws and regulations.
Assisted clients in the ending of employment (including large-scale layoffs as well as termination of managerial and executive level personnel), including planning and advising on the options, steps, procedures, risks, and exit strategies, as well as preparing relevant documents.
Advised and assisted clients in restructuring their workforce and implementing the restructuring, including preparing relevant documents.
Advised and assisted clients in preparing for labour-related litigations, including planning strategies and options to deal with former employees as well as dealing with labour relations and labour unions.
Assisted clients with their investigation of their personnel, including advising them on the steps and procedures for the investigation, reviewing the investigation reports, commenting on possible options and relevant risks, and preparing relevant documents.
Advised and planned on cross-border employee mobility, including planning and preparing relevant documents on international assignment or secondment arrangements.

Professional Honors

Ranked Band 2 by Chambers Asia Pacific 2024
Recognized by Business Today as "Top 10 Influential Employment Lawyers Reshaping Thailand's Work Landscape 2023"
Named a finalist for the "Employment Lawyer of the Year" award by Asian Lawyers Asia Legal Awards 2023
"Up and Coming for Employment" in Thailand by Chambers Asia-Pacific 2021-2023
"Next Generation Partner" in Labour and Employment in Thailand by The Legal 500 Asia Pacific in 2020-2023
"Next Generation Lawyer" in Labour and Employment, The Legal 500 Asia Pacific, 2019

Professional Associations and Memberships

Thai Bar Association
Law Society of Thailand

Admissions

Thailand

Education

New York University (LLM) (2008)
University College, London (LLM merit) (2006)
Chulalongkorn University (LLB honors) (2005)

Languages

English
Thai

Publications

Author, "The gender gap in retirement," Bangkok Post, September 2021
Co-author, "Major Changes Definitely Coming to the Labour Protection Act," 8 October 2018
Co-author, "Forms and Methods to Notify Work Permit Officials for Foreign Employees Employed Before 28 March 2018," 16 May 2018
Co-author, "New Amendments to Work Permit Law and New Notification Requirements for Employers and Employees," 19 April 2018
Co-author, "Ebola and beyond: issues for employers when a disease outbreak strikes," Bangkok Post, 24 January 2015
Co-author, "Toeing the line: disciplinary actions against employees," Bangkok Post, 15 December 2014