Transcript of the above video: 

Well, what am I talking about in this video? I have got Indiana Jones, we're talking about Fortune and Glory, let me get into it. So first of all I think it's only right to preface this video by saying, I don't know exactly what I am. If I'm Gen X, if I'm a Millennial; they used to have this thing called Gen Y. I was born in '82, very early in '82. Many people have said I was the last Gen Xer to sort of roll off the line, I don't know, but I'm definitely less on the Millennial side of the spectrum, probably more toward the Gen X side of the spectrum. But if you really want to gain any insight about sort of where I fall generationally in sort of a pop cultural context it's the fact that really, more than any other Indiana Jones, I grew up on Indiana Jones 2 - Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, and it just kind of shows my age I guess. That came out, I was a young kid but I can remember it coming out and one of the lines in it, one of them I remember is when Short Round who is kind of the sidekick to Indiana Jones in Indy 2 tells him why they are going on this quest so to speak, and he says, "Fortune and Glory kid, Fortune and Glory." Well what are we talking about, why does that have to do with anything going on in this channel? 

Well, I recently read and I'm going to throw this up on screen because it's actually from the Bangkok Post print edition, and I've been talking a lot about the Bangkok Post and how they need to really walk the line with regard to perhaps not promoting people that are in direct contradiction of Restricted Occupations here in Thailand especially when those are the professions. It really galls me that it's just viewed as "oh it's no problem, foreign lawyers can just be here." No, they can't, and quite honestly there's a reason for it because they don't know what they're talking about. And for those who would say "well you're not really all that qualified for the Thai side." Well from a Comparative Law standpoint, I think I'm very qualified to talk about what I talk about and also, if you've ever noticed on the substantive videos I do on this channel, I don't get deep and I do go to our Thai Attorneys here in the office and ask them and bounce things off them. I even have them review videos from time to time before we put them up. I have never claimed to be a Thai Attorney. But that said, yeah I'm a Tax Attorney and yeah Thai Tax Law can interact with American Tax Law, so I do discuss that, but if you're not Thai you shouldn't be. As we've discussed and as I have clearly articulated when I read about the foreign occupations, or the Restricted Occupations to foreigners I should say. That said, viewers are probably asking themselves "what's this guy talking about? Is he just going to rant about foreign lawyers again?" No. Actually I made this video because I'm starting to wonder if maybe the Bangkok Post is ranting back to me in their own pages. Again, sticking this up, I found this in the print edition so I'm going to go ahead and stick it up from the print edition. The article is titled: Celeb lawyers get bad rap. Quoting directly, I'll probably quote most if not all of this article, but I urge those who are watching this video, you can probably go to Bangkok Post, that is bangkokpost.com, and find this for yourself. Again, Celeb Lawyers get bad rap. Quoting directly: "Most Thais think that "genuine volunteer lawyers" truly exist but there are only a few of them according to a survey of the National Institute of Development Administration". I don't know what it is about the legal profession that there's this "well if you are not a volunteer, what are you out there?" What am I out there doing? I'm making a living. It's called doing my job, and yes, I want to be paid for it. Quoting further: "The survey gauged public opinion on the existence of pro-bono lawyers who help people not for their own interests or fame." Was that a little dig at me Bangkok Post? Was that a little dig at me? Well, a couple of things here. First of all, yes, I operate in my own interest and yes, I have a living to make and yes, I have a family to feed. I'm not going to apologize for that, ever. Meanwhile, fame. Let's think this through for a minute. Anyone who knows me, well especially, knows I did not get into this for fame. And quite honestly this whole YouTube thing, it was not what I was intending honestly. I wanted to be like the guy on Public Access who was just putting up videos talking about what he can do for you so hopefully I can drum up some interest in - again it's promotional - I do get that side. If I am famous and I'm not going to stipulate that I am, because if I am that's the weirdest thing in the world, that's like, I have told my friends I call it Merril Teller famous. People are "what does that mean?" Well there was a weatherman in Wichita who everyone in Kansas knew from probably about the better part of three decades named Merrill Teller because he was always on the weather and he lived in Wichita and people would see him and kind of bother him when he'd be in the grocery store and stuff. I knew his kid when he went to the same school as I did - he was a lot younger than me - but I heard tell through him that "yeah okay, everybody knows my dad", but that's not fame okay? Lack of anonymity and fame are not the same thing, so I would like to clear that up. That said, if you're going to say that I'm only looking out for my own interests and I use this particular platform for promotional purposes, well then, I have just got a default to Indy's Fortune and Glory because at the end of the day, yeah I guess that's what I'm going for. Fortune and Glory. I'm just trying to do my job. That said, quoting further: "The results showed most participants (52.44%) believe that good volunteer lawyers with integrity do exist but in small numbers." Again, are these digs at me? Integrity? Okay, quoting further: "About one-fourth said they were not confident pro-bono lawyers exist.." - honestly I kind of hope they don't because they would only drive down the prices of people like me and honestly me and other Thai Attorneys should be able to make a living. I'm not a Thai Attorney, let me be clear but I'm saying, legal professionals in Thailand that are qualified to do what they do, not criminals who are in violation of the restricted occupations but other Thai Legal professionals, yeah, they should be able to make money. Do I have any problem with pro-bono lawyers per se? No and they do need to exist on some level, but by the way for those who are unaware, there is legal aid out there for Thais and there are practitioners out there that do help Thai people at no cost, and that's laudable; I'm not criticizing that in any way shape or form. But that said, am I getting digged at because I like making money? Not even "like making money", I actually don't particularly like making money. I think too much money is more of a problem than it's worth, famous last words, but honestly that really is how I feel. But my question is so is the dig at me because I want to make a living? Quoting further: "About one fourth (26.56%) said they were not confident pro-bono lawyers exist, while 16.88% said they do not exist." So, they're like figments of your imagination! Quoting further: "Only 4.2% said good volunteer lawyers with integrity still exists and there are a lot of them." Quoting further: "When asked seeking service or advice from professional lawyers, and whether they trusted those they sought out, the answers varied. Almost half (42.06%) said they trust them a fair amount; 36.11% said they slightly trust him; and 8.78% said they trust them a lot; while 12.52% said they don't trust them at all." Well what's that line from that song, The Night the Lights went out in Georgia, don't trust your soul to no backwoods Southern lawyer. Quoting further: "When asked who or which organizations they would go to for justice - both in terms of filing lawsuit or facing one - 42.06%.." that's a big number of this poll, ".. said the Interior Ministry's Damrongdharma Centre..." - so basically, they said they would go to the Interior Ministry. I thought that was kind of an interesting thing. Quoting further: "..19.16% the Office of Civil Rights Protection and Legal Aid.." - the reason I am reading all this out is so that folks who may have like a Thai spouse or something, they'll say "well who do we go to for a lawyer?" well this is who Thais should go to. I'm not against Thais being in the legal profession, it's their legal profession. What bothers me is foreigners who have come in and fraudulently operated in that space. Quoting further: "The Office of Civil Rights Protection and Legal Aid, 12.83% concerned associations, foundations and NGOs." Well be careful with the NGOs. If it's a foreign one... Quoting further: "..while 11.68% said they would call volunteer lawyers from the Lawyers Council." Yeah, again I'm reading that because for those who are especially Thais, and for those out there who are like, "what Thais watch you?", there are English speaking Thais who do watch this channel, they communicate with me. Yeah, there is another source of where you can go to find competent legal representation, right there. Again, Ministry of interior, Office of Civil Rights Protection and Legal Aid, Lawyers Council; all good places to check with. 

Meanwhile, I don't know why you're doing this Bangkok Post because you don't seem like you particularly care if you are continuing to promote people who are operating illegally. That said, quoting further: "Some 11.37% would seek help from Government House's hotline followed by general lawyers, lawyers from Thai Bar under Royal Patronage.." - well fair point yeah, - "..famous lawyers.." Who's that? "..(6.87%).." - so how famous are they if only 6.87% say they would use them? Quoting further: "..popular TV programs and social media (4.96%).." - so again how popular are they if only 5% of people said they would use them, "..and politicians." - coming in at 1.6% was politicians, so that's the least likely people they're going to go to; so liked less even than lawyers, politicians. Quoting further: "The poll was conducted from October 28 - 30 among 1,310 people aged 18 and over of various levels of education and occupations throughout the country. 

So again, I don't know if Bangkok Post is sort of digging at me for this, but look I have always said what I am. I'm an American Attorney and the Managing Director of Integrity Legal; I am not a Thai Attorney; I'm a Thai citizen. I was naturalized to Thai citizenship and yeah, I can operate in certain spheres that other foreigners cannot operate in because I'm Thai. That's just the way it works and I'm sorry if people don't like that, but you know, that is how it is.