[7] In 1827, Thailand, which had trade relations with Western countries, was forced by England to amend its rules and regulation.

[Note 3] Adopting an open door policy, King Rama IV (reigned 1851–1868>[8] tried to reform the Thai law and judiciary to make it acceptable to the Western countries.

Entry is determined by academic records from upper secondary school, test scores, interviews and physical examinations.

[18] The government's desire to promote foreign direct investment in Thailand has prompted a reform of local university curriculum to meet the changing international demands.

[Note 9] The curriculum is also changing from a more traditional to a more student-centered one where law lecturers prepare their lesson plans with case studies, activities and effective evaluation.

[19] It is now also a requirement to be competent in foreign language and IT for graduates to be able to transcend national boundaries in communication and conduct legal research at the international level.

[21] In addition to the LL.B., law graduates are required to be Thai nationals, cannot be a government official, and must pass an exam for a lawyer license.

When judges reach 60 years old, they are restricted to duties in the lower Courts of First Instance, and cannot hold the position of Chief Justice.

They typically comprise people with experience or expertise in areas such as Family, Labor and Intellectual Property.

Having laymen working with career judges helps provide more varied opinions in deciding cases.

A Kadi is required to be above 30 years old, possess good command of Thai, and have knowledge in Islamic laws regarding family and succession.

It screens all potential candidates before their tender to the King, and holds power over the removal, promotions, salary increments and punishment of judges.

It is charged with: Thai lawyers have a very different role from their Western counterparts in dealing with civil wrongs and disputes.

[39] Hence, lawyers are drawn to roles in non-judicial approaches such as mediation and arbitration, which allows disputing parties more flexibility.

[41] In light of the violence against "Red Shirt" anti-government protestors in April and May 2010, lawyers have demanded a full investigation into the deaths of more than 80 civilians.

In June 2011, the committee released a report that assessed the conditions under which the government could send back Burmese refugees in accordance with the requirements of international law and existing treaties and agreements.

[43] In September 2011, the committee submitted a statement to the PM, the Secretary-General of the National Security Council, the Minister of Social Development and Human Security, the Minister of Defense, and Commissioner-General of the Royal Thai Police on certain strategies they can adopt to handle the problem of human trafficking of the Rohingya people.

[45] They provide both legal aid and education to various sectors of the society, and they visit about 30 villages and districts annually.

It provides legal advice and representation to those whom are disadvantaged, poor, disabled, DFNs and vulnerable so they may access justice.

[46] Entry into the Thai law schools is based on a merit system and middle class students are generally not restricted by university fees.

[Note 11] First, the rise of the middle class, or the chonchan klaang,[46] saw an increase in the number of Thai students in higher education, from 16.1% in 1990 to 44.6% in 2009.

[29] This can be viewed as a form of control over the legal profession,[50] suggesting the government's intention to preserve local dominance.

Thailand's rapid development caused a shortage of Thai lawyers possessing expertise in specialized areas of law.

[Note 13] This has led to a unique situation in reality, where many foreign lawyers work in Thailand but under the guise of "business consultants".