About Us
A Practice Built on Careful Attention to Pension Law
Nakhon Counsel was established to serve individuals and couples who need measured, honest legal guidance on their pension position — without pressure, without complexity they did not ask for.
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How Nakhon Counsel Came to Be
Nakhon Counsel was founded in Hua Hin after years of observing that many people approaching retirement found themselves uncertain about their pension entitlements — not because the rules were inaccessible, but because no one had taken the time to read through their particular circumstances with them.
The practice was set up specifically to fill that gap. We work exclusively on pension and retirement legal matters, which means we are not a general firm stretching across dozens of practice areas. Our attention stays where our clients need it — on the detail of pension schemes, contribution records, authority correspondence, and the arrangements that affect couples and households.
We keep our client list manageable so that each matter receives the time it deserves. Our location in Prachuap Khiri Khan reflects our commitment to serving the resident and expatriate community along Thailand's southern Gulf coast, where demand for thoughtful English-language legal counsel on pension matters has grown steadily over the years.
Our Mission
What We Set Out to Do
Our mission is straightforward: to give each client a clear, honest account of where their pension position stands and what their options are. We do not suggest complexity that is not there, and we do not simplify matters that genuinely require careful handling.
We believe that a person approaching retirement deserves the same quality of legal attention that any significant financial and life decision warrants — and that accessing that quality of attention should not require navigating a large firm or waiting through weeks of scheduling.
Pension-specialist focus — no unrelated practice areas
Fixed pricing — clients know what to expect before proceeding
Written summaries provided after every consultation
Remote and in-person appointments available
Our People
The Counsel Behind the Practice
Alec Sutherland
Principal Counsel
Alec has spent the better part of two decades advising on pension entitlements and retirement planning across multiple jurisdictions, with a particular focus on cross-border scheme arrangements.
Priya Wongkham
Correspondence Counsel
Priya manages pension authority correspondence and has developed considerable experience in navigating the administrative language of both Thai and international scheme bodies.
Robert Laird
Client Services
Robert coordinates client appointments and document preparation, ensuring that the administrative side of each engagement runs smoothly so that counsel can focus entirely on the legal work.
How We Work
Standards and Protocols
Client Confidentiality
All client information is held under strict confidentiality. Pension details, correspondence, and financial records are never shared outside of the engagement without the client's explicit consent.
Written Engagement Terms
Every engagement begins with a clear written summary of scope and fixed price. Clients know what is included before any work begins, and we do not add charges for work within the agreed scope.
Direct Counsel Involvement
Client matters are handled directly by our counsel, not delegated to support staff. The person you speak with at the outset is the person who works on your file throughout.
Cross-Border Familiarity
Many clients have pension entitlements across more than one country. We are familiar with the particular complexities that arise when scheme rules and authority processes span different jurisdictions.
Clear Written Outputs
Every consultation and correspondence engagement produces a written document for the client — a summary, a draft letter, or a record of advice — so that nothing depends on memory or verbal recollection.
Managed Caseload
We deliberately limit the number of active matters we carry at any time. This is not common in legal practice, but it is how we ensure that each client's matter receives the attention the circumstances warrant.
Our Values
Why Pension Matters Deserve Specialist Attention
A pension is among the most significant financial arrangements a person holds — yet it is also among the least well understood until the moment retirement approaches and decisions that were previously abstract become urgent. At Nakhon Counsel, we work on the premise that clients are best served when they understand their own position clearly, rather than when they simply follow instructions from counsel they cannot assess.
We explain each step of the process in terms the client can follow. When we draft correspondence with a pension authority, we share a draft with the client and explain what each part achieves. When we prepare a retirement planning summary, we walk through it with the client so that the document is genuinely useful rather than filed and forgotten.
Pension law in the international context — and particularly for clients resident in Thailand with entitlements in other jurisdictions — involves a layer of administrative complexity that can be wearying to navigate alone. Our role is to carry that complexity so that the client can focus on the decisions that only they can make: when to retire, how to use their entitlements, and how to arrange their household finances for the years ahead.
We are a small practice by choice. The work we do requires careful reading, patient correspondence, and a genuine familiarity with each client's circumstances. That kind of work cannot be scaled without dilution, and we have no interest in diluting it.
Ready to Discuss Your Pension Position?
Arrange a consultation and we will give you a clear account of where things stand. No pressure, no jargon — just a careful reading of your circumstances.
Arrange a Consultation