Aphiwat Bualoi
Managing Director
About Aphiwat Bualoi
I am Aphiwat Bualoi, the Managing Partner of Aphiwat Bualoi Law Office Co., Ltd. in Chiang Mai. I am a fully licensed attorney accredited by the Lawyer Council of Thailand, holding a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) from Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University and a Paralegal Certificate from Ohio University, USA. I am fluent in English and Thai.
My core specialization is wills, estate planning, and probate law. I work with expatriates, foreign nationals, and mixed-nationality families who have assets in Thailand. I draft wills under the Thai Civil and Commercial Code, handle probate court applications, and help families appoint estate administrators when a loved one passes away. Many of my clients come from the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, and across Southeast Asia.
I am one of a small number of Thai lawyers who have worked at every level of the estate protection system. Before becoming a lawyer, I spent six years as a certified financial advisor at AIA Thailand under the Professional Financial Advisor (PFA) Program. I have seen first-hand the gaps between financial planning and legal protection in Thailand. There is no trust law. There is no Lasting Power of Attorney. There is no insurance beneficiary nomination that holds legal weight. I built my legal practice to fill those gaps.
In 2025, I was invited by SmartWills Singapore to deliver a lecture on Thai inheritance and will law to financial advisors at AIA International Wealth Centre in Singapore. The session covered Thai intestacy rules, will validity requirements under the Civil and Commercial Code, and the key differences between Thailand's civil law system and Singapore's common law framework. I am a member of the Asia Estate Planning Association (AEPA) and I maintain active professional relationships with estate planners, wealth advisors, and financial institutions across the region.
I am the co-founder of SmartWills Thailand, an online will-writing platform launched in partnership with SmartWills Group Malaysia. The platform allows clients to complete a legally valid Thai will in as little as 15 to 20 minutes. SmartWills Thailand serves clients in Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, and Hong Kong.
Beyond estate planning, my firm also provides legal services in real estate transactions, contract drafting, corporate law, labor law, and notary services. I take on labor law cases as a personal mission because I believe workers who are mistreated deserve a lawyer who will fight for them.
I only take on cases where I believe I can help. If you need a will, if someone you love has passed away in Thailand and you do not know what to do, or if you simply need someone to explain how Thai inheritance law works in plain English, I am here to help.