General Business Law
Asia-Pacific Guide 2024 : Laos
Band 2
Email address
[email protected]Contact number
+856 21 262 355About
Provided by Tilleke & Gibbins
Tilleke & Gibbins has been handling matters in Laos for over 25 years; first through our head office in Bangkok, and latterly through an office established in Vientiane to meet high client demand. The firm’s Vientiane office handles a wide range of corporate and commercial matters for multinationals entering the local market, including advice on banking and finance, commercial transactions, project development, labor and employment, dispute resolution, franchising, and key regulatory matters for highly regulated industries—especially technology, telecommunications, media, energy, infrastructure, insurance, consumer goods, and life sciences. Beyond corporate and commercial work, Tilleke & Gibbins is also home to the country’s premier IP practice, which seamlessly compliments our strategic market entry advice and sets the firm apart as a premium one-stop shop for all of legal needs in Laos.
The firm’s team in Vientiane is led by Dino Santaniello and Niti Muangkote, both of whom have impressive and varied legal backgrounds and are fluent in Lao, Thai, and English, making them uniquely well suited to doing business in Laos. They provide a much-needed bridge between the business community and Lao government authorities. Dino and Niti are also supported by a team of local and foreign advisors in Vientiane.
Chambers Review
Tilleke & Gibbins is a regional law firm which is well regarded for its practice in Laos. The team is well placed to handle IP matters, as well as banking, M&A, market entry, employment and energy mandates, acting for both local and international clients. The firm is also very active on regulatory issues in the TMT space. The team's clients include global franchises, food and beverage companies and automotive groups. Tilleke & Gibbins' Vientiane office regularly works closely with the firm's other South-East Asian offices, especially Bangkok. Clients include Tetra Tech and Export-Import Bank of China.
Work Highlights
- Tilleke & Gibbins advised Siam Kubota on obtaining a trade mark cancellation decision from the Lao Department of Intellectual Property.
Strengths
Provided by Chambers
"The team is always responsive and tries to work within clients' timelines."
"The team is always responsive and tries to work within clients' timelines."
Notable Practitioners
Dino Santaniello leads the firm's practice in Laos and has a wide range of expertise including IP, M&A, market entry and regulatory issues.
"He is very commercially savvy and a go-to person on anything related to Laos, when someone is needed to translate local nuances for global clients."