Summary
The legal backdrop in television and movies has always been a fairly major trope and has pretty much always garnered a lot of traction from the general public. This popularity can be partially attributed to the intensity and grip of legal settings, but also to the exceedingly dynamic drama that happens in the courtrooms. Considering how these settings are fictional, despite the general realism of lawyers and legal backdrop, it creates a sense of entertainment for people when they’re not directly involved in something that can be considered highly consequential in real life.
The Korean entertainment world has always been very proactive in using this trope in its content, especially in Korean dramas and movies. Some of the most famous shows out of the industry have been about lawyers and their legal battles in the unforgiving world of law. The best part is that a large number of these KDramas have been adapted from manhwa. Dramas likeExtraordinary Attorney WooandTouch Your Heart, known for being globally popular, are adaptationsthat are all about the lawyer life.
1Judge Lee Han Young
A Judge With A Lot Of Contempt
As the name clearly suggests,Judge Lee Han Youngis a manhwa that doesn’t focus on lawyers, but rather the more absolute position of a judge.Judge Lee Han Youngis a unique series that fuses time travel and a revenge plot with a legal backdrop and presents it in a very dramatic way.
It follows a judgewho gets betrayed by the very justice systemhe works for and has to pay for everything with his life. Lee Han Young’s last case ends up in him sentencing a rich, powerful man to life in prison — which backfires horribly when that man pulls strings and gets Han Young assassinated. Instead of fading to black, Han Young wakes up in the body of his younger self, twenty years ago, in the very courtroom that held the first trial he presided over. This time, he’s determined to get to the top in other, more morally ambiguous ways.
2Simon Sues
Confident Rookie Lawyer Meets Demons
Leave it to manhwa to have the most bizarre combinations of genres to ever see the light of this world.Simon Suesis a lawyer/courtroom drama manhwa that takes its unconventionality to the next level by shifting its entire narrative to trials and proceedings held in occult settings with demons being fully involved at every step.
It centers around a newly graduated law student, Simon, and his attempts at getting into the most difficult and severe law practice found in their world. To do that, he has to work under a highly influential but tyrant boss, Mr. McNamara, who’s bent on making his life difficult. Gradually, as he begins to work for his tyrant boss, he starts seeing andfeeling strange demonic presencesthat become increasingly difficult to control during his trials. He also notices some of his colleagues acting odd — almost possessed. Without knowing what’s happening to him, Simon resumes working on his cases, until things get a bit out of control.
3Pride And Romance
Lawyer Boss With An Attitude Problem
While lawyer manhwa with weighty themes and dramatic scenarios are in their ballpark of popularity, the casual ones with comical undertones andmore slice-of-life conceptsdo pretty well too.Pride and Romance, a loose retelling of Jane Austen’sPride and Prejudice, is a manhwa that focuses on a hilariously absurd lawyer setting and revolves around a woman working in a law firm, under a very mean boss.
Sookhee is an underling at a law firm and is under a lot of pressure from her mom to get married. To appease that, she goes on a multitude of blind dates that only end in her running away before the date comes to an end. At her latest rendezvous, Sookhee meets a very handsome but arrogant man, who she refuses to get along with. Unfortunately for her, the distasteful meeting with the man ends in her realizing that he is not only a famous lawyer but is also her new boss! She now has to keep up with his shenanigans, all while working under him.
4Touch Your Heart
A Lawyer-Actress Love Story
Touch Your Heartis a manhwa that originally gained a lot of popularity because of its KDrama adaptation. Thankfully, it’s another manhwa thatfocuses on the more romantic/slice-of-life aspect of things rather than a morally ambiguous sequence with a lot of self-questioning.
Touch Your Heartfollows the story of a spoiled, mediocre actress who’s on the hunt for an opportunity that will get her a better response from the public. She’s not exactly the most sought-after actress in the industry and has to gain her fans back by working in a legal drama. Unfortunately, the only way she believes she can prepare for the role and be accepted back by the public is by working in an actual law firm, as a legal secretary. Unlucky for her, her lawyer boss, the male lead of the manhwa, is not the most accommodating person she’s ever come across.
5This Is The Law
The Lawyer Who Regressed And Returned With A Vengeance
This is the Lawis a second chance regression manhwa that focuses heavily on fantasy elements and supernatural-esque powers. It revolves around a very accomplished lawyer getting entangled with the wrong guys and getting killed as a result. He gets sent back in time to his middle-school era and has to live all of his life once again, this timewith mysterious superpowerson hand — and what better combination than an already significantly talented lawyer becoming almost god-like with his newfound powers?
This Is The Law, despite its conventional plotline, stands out from the other manhwa because of its different, almost realistic art and genuinely interesting protagonist. Noh Hyung Jin is a cunning character who carefully navigates the balance between cruelty and mercy. Immediately following his regression, his priority is not to address his circumstances but to resolve his older sister’s situation, who met a tragic end in the previous timeline.
6Again My Life
Prosecutor With A Second Chance At Life
Again My Lifeis another regression story that follows a pretty similar plotline asThis is the Law. It revolves around a just man who gets punished for being on the right side of the law. Like every good manhwa character who leaves a significant mark on the world, he encounters a grim reaperwho offers to reincarnate himas his 18-year-old self. It’s a straightforward story that seamlessly blends into one grand scheme, making it perfect for those seeking an instant adrenaline rush.
Kim Hi Wu is a dedicated prosecutor who takes great pride in putting criminals behind bars. In his quest to make Korea’s streets safer, he discovers that the true culprit behind the country’s decline is a high-ranking politician. Determined to uncover the truth, he resolves to pursue justice at all costs, even if it means risking his own life.
7Extraordinary Attorney Woo
Prodigal Rookie Lawyer With A Love For Whales
Extraordinary Attorney Woois another manhwa that has its own highly well-received Korean drama. Despite its legal setting, the manhwa (and consequently, the drama) places significant emphasis on representing individuals on the autism spectrum. It does that in a very tasteful and informed way and is perfect for someone looking for amore sentimentally forward and insightful story.
Extraordinary Attorney Woois centered around a prodigal rookie attorney, Woo Young-woo, who’s on the autism spectrum and has the most unique and fun ways to win cases for her clients. She’s known for having an exhaustive memory and has everything from her law books memorized to the T. She’s also undeniably in love with whales and enjoys throwing out random tidbits about them in her daily work routine.
