Notary Public

[Mapguy]

From above: "People go to lawyers and authority figures for accurate advice"

UH OH !!

It's very reasonable to be critical of poorly educated, inexperienced, improper, or avaricious counsel, but to castigate lawyers as a group is the stuff of lawyer jokes. And I say that with more than a casual liking for lawyer jokes and some rocky experience and listening to others' experiences overall with lawyers in the Chiang Mai area --- including familarity with a quite likable total charlatan who professes to provide "legal services" but who (popular among naïve expatriates as he might still be) hasn't even passed the Thai "bar exam!" And that is a low hurdle!

In Thailand, the training of lawyers is quite different than in "Western" countries. It is basically baccalaureate study with a heavy emphasis on knowledge of the Civil and Commercial Code. (Further study IS available.) The Thai notarisation service is really not part of that package.

After reading threads on this and related legal topics on TV Chiang Mai for a long, long time I have come to the conclusion that posters on TV Chiang Mai posters focus on two things. They first want an English-speaking lawyer (regardless of whether it is something simple like notarization or much more and regardless of expertise). Second, they don't want to spend much money, the least amount as possible (which may be understandabe but hardly wise) Lots of "cheap charlies" on TV CHiang Mai! Bringing this back to notarial services, who hasn't heard the absolute HOWL of Americans who are too cheap to pay US$50 for proper services offerred by the US Consulate for service valid in the USA and usually elsewhere. Other nationalities (It varies in Chiang Mai!) can also get proper service appropriate for their homelands. Australia comes to mind. But, I should add that many people don't do more than "bar buddy" research!

So, given that, what do you expect? Probably about the same level of service as sexpats cruising the moat late and Loy Khroh alleys can expect!

Edited March 7, 2016 by Mapguy