Students and teachers at an elite law school get a front row seat to try justice when a teacher is killed on campus and one of their own is the prime suspect. Now they must put aside all their own opinions and biases if the truth is to prevail.  Working as a team, they quickly learn that things are seldom exactly what they seem and everyone has a secret to hide.  All of things they studied will be put the test as learning meets practical use in the fight to make sure an innocent person doesn’t take the blame for someone else’s wrongdoing.  

Kim Bum as  Han Joon Hwi

Han Joon Hwi is the nephew of Seo Byung Joo, the murdered professor.  As a law student at the school where his uncle and Jong Hoon teach, he finds himself quickly pulled into the middle of the case and even allows enough suspicion to make himself a suspect early on.  As a star pupil who never believes that Joon Hoon is guilty, Joon Hwi puts all of his skills and connections to the test as he works with his classmates to discover the truth.  

Han Joon Hwi is smart and even-tempered.  He is also handsome and a natural leader, which has helped make him a very successful law student.  To insure that he doesn’t receive any special treatment, he keeps the fact that Seo Byung Joo is his uncle a secret from even his closest classmates, until the murder brings it all out in the open.  Although he is a strong student who excels well on his own, he puts together a study group to help the other students in his class and to make friends.  In the beginning, Joon Hwi does come across as cold and arrogant, much like his role model, Professor Yang.  This is great because it really leaves the audience wondering who we are supposed to trust in all this, and that keeps the mystery interesting.  Kim Bum is making a name for himself these days playing enigmatic roles like this that leave us guessing if he is good or evel.  That wicked glint in his eyes gives us just enough pause to wonder if we are being conned by his flawless charm.  I love him taking on such complex roles and making them work.

Lee Soo Kyung as Kang Sol (B)

Kang Sol B’s also has a family connection among school administration that she keeps secret.  Her dad is the Vice Dean.  From a wealthy family of judges, Sol B’s mother has spent her whole life pushing Sol B to be the best law student, even when that meant submitting plagerized work.  But after years of being pushed to the brink, Sol B may be a the end of her rope.

♥ Lots of Backstories

Though it may have left us wanting more about certain characters, “Law School” gives us a large group of diverse students who all get a decent amount of screen time.  Male and female characters are equally represented and supporting characters are allowed their own chances to shine and grow.  I really loved that they didn’t just focus on the lead characters and how the supporting characters interacted with them.  Each character had their own story to tell.  

♥ Not Simple Stereotypes

It’s common, especially in school dramas, for the characters to become very stereotypical and one-dimensional; this one is the rich one, or the smart one, or the funny one.  But “Law School” created complex characters who were realistic and represented by more than one personality trait.  This also allowed for an element of mystery as we got to know each one, because it was never obvious whether the character was good or evil, and in many cases, once you knew them better, you found they were neither  black or white, but some hazy shade of gray.  

Cheating

I felt like Seung Jae’s cheating storyline was a bit far-fetched.  For an institution that obviously takes their exams very seriously, the idea that one student could repeatedly break into various teacher’s laptop just doesn’t make sense.  Really, even the first time, no matter how much shock she is in, I can’t see Professor Kim just handing a student her computer and password when she knows the test is inside.  But then to turn around and get Professor Yang’s computer as well was really just too much.  It was an interesting twist to his character, which I appreciated, but not very realistic.

Sol A and Dan

Erica Shin’s character was a weird one for me.  Having Sol A have a mysterious twin sister was a fun twist, and having her involved in a scandal with Assemblyman Ko was interesting, if not a bit too convenient.  But the way that Erica just ran away and broke all contact with her family was extreme.  It would have been nice to see some kind of resolution to their family story, at least.  Instead, Erica leaves Korea again without even taking the time to meet with her twin privately.  It’s not like her family did anything to her and they really didn’t deserve to be treated with such disrespect.

“Law School” does a nice job of trying to tie up all the loose threads for the many plots and sub-plots they have introduced.  Our team of teachers and students finally gets their revenge on Assemblyman Ko and he is arrested and put in jail.  It was a little disappointing that all of his underlings walked away to continue their shady dealings, but you can’t take them all down at once, I guess.  And in case you think Prosecutor Jin has changed, he is already trying to make a deal with Ji Ho over his father’s case.  Luckily, Ji Ho isn’t interested in settling for anthing less than full justice.  The final mock trials happen, with Ji Ho, Bok Gi, and Ye Bum winning their round.  Sol A, Sol B, and Joon Hwi, technically lose, although their loss is caused by a penalty that proves their integrity is more important than the victory.  So that’s actually a win!  The whole group gets together to celebrate all they have achieved.  After a small time jump, we are back to see Sol A and Joon Hwi using their degrees to help an elderly man with his legal troubles.  Ye Seul is providing legal counseling for victims of sexual and domestic abuse.  And Sol B and her parents are receiving some much-needed counseling of their own.  Seung Jae has asked for the maximum amount of punishment for his crimes, so it is possible that he may spend some time in prison, although we don’t see what actually happens with his case.  The show ends with Sol A, Joon Hwi, and Professor Yang meeting in the school entryway, with the statue of Justice looming in the background, as the trio powerwalks down the hallway.  It seems like this team will be together for a long time to come.