Legal dramas are a hit or miss, usually. It caters to a specific type of audience and definitely not everyone’s cup of tea. You would seldom hear someone say, “Let’s watch a legal drama for healing or to past time.” It requires your full attention, and it can’t be played in the background while you’re doing another task. That’s why when a legal drama receives so much attention and praise, you know it’s ~that~ good. And yes, long story short, Law School is worth checking out!
Yang Jong-Hoon (Kim Myung-Min) is a former prosecutor. He is now a professor at a prestigious law school. He is straightforward and tends to unleash biting remarks. Students don’t like him because of this, but Yang Jong-Hoon does not care what his students think of him. Yang Jong-Hoon is focused on cultivating personnel for the law field, members who will be able to contribute meaningfully. Professor Kim Eun-Sook (Lee Jung-Eun) is his only colleague that he can speak openly.
Kang Sol (Ryoo Hye-Young) and Han Joon-Hwi (Kim Beom) are first-year law school students. Kang Sol barely got into law school. She comes from poor family background. At school, she is surrounded by students who are smart and come from wealthy backgrounds. She feels insecure and even shameful due to her background. Kang Sol slowly learns about the true legal profession. Han Joon-Hwi is at the top among first-year law school students. He is an attractive young man with leadership qualities, but he has a secret.

I thought they would take the episodic route of taking case studies per week, but they did not. Instead, they focused on the main characters’ background stories, incorporate them into the main premise, and built a solid story from there. It’s also unexpected for me to ship a non-OTP this much that I am shaken.
Murders and corruption aside, the drama is actually a slice-of-life drama about the life of law students. Everyone in the freshmen squad is relatable in terms of how they handle their academics. Of course, Kang Sol A (Ryu Hye-young) leads them as the most kindred spirit in the study group. She struggles in both finances and academics – but she never gives up. She barely passes her exams, yet she pulls through with the help of her reliable friends. Aside from her good nature, Sol A is also a filial daughter and sister. She genuinely cares for her family without hesitation.

Anyway, as a character, Joon-hwi had so much depth, and Kim Bum portrayed him convincingly. He was an orphaned boy whose beloved uncle got killed by an unknown murderer. He was even one of the prime suspects but he managed to prove himself innocent while still attending his classes. Whew! Joon-hwi didn’t even have the time to grieve in silence because he was too busy balancing his academics and solving his uncle’s untimely death. I’d like to think that this was also why SolHwi never materialized because it’s just too much for a student to handle these overwhelming emotions all at once. Even though there was no legit confirmation of SolHwi, deep in my heart, I know that Prosecutor Han and Lawyer Kang was the endgame.

My favorite Yangcrates moment was when he was able to break Ye-seul’s wall by effectively questioning her in the witness stand – law school style. Ye-seul was deeply hurt and in a state of denial and shock. She couldn’t even identify the difference between love and abuse, but Prof. Yang was able to shake her and let her realize what she’s fighting for and whom she’s fighting against.

To be honest, the drama felt dragging halfway and the revelation of Lee Man-ho (Jo Jae-ryong) as the real killer with Assemblyman Ko Hyeong-su (Jung Won-joong) as the main bad guy were underwhelming. Or maybe because I expected this to be an over-the-top whodunit series when in fact, it’s just a simple story with complex characters. What do you think?