Lawyers in the spotlight

The arrest of lawyer Sittra Biabungkerd last week has spotlighted celebrity lawyers who gain influence and public trust in Thai society.
Police recently charged Mr Sittra and his wife with swindling and money laundering 71 million baht of a mega-rich client while their assets have been frozen.
Such charges are far from his humble beginnings in law. For over a decade, Mr Sittra has drawn admirers for the legal services he offered middle-class and low-income earners.
But he gained headline-grabbing attention for representing people in famous criminal cases or others that grabbed national attention, such as establishing the so-called “Avenger Lawyer Team” providing legal services to victims of The iCon Group scandal.
Mr Sittra has also been known to hobnob with high-ranking policemen and live a luxurious lifestyle.
Last year, he exposed information that he said was a money trail leading from online lottery operators to former national police chief Pol Gen Torsak Sukvimol.
Indeed, Mr Sittra is part of a new breed of media-savvy lawyers in Thai society who use media to boost popularity and engage with the public.
Some such lawyers have even ignored professional etiquette by promising clients that they would win lawsuits or even giving interviews to investigative news reporters to shape public perceptions about criminal cases.
The problem is that some of these lawyers face accusations of financial fraud. This year, the Lawyers Council of Thailand (LCT) — a professional association that issues lawyers’ licences and provides pro-bono legal service to all citizens — has penalised 274 lawyers for professional and ethical misconduct.
The public was shocked last week when the council admitted that it had been investigating three complaints against Mr Sittra.
It is shocking that the council usually refuses to reveal the names of lawyers who violate ethical standards.
This raises questions about how the public knows which lawyers they would do best to avoid and what should be done to help society distinguish between real professional public defenders and unscrupulous lawyers.
The rise of celebrity lawyers in Thai society reflects problems in the nation’s justice system.
While rich people and corporations can afford fancy law firms, ordinary people often don’t know where to turn when they need legal services.
The Ministry of Justice allocates 50 million baht annually to LCT, which is never enough.
Meanwhile, the Attorney-General’s Office — an agency of public prosecutors appointed to provide legal consultants to the public when they have problems with the government and officials — is overwhelmed and, as a result, ineffective.
With no public lawyers in sight, it is not surprising that people turn to these celebrity lawyers.
The government, especially the Ministry of Justice, must mobilise more resources to expand legal services — or even pro bono work.
The LCT needs to fill the gap in society by engaging the public and sending volunteer lawyers to provide pro-bono services to people.
Currently, the council takes a backseat and is idle in presenting itself to the public.
Without guardrails to monitor and control the behaviour of these celebrity lawyers, people will fall victim to unscrupulous lawyers who should protect them.