THAILAND'S
LEGAL SYSTEM: REQUIREMENTS, PRACTICE, AND ETHICAL CONDUCT
By
Charunun Sathitsuksomboon
III.
LEGAL EDUCATION: THE INSTITUTE OF LEGAL EDUCATION OF THE THAI BAR ASSOCIATION
As
discussed above, law graduates who want to be lawyers are required to
register and obtain a lawyer's license by passing a training course and
examination set up by the Law Society of Thailand. On the other hand,
law graduates who want to be judges or public prosecutors are required
to pass the bar exam. However, the bar exam is provided not only for law
graduates who want to apply to be judges or public prosecutors. Any legal
practitioner who wants to obtain knowledge of legal practice is also urged
to attend the bar exam.
The
Institute of Legal Education of the Thai Bar Association was established
in 1948, with the objectives and duties to educate and promote knowledge
of legal practice for law practitioners. The qualifications of a candidate
who can apply to study in the Institute include being a law graduate with
a Bachelor's Degree in law (LL.B.) from Thammasat University, Chulalongkorn
University, or Ramkhamhaeng University, a law degree in the faculty of
law in other universities in Thailand or foreign country approved by the
Bar Legal Study Committee, and having passed an examination up to the
standards stipulated by the Bar Legal Study Committee.
The
period of study is separated into two terms. An examination will be held
at the end of each term. The examination consists of written and oral
tests. A student who passes the examination will be entitled to be a Barrister-at-Law
and be an ordinary member of the Thai Bar Association.
Memberships
of the Thai Bar Association are of different classes: Ordinary membership,
Extraordinary membership, Associate membership, Auxiliary membership,
and Honorary membership. Only a student who passes the bar examination
will be eligible to be an ordinary member of the Thai Bar Association.
The Extraordinary and Associate memberships are for any law graduate who
passes a lawyer examination held by the Law Society of Thailand. Auxiliary
membership is for a student in the Institute of Legal Education of the
Thai Bar Association. Honorary membership is given to any distinguished
person with extensive knowledge of legal or political science.
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