Law and the City season 1 review: The perfect measure for a season farewell

How did Law and the City end? With new beginnings. The season closes in a way that feels less like a final chapter and more like a door left ajar, letting in the air of possibilities.

Careers shift, relationships evolve, and the five central characters in Law and the City step into the next phase of their lives carrying both the weight and the warmth of everything they’ve shared.

This is a conclusion that affirms the series’ core truth: the most important verdicts happen far from the courtroom, in moments of choice, connection, and change.

Ahn Joo-hyung and Bae Moon-jung: Friendship and loyalty

Ahn Joo-hyung, the ninth-year associate who once trusted only in logic, found in Bae Moon-jung, the competitive eighth-year associate, group leader, and food lover, a friendship so genuine it feels rare on television.

Furthermore, he was the one who introduced her to the man who became her husband, creating a bond that went far beyond the professional. In the finale of Law and the City, her husband's warm reaction to her decision not to seek a new job was deeply moving. Their dynamic blends the ideals of friendship and romance in a way that feels both realistic and tender.

Kang Hui-ji and Ahn Joo-hyung: Empathy as transformation

Kang Hui-ji, the idealistic second-year associate in Law and the City who is guided by empathy, has one of the most transformative connections in the season through her relationship with Joo-hyung. But she is no Korean version of a maniac pixie dream girl at all. She is not used to propel his growth only, she has her own personality, life and achievements too. Idealistic as she is, it's no surprise then that she manages to become a public defender.

Her influence inspires him to open his own firm and let empathy guide his practice, especially in moments like taking on the difficult case of the elderly man who died or helping a woman he had once defended on the wrong side. She humanizes his logic without erasing it, and watching that evolution is one of the season’s most rewarding threads.

Jo Chang-won: Choosing purpose

Jo Chang-won, the sociable and talkative fourth-year associate, spends much of the season of Law and the City under a dismissive manager but stays true to his dream.

Even with the tempting offer of working for his father’s company, he chooses instead to follow the path of becoming a prosecutor. Seeing him in court opposite his former boss is a moment of self-discovery brought full circle.

Bae Moon-jung: Leadership and maternity in balance

In the finale of Law and the City, Bae Moon-jung remains steadfast at the firm even after mergers and departures, showing her love for the work. Her maternity leave, taken with her husband’s full support and with a strong stance in her legal career, becomes a storyline that resonates. It acknowledges the difficulty of balancing motherhood and career, especially in the Korean workplace, but portrays it with respect and optimism.

Kang Sang-gi: From foodie to professor

Kang Sang-gi begins focused on money and his food blog, Lawyer’s Table, but his arc is one of the most heartfelt in the series. He learns that he was able to study thanks to the support of building owner Kim Hyung-min, which inspires him to pursue a doctorate and teach.

Encouraged by his former boss, their relationship moves beyond work into something romantic, starting with dinner, then drinks, and ending with a sweet meeting with her now student boyfriend. It's a personal reinvention that feels as tender as it is earned.

Kim Hyung-min: The quiet catalyst

Kim Hyung-min, the building owner who begins as a mysterious figure and later becomes both consultant and benefactor, works as a kind of fairy godmother within the story. Her influence, especially on Sang-gi, is central to the series’ world of friendship, growth, and purpose.

It feels awesome then to see her pursuing her dream as well when we see she became Sang-gi's student at a Law School.

Where Law and the City lands in my year so far

Season 1 earns a place in my top three K-dramas of the year so far, alongside Our Unwritten Seoul and Head Over Heels. The year’s biggest disappointment, for me, was Tastefully Yours, which promised a strong finish but delivered the opposite. Law and the City succeeds because it understands that people are the heart of every case and every choice.

The shared meal that closes these slies of their lives in Law and the City is more than a scene; it's the show’s statement of purpose, proving that the bonds built along the way are what truly last.

Rating with a touch of flair: 5 out of 5 meals perfectly shared among friends.

You might also like to read my review for the season finale here.