Lawyer Monthly Rich List – Wichai Thongtang

Worth: $1.8 billion

Firm: BDMS

Mr Thongtang has been described as “one of the top names in the profession from around the globe” and his ability to branch out from his work as a lawyer has resulted in him making number 1 on our list.

Mr Thangtong has said his father wanted him to become a lawyer because he believed the family needed one, and it was his fathers passion that led him to pursue a legal career.  Thongtang’s family is made up of his mother and father and 6 other siblings. They lived in a small suburb in the Phanat Nikhom district in Thailand where they moved as Whichai was born, due to his father wanting his children to have a better and more secure future.

He graduated Thammasat University in 1970 and received a Master’s Degree in Political Science as well as a Bachelor’s Degree in law. From there he then went into corporate law representing some of the biggest Thai executives and corporations. It was during this time that he took the chance to learn about the stock market, trading and investing. He now owns 15% of Dusit Medical [linked above].

One of his most notable cases was successfully representing deposed Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra in an asset concealment case in 2001.

He owns a pay-TV operator company called Cable Thai Holdings, which owns broadcast rights for English Premier League football in Thailand, Cambodia and Laos through 2013-2016. This company then merged with GMM Grammy.

Although Wichai Thongtang now mainly operates as an investor and CEO his legal credentials are still enviable and gave him the skills he needed to become Thailand’s 13th richest person.