The battle of wits among lawyers is unfolding on the small screen.

Following the hot topic of ‘Good Partner’ last year where Jang Na-ra appeared as a divorce lawyer, a series of dramas depicting stories of lawyers will be released this year as well.

Lee Jin-wook and Hye-ri will be joining forces in the new drama ‘Esquire’.

The drama tells the story of lawyers handling all kinds of lawsuits against the backdrop of a large law firm. ‘Esquire’ is a word that originated from a medieval knight‘s assistant or a knight-errant who followed them with a shield, and is used to refer to lawyers in official documents. In the drama, Lee Jin-wook and Hye-ri will play lawyers side by side and fight fiercely in court.

Lee Jong-suk will also transform into a lawyer in his comeback drama after 3 years.

In the new tvN drama ‘Seocho-dong’, which is currently filming and scheduled to air in the first half of the year, Lee Jong-suk will be acting as a lawyer alongside Moon Ga-young.

‘Seocho-dong’ is a youth drama that depicts the daily lives of associate lawyers (lawyers employed by law firms and receiving a salary) who go to work in Seocho-dong’s legal town, where various law firms are gathered.

In order to capture the realistic daily lives of lawyers, writer Lee Seung-hyun, a current lawyer, wrote the script based on his own experiences. The directing is by director Park Seung-woo, who created the dramas ‘Kairos’, ‘AmaDas’, and ‘W’.

Lee Jong-suk plays Ahn Joo-hyung, who becomes a lawyer simply because cases are fun, without a clear sense of purpose to protect the weak or achieve justice. He boasts a high winning rate in trials and has set a new annual salary record within the company, but he doesn‘t even open a practice because it’s too much trouble.

Yoo Yeon-seok, who gained popularity with ‘The Call You’re Dialing‘, has chosen a lawyer character for his next project. He plays a lawyer in the new drama ’God and the Law Firm‘. While the previous two dramas contained real-life legal stories, this drama adds fantasy elements.

Directed by Shin Jung-hoon, who directed the Disney+ drama ’Gangmaegang‘, the drama tells the story of a lawyer who encounters unfortunate stories and is possessed by ghosts with grudges and solves them.

Yoo Yeon-seok, who plays a lawyer who sees ghosts in the drama, said in a recent interview, “I think I’ll be able to show a variety of appearances as the vengeful spirits of different clients visit in each episode,” and “There‘s a comical part, but I’ll also be able to show my coolness in court.”


Reporter Lee Jeong-yeon annjoy@donga.com