Legal representation for my friend in Bangkok

[Matteo]

I am trying to secure legal representation for my friend in Bangkok who has been arrested for a visa overstay and non payment of hotel bill.

He is currently being held in custody. His is an American passport holder. In relation to the visa overstay he had a 30 day visa that expired in September.

He believed he was able to stay in Thailand as he has a medical issue and was seeking medical treatment in Thailand.

He did not try to extend his visa due to this. He has plead not guilty to the visa overstay. He believes he originally received bad advice based in relation to the visa based on the medical treatment.

I am willing to pay his fine for visa overstay (although I am unclear on the process for paying this) and his unpaid hotel bill however I am seeking legal counsel to understand if he has any grounds for a not guilty plea and what would be the process.

In addition to this I am not in a position to pay his deportation flight however if he had access to his own laptop he would be able to book his flight using airmiles.

I also want to understand how likely this is to be possible.

I would like to get my friend out of prison as quickly as possible however I understand his not guilty plea may slow this down, please can you advise?

[JafferJohn]

Siam legal is one of the most commonly used law firms for expats dealing with this type of stuff.