History of Legal Practice in Thailand
Timeline of the development of Thai Legal System
The ancient origins of Thai Law was based on the Hindu code of Manu. During the Sukhothai period (1238–1350 AD),[2] there was no system of Justice since the King was "the Fountain of Justice" who alone settled disputes between the people.
During the Ayutthaya Period (1351–1767 AD),[3] the first semblance of a legal system emerged. The law code was the Royal Stone Inscription[4] which was formulated from a set of rules derived from the Kings’ decisions[5] in the Court of Law.[Note 1] Although the law code[Note 2] allowed for people to be represented in court for civil and criminal matters, the lawyer’s work was limited. He could not be involved in the examination of witnesses before the court and was mainly concerned with writing plaints and filing them before the court.[6]
When Thailand was invaded by Burma in 1767, collections of law were partially destroyed.[7] King Rama I ordered to have all laws rectified and written into law books called "the Law of the three Great Seals" which remained in force for the next 103 years. Despite this development, the role of the lawyer remained static and constricted. This could be attributed to simple way of life of the society where majority did not resort to the law to settle their disputes