Sometimes blessings come in disguise, and our former judge’s harsh downfall is essentially a new chance at life to reflect on his choices and forge ahead with a fresh mindset.
Joining him is a group of idealistic lawyers whose optimistic and somewhat naive approach clashes with our protagonist’s realistic outlook. But along the way, they form a strong bond and become a team.
- Main Leads: Jung Kyung-ho | So Ju-yeon | Yoon Na-moo | Seo Hye-won | Kang Hyung-suk
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- K-Dramas of Similar Vibe: Beyond The Bar | Good Partner | One Dollar Lawyer | Extraordinary Attorney Woo |
Pro Bono Quick Series Recap
Just one step away from achieving his lifelong dream, an ambitious judge falls from grace. Previously held in high regard and nicknamed the people’s judge, our hero is forced to join a pro bono team, a.k.a a team with no profits. Instead of handling high-profile cases, he now has to defend the weak and those without connections. An experience that has him reassessing the life he has led so far and turning over a new leaf.
Pro Bono Series Highlights and Musings
Having grown up in poverty with nothing to his name, our protagonist, Kang David (Jung Kyung-ho), has clawed his way up. With only a high school diploma, he is now a highly regarded judge whom people hold in awe. Shrewd and calculating, David secures a nomination for a Justice position at the Supreme Court, a post he has always eyed. But a brief mistake has this dream go down the drain.
Next thing we know, David is forced to step down from his judge position with a warning not to practice law again. Yet thanks to some help from an old friend, or more precisely, David’s ex-girlfriend, Oh Jung-in (Lee Yoo-young), David gets hired at her father’s law firm.
Rather than a partner with a fancy office getting a lot of sunlight, David is appointed as the team leader of the Pro Bono Team. A group of idealistic lawyers defending the powerless and fighting against the corrupt in a long and tough battle for justice, and the same ones whom David openly looks down on.
A quick introduction to our Pro Bono Team, Park Gi-ppeum (So Ju-yeon), Jang Young-sil (Yoon Na-moo), Yoo Nan-hui (Seo Hye-won), and lastly the team’s youngest member, Hwang Jun-U (Kang Hyung-suk). Gi-ppeum is nerdy and persistent. And she had an unfriendly run-in with David when he was still a judge. Young-sil is the quiet type, mostly working behind the scenes. Unlike him, Nan-hui has a fiery temper and anger management issues. And finally, Jun-U is the ambitious type, and he is quick to butter David up and try to get on his good side.
After a rocky start, David tries to make the best of his current situation and cuts a deal with Jung-in. In return for boosting the Pro Bono team’s winning rate to 70%, she will secure him another nomination for a justice position next year.
Initially, what drives David forward is his deal with Jung-in. But along the way, he empathizes with the victims and genuinely seeks justice for them. He might be sneaky and arrogant, but David is also sharp and competent. And he puts his all into winning. For all his flaws, a great charm of David’s character is his self-awareness and how he doesn’t deny or downplay those flaws.
Mostly, David and Gi-ppeum take the lead. But the others have different roles to play based on their strengths. Each team member gets a fair share of the spotlight, and their backstories are revealed one by one. Thus, helping us connect with them better. Despite starting on the wrong foot, the team eventually grows on David, and they spark a change in him.
From abandoned dogs to people with disabilities to immigrants to exploitation committed by family members, the drama addresses a wide range of societal and timely issues with realism and thoughtfulness, all while providing scathing criticism of the perpetrators and bystanders.
Just as the team grows closer and accepts David as their leader, problems surface. Jung-in’s father (Kim Gap-soo) — a self-declared monster and a giant in the legal world pulling the strings from behind the scenes — pushes for the team’s disbandment. So, David makes a risky bet to keep the team afloat. When confronted about making such a big decision unilaterally, as if he doesn’t care about what happens to the rest of the team, David is forced to disclose that this job is his only lifeline after quitting his old job disgracefully.
Luckily, David wins the bet. Yet Jung-in’s father strikes again. In a jaw-dropping moment, we see David in the defendant’s seat while the other team members represent the other party.
Long story short, a serial con artist approached David under a fake persona and got him captured on camera as he accepted a box filled with cash, which caused David’s downfall as a judge. Later, an observant Gi-ppeum figured out the scammer must have spiked David’s drink with an anesthetic-like substance, and then he took that video. But then, we learn that David and the scammer go a long way back. 10 years ago, the scammer’s father was tried by David, and the scammer now accuses David of deliberately rigging his father’s trial.
Giving us more context, David’s late mother used to work in a factory owned by the scammer’s father. But she had her arm cut off because of an industrial accident. However, that man refused to take responsibility or pay compensation. So, David gave up on college and sued him. But in the end, David and his mother lost the trial, and she died soon after.
When David heard that a huge fire had broken out in that man’s factory, he deliberately took on the case. Bringing that man to trial, David sentenced him to the heaviest penalty possible. The man later died in prison from pent-up anger, and his son (the scammer) now wants to get revenge on David.
Controlling the case from behind the scenes, Jung-in’s father plots to have David imprisoned so he can readily disband the Pro Bono team. But Gi-ppeum and the others, minus Jun-U, who briefly turns coats, pursue the truth tenaciously. Even when David pushes them away and shuts down their sincere pleas to explain himself. Going over every single clue, the Pro Bono team proves David’s innocence, and all is well between them again. Jun-U apologizes for his stint as a spy, and the team accepts him back.
Presented with a tempting offer, David is made to choose between doing the right thing and becoming a justice. After pondering over it for a few days, David makes the right decision and brings the baddies to justice. Yet his ideals are put to the test once again. But David has come a long way since we first met him. And though it will be arduous, he opts to continue walking down the path of a pro bono attorney along with his team.
There are many people out there in the world who are too weak to fight for themselves, yet David and his team will have their backs. And even if they lose, they won’t be alone.
The premise might be simple and nothing groundbreaking, but the execution and well-woven story had the drama standing out in the crowd. It didn’t shy away from exploring sensitive issues that are often brushed off or kept at the surface level. And that depth made for an impactful watch. No wonder a real-life former judge penned this drama. Kudos to writer-nim and the staff behind the scenes.
Although it is nothing new for the actor, Jung Kyung-ho pulled off another complex and multifaceted character, and his exceptional portrayal had us rooting for David’s success and feeling for him when we got his back story, while also getting annoyed by some of his poor decisions, like closing himself off to the Pro Bono team.
Another thing we appreciate is how the drama kept things professional between David and Gi-ppeum without delving into romance territory even after it was revealed that David was Gi-ppeum’s role model and the reason she studied law. This drama centered on human connection and teamwork. And romance would have thwarted its core message.
Pro Bono was a maverick shedding light on an aspect of law that is often overlooked. Featuring the story of a judge who got trampled on in the past but has long forgotten the suffering helpless people endure without someone to rely on, the drama presented him with another chance to do right by those people and give them hope that the world is still a worthy place to live in.
Photos and Videos: tvN Drama
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K-DRAMA REVIEW: “Pro Bono” Sparks Change And Reassessing Our Past Choices
Source: Pinoy Student Wars
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