Monchai Jongkrairattnakul, a celebrity legal analyst affectionately known as “Lawyer Kaew” for his engaging TV persona, is now in the dock himself, hit by a sex scandal that threatens to end his career.
Monchai is accused of sexual harassment involving a teenager younger than his daughter. The alleged victim is the 18-year-old daughter of Monchai’s tailor, who had provided free suits for Monchai to wear on TV for a long time.
The allegations spread around over social media for a few weeks, without the direct mention of Monchai's name, until the lawyer of the victim's father came forward on January 22.
According to this lawyer, Monchai met the young woman at a shopping centre on Rama III Road in Bangkok and later forced himself on her while in the car.
A day later, Monchai called a press conference, admitting he had been with the woman in a car on September 12 last year. He confirmed they had eaten at a restaurant, taken selfies and talked that day, and conceded he had placed food in her mouth at the restaurant.
He also confessed to kissing and embracing her after they returned to the car, saying he had “lost control”. However, he firmly denied accusations that he had groped or touched her intimately.
Despite publicly acknowledging his wrongdoing – and even winning a measure of public support following the release of his online conversations with the teenager – the celebrity lawyer’s reputation has been badly scarred.
Monchai told the press that the woman’s family refused to accept his apology and demanded up to 10 million baht in compensation.
He added that he tried to negotiate the payout down to 2.5 million baht but failed, after which the story went public.
After the scandal broke, Monchai resigned as training director of the Lawyers Council of Thailand, which has launched an investigation into his conduct.
If found guilty of misconduct, he faces penalties ranging from probation to suspension for three years, or even the loss of his licence to practise law.
The police said they would also summon Monchai for questioning over the case.
Meanwhile, producers of Channel 3 HD’s “Hon Krasae” talk show have distanced themselves from the lawyer, and chosen not to invite him to share his legal expertise on air after reportedly talking to the young woman’s father.
Monchai previously made frequent appearances on the show.
Several of Monchai’s celebrity clients have also criticised his conduct, asking why he thought he could behave that way after only four days of text communication.
Inspired by legal lecture on rape
As a child, Monchai dreamed of becoming a doctor, but he switched to law at Ramkhamhaeng University after his scores were too low for medical school.
He graduated in 1991 and, four years later, fulfilled the requirements set by the Lawyers Council of Thailand to start practising.
Furthering his studies, he earned a master’s in Business Law at Ramkhamhaeng University in 2003 and then a doctorate in law at Dhurakij Pundit University.
In 2019, he passed the Thai Bar Association’s barrister exam, putting him in the running for a post as judge or public prosecutor.
He once told an interviewer that his passion for law was inspired by a lecture on Thai legal clauses surrounding the crime of rape. He said he admired the clarity with which the law was written.
Before being engulfed by scandal, Monchai’s career was on the upswing. As well as earning a name for himself on the talk show, he had also been signed up by several celebrities as their legal representative.
Monchai is not the first celeb lawyer to find himself in the centre of a devastating scandal. Before him, Sittra Biabungkerd - a lawyer who also often appeared on the Hon Krasae talk show - was caught for alleged fraud and money laundering and is now in jail.
Not just a lawyer
Alongside his successful legal career, Monchai has ventured into the business world, holding a 70-per-cent stake in Legal Intelligence Co Ltd, where he serves as managing director. He also owns 96.67 per cent of a company that sells duck noodles. In 2024, both companies declared total profits of about 2 million baht.
Monchai also holds smaller stakes in seven other companies.
