Tilleke & Gibbins

Partner and Director, Myanmar
Practice Areas: Intellectual Property, Corporate/M&A, Employment, Technology, Competition and Trade, Life Sciences, Regulatory Affairs, Dispute Resolution and Litigation

Yuwadee Thean-ngarm is a partner and director of Tilleke & Gibbins’ Myanmar practice, having moved to oversee the firm’s Yangon office in 2013 after a decade as an attorney-at-law and litigator in the firm’s Bangkok office. She is recognized as a leading lawyer in Myanmar by IFLR 1000 and Asialaw Leading Lawyers, and in 2019 was named one of the brightest young lawyers in Asia in Asian Legal Business’ annual “Top 40 Under 40” list.

She advises clients on the full range of intellectual property and corporate and commercial matters under the fast-developing legal framework in Myanmar. With her deep understanding of the needs of international business in Myanmar, along with her broad practical experience overseeing legal work across virtually all practice areas, she assists her clients in developing strategies for corporate success in Myanmar.

In her corporate and commercial work, Yuwadee is especially active in advising foreign investors seeking to do business in Myanmar. She oversees a wide variety of matters, including business strategy and planning, company structuring and formation, law and legal updates, labor and employment, and tax. Yuwadee has extensive expertise in advising clients across diverse industries, such as banking and finance, chemicals, energy, logistics, manufacturing, service and trading, and telecommunications. On the intellectual property side, Yuwadee guides global and regional businesses in protecting their assets under the country’s new and still-developing regulatory framework for trademarks, patents, industrial designs, and copyright.

Yuwadee is also well known for promoting cross-border business in her role as the Vice President of the Thai Business Association of Myanmar (2022-2024). She is a formidable thought leadership contributor, providing legal expertise to World Bank research projects on investment, employment, and property in Myanmar, and is a frequent speaker in regional seminars and events on various corporate and commercial and intellectual property topics.

Besides her experience in Myanmar, Yuwadee is a member of the Thai Bar Association and the Lawyers Council of Thailand, with significant experience appearing before Thailand’s trademark registrar, Board of Trademarks, and Intellectual Property and International Trade Court (IP&IT Court).

Thai, English

Yuwadee is a registered patent agent and notarial services attorney in Thailand with significant experience appearing before the Trademark Registrar, the Board of Trademarks, and the Intellectual Property and International Trade Court (IP&IT Court). She is also a member of the Thai Bar Association and the Lawyers Council of Thailand. She has completed the Development of Specialist in Trademark Registration course at the Thai Department of Intellectual Property, the Specialist Bar in IP #2 at the IP&IT Court, and the JPO/IPR Training Course for Advanced IP Protection Practitioners.

MA, Chulalongkorn University LLB, Thammasat University