Tilleke & Gibbins
Encyclopedia
Tilleke & Gibbins is a full service law firm
with over 100 lawyers in Bangkok
, Phuket, Hanoi
, and Ho Chih Minh City. The firm represents the top investors and the high-growth companies that drive economic expansion in Asia
in the key areas of commercial transactions and M&A, dispute resolution and litigation, and intellectual property.
Samuel Brighouse and Reginald Atkinson led the firm from 1911 until Thailand’s involvement in World War II in 1941. During the war, the firm was safeguarded by Ina Jorgensen, who was the secretary of Tilleke & Gibbins partner Victor Jaques. In 1946, Mr. Jaques ran the firm as the sole partner remaining after the war had ended.
In 1951, Albert Lyman purchased the firm from Victor Jaques for $2,500. Mr. Lyman and his wife, Freda, ran the firm with a Thai partner, Rojvit Periera. The Lymans’ son, David, joined the firm in 1967 and took over Tilleke & Gibbins’ operations after his father’s death in 1984.
• Anti-Corruption
• Antitrust and Competition
• Banking and Finance
• Bankruptcy and Restructuring
• Corporate Services
• Employment
• Family Law and Private Clients
• Government Relations
• Insurance
• Property
• Regulatory Affairs
• Tax
• Technology, Multimedia, and Communications
• Transportation and Logistics
The firm employs over 100 lawyers and 250 support staff. It is headed by David Lyman, Chairman & Chief Values Officer. Darani Vachanavuttivong and Tiziana Sucharitkul are the Co-Managing Partners of the firm.
Tilleke & Gibbins won a historic judgment for a global technology leader against former employees who misappropriated the client’s tremendously valuable trade secret technology. In the IP&IT Court decision, the client was awarded an injunction against use and disclosure of its trade secret technologies, including machines, processes, and information. The client also received substantial damages and recovery of legal fees. This was the first case that a trade secret owner has successfully enforced against trade secret misappropriation in Thailand.
With regard to mergers and acquisitions, Tilleke & Gibbins advised a multinational pharmaceutical company on various corporate consolidation matters in Thailand and Vietnam arising from its worldwide merger with another leading pharmaceutical company. After the integration became effective, the firm helped the subsidiaries comply with a myriad of legal requirements and assisted the client in obtaining the necessary permits.
Tilleke & Gibbins successfully defended one of Thailand’s largest foreign investors against an international insurance provider in four complex defective product lawsuits pertaining to power generation equipment. The court dismissed each of the multimillion dollar lawsuits. The firm was also successful in defending a leading global logistics company in three separate criminal actions brought by the Thai Customs Department, each carrying considerable fines.
, Thailand
, with other offices in Phuket, Thailand
, as well as in Hanoi
and Ho Chi Minh City
, Vietnam
.
Tilleke & Gibbins has also been highly ranked in Thailand and Vietnam for its practices in Corporate and M&A, Dispute Resolution, TMT, Tax, and Transportation and Logistics.
, Multilaw, Pacific Rim Advisory Council
, State Capital Law Firm Group, TAGlaw, and TransAtlantic Law International.
, which was established in 1989. The museum’s collection is composed of more than 3,500 pieces of infringing trademark and copyrighted goods, making it the largest one of its kind in Thailand. The collection now covers 14 broad categories of goods, including clothing, footwear, watches and eyewear, accessories, cosmetics and perfumes, food and household products, drugs, alcohol and cigarettes, copyrighted works, stationery and office supplies, automotive parts, tools, electrical devices, and miscellaneous products. The Museum of Counterfeit Goods has attracted significant media attention, and at least four major foreign television broadcasting companies (including CNN and BBC) have featured the museum in their documentaries concerning the counterfeit situation in Thailand. Many local and international newspapers and magazines have also published articles on the Tilleke & Gibbins museum. For example, both The Christian Science Monitor and TIME magazine have recently presented profiles of the museum.
Law firm
A law firm is a business entity formed by one or more lawyers to engage in the practice of law. The primary service rendered by a law firm is to advise clients about their legal rights and responsibilities, and to represent clients in civil or criminal cases, business transactions, and other...
with over 100 lawyers in Bangkok
Bangkok
Bangkok is the capital and largest urban area city in Thailand. It is known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or simply Krung Thep , meaning "city of angels." The full name of Bangkok is Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom...
, Phuket, Hanoi
Hanoi
Hanoi , is the capital of Vietnam and the country's second largest city. Its population in 2009 was estimated at 2.6 million for urban districts, 6.5 million for the metropolitan jurisdiction. From 1010 until 1802, it was the most important political centre of Vietnam...
, and Ho Chih Minh City. The firm represents the top investors and the high-growth companies that drive economic expansion in Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
in the key areas of commercial transactions and M&A, dispute resolution and litigation, and intellectual property.
History
The firm started in 1890, the year when William Alfred Tilleke, a young, highly accomplished Ceylonese lawyer, landed in Siam (now Thailand) to start his career as a solicitor. In 1894, Tilleke gained recognition when he successfully defended Phra Yot Muang Kwang, a Thai provincial governor, who had been accused of murdering a French military officer. In the face of colonial pressure by the French and before a French Court conducted in Thailand, a brilliant cross examination by Tilleke exonerated Phra Yot through affirmative evidence and all seven judges returned with a Not Guilty verdict. Ralph Gibbins, an Englishman, joined the firm in 1902 and later became a legal advisor in the Siamese Ministry of Justice, and then a judge of the International Court in 1916.Samuel Brighouse and Reginald Atkinson led the firm from 1911 until Thailand’s involvement in World War II in 1941. During the war, the firm was safeguarded by Ina Jorgensen, who was the secretary of Tilleke & Gibbins partner Victor Jaques. In 1946, Mr. Jaques ran the firm as the sole partner remaining after the war had ended.
In 1951, Albert Lyman purchased the firm from Victor Jaques for $2,500. Mr. Lyman and his wife, Freda, ran the firm with a Thai partner, Rojvit Periera. The Lymans’ son, David, joined the firm in 1967 and took over Tilleke & Gibbins’ operations after his father’s death in 1984.
Practice Areas and General Information
Tilleke & Gibbins, a full-service law firm that has core practice areas focusing on commercial transactions and M&A, dispute resolution and litigation, and intellectual property. Complementing these core practices, the firm offers 15 other areas of expertise:• Anti-Corruption
• Antitrust and Competition
• Banking and Finance
• Bankruptcy and Restructuring
• Corporate Services
• Employment
• Family Law and Private Clients
• Government Relations
• Insurance
• Property
• Regulatory Affairs
• Tax
• Technology, Multimedia, and Communications
• Transportation and Logistics
The firm employs over 100 lawyers and 250 support staff. It is headed by David Lyman, Chairman & Chief Values Officer. Darani Vachanavuttivong and Tiziana Sucharitkul are the Co-Managing Partners of the firm.
Experience
In what has been widely regarded as the most complex patent litigation matter in Thai history, Tilleke & Gibbins successfully represented a global leader in materials science before the Intellectual Property and International Trade Court (IP&IT Court) and obtained a very favorable settlement just prior to the rendering of judgment. In addition to securing a rare Anton Piller Order to seize infringing goods and successfully prove the other party’s infringement, Tilleke & Gibbins also formulated strategies for protecting the validity of the client’s valuable patent. The global settlement secured the client’s advantageous market position worldwide and resolved multiple disputes spanning several jurisdictions.Tilleke & Gibbins won a historic judgment for a global technology leader against former employees who misappropriated the client’s tremendously valuable trade secret technology. In the IP&IT Court decision, the client was awarded an injunction against use and disclosure of its trade secret technologies, including machines, processes, and information. The client also received substantial damages and recovery of legal fees. This was the first case that a trade secret owner has successfully enforced against trade secret misappropriation in Thailand.
With regard to mergers and acquisitions, Tilleke & Gibbins advised a multinational pharmaceutical company on various corporate consolidation matters in Thailand and Vietnam arising from its worldwide merger with another leading pharmaceutical company. After the integration became effective, the firm helped the subsidiaries comply with a myriad of legal requirements and assisted the client in obtaining the necessary permits.
Tilleke & Gibbins successfully defended one of Thailand’s largest foreign investors against an international insurance provider in four complex defective product lawsuits pertaining to power generation equipment. The court dismissed each of the multimillion dollar lawsuits. The firm was also successful in defending a leading global logistics company in three separate criminal actions brought by the Thai Customs Department, each carrying considerable fines.
Offices
Tilleke & Gibbins’ main office is in BangkokBangkok
Bangkok is the capital and largest urban area city in Thailand. It is known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or simply Krung Thep , meaning "city of angels." The full name of Bangkok is Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom...
, Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
, with other offices in Phuket, Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
, as well as in Hanoi
Hanoi
Hanoi , is the capital of Vietnam and the country's second largest city. Its population in 2009 was estimated at 2.6 million for urban districts, 6.5 million for the metropolitan jurisdiction. From 1010 until 1802, it was the most important political centre of Vietnam...
and Ho Chi Minh City
Ho Chi Minh City
Ho Chi Minh City , formerly named Saigon is the largest city in Vietnam...
, Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
.
Awards and Rankings
The Tilleke & Gibbins intellectual property practice is consistently ranked as the top IP practice in Thailand in leading legal directories, such as Chambers Asia and The Asia Pacific Legal 500. The firm has also been named Thailand IP Firm of the Year by Managing Intellectual Property.Tilleke & Gibbins has also been highly ranked in Thailand and Vietnam for its practices in Corporate and M&A, Dispute Resolution, TMT, Tax, and Transportation and Logistics.
Memberships
Tilleke & Gibbins is active in several international associations of independent law firms, such as Lex MundiLex Mundi
Lex Mundi is a professional services network. It is the largest law firm networks. The network was established in 1989. As of 2011 it had 160 member firms which have 21,100 attorneys...
, Multilaw, Pacific Rim Advisory Council
Pacific Rim Advisory Council
The Pacific Rim Advisory Council is an international law firm association with a unique strategic alliance within the global legal community providing for the exchange of professional information among its 30 top tier independent member law firms....
, State Capital Law Firm Group, TAGlaw, and TransAtlantic Law International.
Museum of Counterfeit Goods
The firm is home to the unique Tilleke & Gibbins Museum of Counterfeit GoodsMuseum of Counterfeit Goods
The Museum of Counterfeit Goods, also known as the Tilleke & Gibbins Museum of Counterfeit Goods is a museum in the Rama 3, Chong Nonsi neighborhood of Bangkok, Thailand. The museum, which was established in 1989 at Tilleke & Gibbins Bangkok office, consists of items acquired in raids on behalf on...
, which was established in 1989. The museum’s collection is composed of more than 3,500 pieces of infringing trademark and copyrighted goods, making it the largest one of its kind in Thailand. The collection now covers 14 broad categories of goods, including clothing, footwear, watches and eyewear, accessories, cosmetics and perfumes, food and household products, drugs, alcohol and cigarettes, copyrighted works, stationery and office supplies, automotive parts, tools, electrical devices, and miscellaneous products. The Museum of Counterfeit Goods has attracted significant media attention, and at least four major foreign television broadcasting companies (including CNN and BBC) have featured the museum in their documentaries concerning the counterfeit situation in Thailand. Many local and international newspapers and magazines have also published articles on the Tilleke & Gibbins museum. For example, both The Christian Science Monitor and TIME magazine have recently presented profiles of the museum.