SUMMARY: An attorney opens his law office in a former shaman’s building and suddenly gains the ability to see and be possessed by ghosts. He teams up with a ruthless lawyer from an elite law firm. Together, they uncover a conspiracy linking the ghosts to his family history.
In “Phantom Lawyer”, Shin I-Rang knows that he can be a great lawyer if given the chance. But he’s treated like he wears a scarlet letter. He went for an interview at a prestigious law firm, and they would not even ask him questions. The interviewer had already made up her mind and put a red “X” mark on his resume/application. Because of the shadow of his father’s criminal past, there was no way the law firm would hire him. Shin I-Rang walked up to the interviewer and told her that the law firm was not rejecting him. He was rejecting the law firm. He is quite capable of running his own law firm.
Shin I-Rang meant every word he said. He just needed to figure out how to make those words a reality. He borrowed money from his mother and opened a tiny office in a dilapidated old building that used to be a former shaman’s office. Should that matter? Shin I-Rang didn’t think it mattered until he saw his first ghost. Then he realized that the office walls were papered with talismans. Not only can he see ghosts, but sometimes they can possess him. When the spirit leaves his body, he doesn’t remember anything he did. Of course, everybody else who saw what he did remembers. The people who know him are in shock. They don’t understand his sudden behavior change. How can he explain that it wasn’t him?!
Shin I-Rang is terrified yet unable to ignore the supernatural pleas for justice. He accidentally and reluctantly becomes an advocate for the dead. Each ghost brings a new case, wrongful deaths, unresolved crimes, and buried secrets that the living world has conveniently forgotten. Shin I-Rang transforms from a fearful, overlooked lawyer into someone who stands firmly between two worlds.
Han Na-Hyun is a sharp, elite attorney with a reputation for precision and ruthlessness. She was also the attorney Shin I-Rang defiantly told that he rejected working for the firm and could stand on his own. For his first case, he represented the widow of his ghost client. The husband died on the operating table, and the doctor was at fault. Both the hospital staff and the attorneys, Han Na-Huyn and her partner, Yang Do-Gyeong, tried to destroy the evidence. They tried to intimidate the widow and make her settle.
Yang Do-Gyeong knew his partner well. He told the doctor who had committed the crime not to worry. It didn’t matter if he was guilty. Han Na-Hyun would do anything to win a case. The EMR (a digital version of a patient’s medical record, including what happened in the operating room) had not been destroyed. Shin I-Rang needed it as proof, and Han Na-Hyun wanted to destroy it. Han Na-hyun and Shin I-Rang both went to the place where they knew the evidence could be found. The warehouse was owned and operated by gangsters who were also involved in trafficking illegal drugs. Han Na-Hyun and Shin I-Rang got caught by the gangsters who intended to kill them because, at this point, they knew too much.
At that moment, Shin I-Rang suddenly became possessed. It turns out the ghost used to be a member of that gang, and he fought off the gangsters to save their lives. When the ghost left Shin I-Rang’s body, he passed out. Han Na-Hyun saw the EMR in his coat pocket. At first, she was going to destroy it. But how could she? After all, he had just saved her life. Her partner was wrong. She was not willing to do anything to win a case. Shin I-Rang won the case.
Han Na-Hyun had witnessed one of Shin I-Rang’s possessions firsthand. Initially dismissive of Shin I-Rang’s odd behavior, she becomes entangled in his bizarre caseload. Han Na-Hyun is the perfect foil: logical where he is intuitive, skeptical where he is empathetic. Their dynamic evolves from reluctant collaboration to a partnership built on trust, tension, and a shared pursuit of truth.
The various ghosts’ cases begin to interconnect. Shin I-Rang realizes that many of the spirits are tied to a larger conspiracy involving his father. There were several wrongful convictions and suspicious deaths, many of whom now manifest themselves as Shin I-Rang’s ghostly clients. As Shin I-Rang and Han Na-Hyun dig deeper, they uncover a network of legal manipulation designed to silence victims and protect the elite.
Shin I-Rang was very young when his father was convicted of being a corrupt prosecutor. He never knew the whole truth about what happened. Through the various ghost client cases, the details start coming together. It appears his father’s past legal battles may have triggered a chain of corruption, cover-ups, and retaliatory violence. Shin I-Rang no longer accepted the story that his father was corrupt, and as his son, he had to live in his shadow. He began questioning and investigating. He needed to know whether his father was a part of a corrupt network or if he had been framed.
Where to Watch: Netflix, Viki, and KOCOWA+
My personal rating is the same as the Viki viewing audience.
The premise is inspired by Korean shamanistic folklore and ghost possession traditions. Some might complain about the storyline being “cookie-cutter”. It is very similar to the K-drama “Oh My Ghost Clients“, also about an attorney who can see ghosts. It’s similar but not the same. I enjoyed both series.
‘Phantom Lawyer’ Tops Netflix Korea, Hits 11.3% Ratings after Just Two Episodes. | Allkpop
Yoo Yeon-Seok Leads Jaunty Legal Comedy K-Drama in ‘Phantom Lawyer’. | South China Morning Post
Phantom Lawyer First Impression: Yoo Yeon-Seok Leads Breezy Legal Drama. |India Today
Lovebreak_Insights. “Phantom Lawyer.” YouTube, 13 Mar. 2026, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OoEQs1o-tf4.
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