K-Drama Rewind, Lawless Lawyer: Lee Joon-gi goes rogue, Seo Yea-ji hits hard and justice gets personal

The opening credits of Lawless Lawyer snap you right in, catchy, addictive, and almost guaranteed to lodge themselves in your head.The show, starring Lee Joon-gi and Seo Yea-ji, is a reminder of a time when thriller K-dramas with a dash of romance were just plain fun to watch. Not that today’s crime procedurals aren’t worth tuning into, but many lean toward the morose and overly sober.

Lawless Lawyer doesn’t juggle genres quite as boldly as Suspicious Partner, which managed to weave a full-blown romantic comedy into a serial killer storyline. Instead, it offers a hint of romance, nudging it to the sidelines without letting it overpower the plot—and that restraint works in its favour.

So, what’s it about? Joon-gi plays the seemingly brash Bong Sang-pil, a gangster-turned lawyer, who has the impeccable skill of manipulating loopholes in the law and winning a case. Root for a rogue protagonist? Sure why not? Though his first few scenes are a little questionable, even if he later mends his ways and shows ‘that he’s actually good for the sake of being good’. 

He establishes his own practice and goes up against the rich and powerful people who murdered his mother as a child—something he witnessed from the confines of a wardrobe.He teams up with Ha Jae-yi (Seo Yea-ji), a fiery attorney recently fired after a physical altercation, only to discover their pasts and traumas are knotted, and so begins a quest to avenge their mothers together.  Yet, along the way, it’s still a rather brutal shock to Jae-yi when she discovers that the mentor who had been a guiding light in her life, is actually a hardened criminal and the reason for both their horrors. And so, Bong Sang-pil and Jae-yi, after a rather tentative and uneasy beginning, slowly carve a friendship that blossoms into love during the course of the show. 

It’s raucous fun at times, but Lawless Lawyer does stumble into the all-too-familiar “noble sacrifice” trap—and those moments can be frustrating to watch. By now, you just wish the male lead would communicate with his partner instead of keeping her in the dark and throwing himself into legal chaos, all in the name of protection. Time to retire this trope, folks.

That said, aside from this glitch, Lawless Lawyer delivers on nearly every front. It’s a solid, satisfying watch packed with gangsters, courtroom drama, a splash of romance, and villains so unapologetically evil that it’s actually enjoyable. And the chemistry between Lee Joon-gi and Seo Yea-ji is a true highlight—sweet, emotional, and rooted in the deep grief their characters carry.

So, if you’re looking for something to watch this weekend, then yes, Lawless Lawyer should be on your list.