Pro Bono Is The Legal K-drama You’ll Want On Your Watchlist ASAP

You know those people who look like they wouldn’t harm a fly but slowly reveals they’re ten steps ahead of everyone? They’re helpful to a fault, approachable, mildly arrogant (in a bearable way), and people just… trust them. So when they need a hand, no one hesitates.

That’s pretty much the public image of Kang Da-wit (Jung Kyung-ho) in a nutshell, who leads Netflix’s latest legal K-drama, Pro Bono. As for the reality, Kang's image is a carefully created facade to help him get ahead in his career as quickly as possible. Give him the chance to interact with someone who can't help in his grand scheme (in this case, that the female lead Park Gi-ppeum played by So Joon-yeon), and this condescension slips through. What follows is a fall from grace and a second chance at redeeming himself and understand those around him.

What's The Plot?

Kang Da-wit starts out as the lead judge for the Criminal Division for Corruption Cases, and is especially popular for rendering harsh sentences to corrupt chaebols (that's korean for members of these handful of ultra-rich business families). Life seems to be going well for him; he is the youngest judge to ever hold the post, his assistant is nominating him as a supreme court judge without him even asking for it (he did plan for it to happen, though) and his popularity even has the public calling him the ‘’People’s Judge”.

Pro Bono Official PosterNetflix

Here's when the twist happens. An elementary school friend he hasn't met in years calls him for a night out, and the next morning, Kang wakes up to a box full of cash in the trunk of his car, with no memory of how it ended up there.

So it happens that our protagonist makes a deal with his boss to anonymously donate it to the court, till a video of the friend handing him the box turns up. Turns out, the friend is a notorious con artist, and even though Kang maintains his innocence, he is asked to choose between resignation and prosecution.

Kang decides to resign, and accepts an offer at one of Seoul's biggest law firm. Except, to his horror, he is assigned to the firm's ragtag Pro Bono team, who take up public interest cases, and worse, can't do much to help him advance in his career. 

Who will you see and what to expect

Jung Kyung-ho, fresh from his (kind of similar) role at Oh My Ghost Clients, seems to have found his niche as the arrogant yet well intentioned lead continuing into Pro Bono. It's also his second time playing a lawyer and an internet celebrity, so if you loved him in his previous shows, there's a good chance you will like him here too.

Also in the cast are So Joon-Yeon from Dr. Romantic fame as the female lead Park Gi-ppeum, while Seo Hye-won (Alchemy of Souls), Kang Kyung-seok (Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha) and Yoon Na-moo (Dr. Romantic) playing the pro bono team members Yoo Nan-hee, Hwang Jun-woo and Jang Yeoung-sil, respectively.

Netflix

The story is a typical redemption arc. Expect something like Vincenzo (especially in terms of the humour and the setting) meeting Extraordinary Attorney Woo. The show does seem to have more depth than the trailer makes you think. So if you were hoping for something a little more wholesome than just a legal comedy, you might be in luck.

Where Is It Streaming?

Pro Bono is scheduled to have twelve episodes, with two episodes dropping everything weekend. Episode one and two are already are out on Netflix, while the third one will release on 13th December at around 7:30pm IST.