Phuket · Bangkok · nationwide
Lawyers in Thailand for foreign nationals
We act for foreigners whose business or trip in Thailand has turned into a legal problem: nominee shareholders and company structure, a dispute with a partner, arrest, criminal charges, immigration detention, a road accident. The duty line answers around the clock, wherever you are calling from.
Experience counts for more here than any wording. Our lawyers are highly qualified, have years of practice behind them, and hold settled working relationships across the bodies a case passes through: the courts, the prosecutors, the police, immigration, the registrar. So “nothing can be done” is not a verdict to us — behind that sentence there is almost always a missed deadline, the wrong stage chosen, or a lawyer who did not look. Before you accept it, let us see the file.
- Languages
- English, Russian, Thai
- In the team
- a licensed Thai attorney
- Instructing from abroad
- remote engagement from any country
First aid
What to do right now
If you or someone close to you has been detained, these points matter more than anything else on this page.
This list is first aid, not a substitute for counsel. Call and describe the situation: from there it is safer to act on a lawyer’s assessment than on a general checklist.
- Sign nothing, especially documents in Thai — even when somebody nearby is translating.
- Do not admit anything in order to be released. It stays in the record and is very hard to undo.
- Ask for an interpreter and a lawyer. Both are rights, not favours.
- Ask for your consulate to be notified.
- Do not hand money to anyone offering to settle it on the spot.
- Note the time of the arrest and the name of the station — that is where defence work starts.
- Call us. The first conversation is free and commits you to nothing.
Practice areas
What we do
Choose the situation — each page sets out what happens and what can be done about it.
Nominee shareholders
Structure review, Foreign Business Act exposure, and a lawful way to hold the business.
Read more →Business disputes
Partners, leases, contractors, debts, inspections and court representation.
Read more →Criminal defence
Police interviews, prosecution stage, trial representation, appeal.
Read more →Arrest and detention
Attendance at the station, interview defence, family contact, bail from day one.
Read more →Bail
Same-day applications, choice of security, dealing with a refusal.
Read more →Immigration offences
Overstay, work permits, IDC, removal and entry bans.
Read more →Drug charges
Possession, alleged supply, testing and forensics, charge reduction, bail.
Read more →Road accidents
The scene, fault, compensation, insurance, and the criminal element.
Read more →
The practice
If you have been told nothing can be done, it is worth checking with us.
First Call is a Thailand-based legal practice working with foreign clients. The team includes an attorney licensed by the Lawyers Council of Thailand — only a licensed attorney may represent a defendant in a Thai court or attend a detainee. The rest of the team handles communication in English and Russian.
Our main areas are nominee shareholders and company structure, business disputes, criminal defence, arrest and bail, immigration matters and road accidents. We take other work too: bring us the question and you will hear on the first call what can be done with it.
We work at every stage, not only up to the verdict. Appeal, the Supreme Court, reopening on newly discovered facts, parole, a royal pardon, transfer to serve a sentence at home — if you have been told nothing can be done, it is worth checking with us. The assessment comes from the file: we read the case first, then say what can be made of it.
- Duty line
- 24/7, including public holidays
- Languages
- English, Russian, Thai
- In the team
- a licensed Thai attorney
- Instructing from abroad
- remote engagement from any country
How we work
From the first call to the outcome, without "we will call you back" and without disappearing for a week.
The call
Answered around the clock. A few questions to gauge urgency, then immediate instructions for the next hour. Free of charge.
Attendance
The attorney travels to the station, the remand facility or to you, meets the client in private and establishes what has already happened.
Assessment and engagement
An honest view of prospects, including the bad ones. Scope and fees fixed in writing before work starts — no open meter.
Running the case
Defence during the investigation, applications, bail, negotiation with the injured party, representation at trial — with the immigration consequences handled in parallel.
Keeping the family informed
One named person handles family contact, with regular updates in English or Russian.
Outcome and afterwards
Judgment, appeal where needed, return of bail security, restoration of status. The matter is closed properly, not abandoned at sentencing.
Where we work
Permanent offices in Phuket and Bangkok, with a lawyer travelling anywhere in the country around the clock. The closer the province, the sooner we are there — and we set off on the call, not at the start of the working day.
- Phuketoffice, island-wide callout 24/7
- Bangkokoffice, callout 24/7, courts and the detention centre
- Pattayalawyer callout 24/7
- Samui and Phanganlawyer callout 24/7
- Krabi and Phi Philawyer callout 24/7
- Chiang Mai and the northlawyer callout 24/7
Contact us
Calling is fastest. If it is not urgent, leave a request and we will call you back and explain the options.
Need a lawyer right now?
A duty lawyer answers around the clock. If you or someone close to you has been detained, call without waiting for morning: the first hours matter more than the rest of the case.