After the death of his only sister, a talented musician and music professor gives up his musical career to move closer to his nephew and becomes a divorce attorney.  As a divorce attorney, he puts his skills of observation and attention to detail to use to help his clients get the divorce settlements they deserve.  But when he finds out that his nephew is struggling with his home life, he suddenly finds himself personally involved in a custody case that has higher stakes than any case he has ever handled.  

Han Hye Jin as Lee Seo Jin

Han Hye Jin is a former weather caster who starred on her own radio show.  She is married and has a young son.  She is the first case that Attorney Shin takes when this series begins.  Seo Jin’s husband is secretly abusive, although in public he acts like the perfect husband.  Seo Jin begs Sung Han to take her case, prove that her husband is a dangerous man, and find a way to help her win custody of their son.  Eventually they do win the case and Seo Jin gets her divorce.  But the bad publicity causes her to lose her DJ job, and the courts won’t allow her to retain custody without the means to support her son financially.  So Seo Jin shows up once again at Attorney Shin’s office.  This time to ask for a job.  Her fame brings in lots of new clients and Seo Jin takes on the job of hearing their stories as they come in.  

The trauma of an abusive marriage and the humiliation Lee Seo Jin suffered after being the victim of an illegal sex video cause her to have extreme social anxiety.  But the work she is able to do at the Law Office gives her a sense of purpose and begins to rebuild her shattered confidence.  And in the end, she is able to go back to working as a DJ, while having acquired a wonderful support system through Attorney Shin and all her new friends.  Han Hye Jin did a nice job of acting this role. While her individual story didn’t get a lot of screen time once her divorce case was settled, we do see her growth and her motivations are always clear.  

Jung Moon Sung as Jo Jung Shik

Jo Jung Shik is Sung Han’s other best friend.  He runs his own real estate office on the first floor of the building where Sang Ha’s law office is.  He is single, although he attends clubs to try to help him meet eligible women.  He likes flashy cars and nice clothes.  He is the comic relief among the trio, but Jung Shik is deeper than he might seem on the surface.  He is the devoted friend who always tries to bring levity to their harder moments, and he has his own painful memories in regard to Ju Hwa’s divorce and death.

 ♥ Friend Bond

Kdramas love a good bromance, but we seldom get the relational depth between guy friends that we did in this drama.  And I loved every minute of it.  These guys are in it through thick and thin.  And whether the occassion called for long talks and tears, cathartic karoake, or long silences where they simply were there for each other, we got to see it all.  There were certainly plenty of silly times, and I got some great laughs, but there was also a very realistic depth to their friendship that was wonderful to watch.  

♥ Case to Character

I liked the way Seo Jin started as the first case of this drama.  We get to know her as the victim of some horrible abuse and humiliation.  But then she joins the legal team, and we get to watch her heal slowly while also interacting with the current cases being tried.  There was a smoothness to it all that made her transition from the victim of a case to a lead character seem natural.

Dangling Plots

It’s not really fair to call these loose ends, but there were several hints at plots that never materialized.  The most obvious is the romance line between Sung Han and Seo Jin.  But I also felt like there were hints about Jung Shik and Ho Young  and Jun and Se Bom, as well.  And, maybe this was just me, but I felt like the set up was pointing toward more of a relationship between Sung Han and Seo Jin’s son, Hyeon Woo, that would later bring in Ki Young. It felt like the 2 young boys were destined to be friends, especially since they shared an important experience being involved in difficult custody cases.  I just pictured the boys with Sung Han and Seo Jin, eating and playing video games together.   

Ju Hwa and Young Ju

For the fact that Ju Hwa’s marriage and death has an impact on almost everything that happens in this drama, I strangely felt like I didn’t understand much about her character or her marriage.  Was she ever happily married, what caused her emotional instability, and how did Young Ju fit into the full picture?  I feel like knowing more about Ju Hwa and her situation would have helped me to understand Sung Han’s feelings as well.  And also, I don’t quite understand how Young Ju fit into the picture.  Is it true that she and Jeong Guk would have been married if his mother hadn’t interfered or was there more to the story, as his mother seemed to imply?  What made her such a terrible, greedy person?

 “Divorce Attorney Shin” gives us lots of happy endings.  Sung Han and Ki Young win their day in court, with a little help from Ma Geum Hee and Jeong Guk.  Young Ju’s fall from grace is very satisfying and it sounds like Jeong Guk plans to stay married to her for the sake of their daughter.  And Ma Geum Hee still intends to divorce the Chairman so she can live out the rest of her life in peace.  Seo Jin has reclaimed her position in radio and got the courage to stand up for herself against all her haters. And she and Sung Han have agreed to stay in touch and root for each other from a distance.  Hyung Geun and So Yeon make their relationship official and decide to celebrate with a 2 month trip around Europe.  And everything finishes up as it should with our trio of guys sharing a quiet beer at their favorite ramen place.