Real Court Drama 'Esquire' Lee Jin-wook "I Watched It Like Studying the Script"

The lead actors of JTBC's new weekend drama 〈Esquire〉 revealed that they studied the script like law students to prepare for their roles as lawyers.

At the production presentation held on the 31st at The Link Hotel in Guro-gu, Seoul, Lee Jin-wook, who plays the seasoned law firm partner lawyer Yoon Seok-hoon, said, "There were a lot of lines, and I had to accurately use legal terms that I don't usually use," adding, "In the early stages of filming, I really watched the script as if I were studying."

As he portrays a competent veteran lawyer who handles tasks coolly and efficiently, he explained that he made an effort to familiarize himself with various legal terms and the trial process.

Co-stars Jung Chae-yeon and Lee Hak-joo also described their preparation process for their roles as 'studying.' Lee Hak-joo, who plays the third-year associate lawyer Lee Jin-woo, said, "Understanding legal sentences was difficult," and shared, "I analyzed and memorized each subject and modifier, studying as if I were in class."

This indicates that the litigation cases in the drama are detailed and professional. The script for 〈Esquire〉 was written by writer Park Mi-hyun, who is a practicing lawyer.

Director Kim Jae-hong praised, "When I first saw the script, I thought, 'This is real,'" and added, "Each litigation case in the drama is detailed, realistic, and sophisticated."

Composed of 12 episodes, 〈Esquire〉 will introduce a new litigation episode in each episode. The process of partner lawyer Yoon Seok-hoon, new lawyer Kang Hyo-min (played by Jung Chae-yeon), associate lawyer Lee Jin-woo, and Heo Min-jung (Jeon Hye-bin) solving these cases is expected to unfold interestingly.

Director Kim emphasized, "The drama will depict lawyers carefully embracing people who have been hurt by various forms of love that exist in the world through litigation, which is the biggest difference from other courtroom dramas."

Jeon Hye-bin also stated, "〈Esquire〉 is more about people and love rather than a lawyer's story," adding, "I was able to think a lot about love through the drama."

It is also noteworthy that it is scheduled on the same days as another drama featuring a lawyer, 〈Seocho-dong〉. 〈Seocho-dong〉 airs every Saturday and Sunday at 9:20 PM on tvN, while 〈Esquire〉 will be broadcast starting from the 2nd every Saturday and Sunday at 10:40 PM on JTBC.

Both dramas share the commonality of being written by a writer who is a practicing lawyer and featuring lawyers as protagonists.

Director Kim mentioned, "While 〈Seocho-dong〉 is set in a legal town, our drama tells the story of lawyers from the top five major law firms in the country, which structurally differs."