# May It Please the Court (변론을 시작하겠습니다)
**May It Please the Court** (변론을 시작하겠습니다; literal title "Start Defense") is a 2022 South Korean legal mystery drama series that aired on Disney+ from September 21 to October 26, 2022, in 12 episodes. It stars [Jung Ryeo-won](https://www.edgepedia.org/jung-ryeo-won) as Noh Chak-hee, a top corporate lawyer who is abruptly reassigned to a public defender's office, and [Lee Kyu-hyung](https://www.edgepedia.org/lee-kyu-hyung) as the eccentric public defender Jwa Si-baek, with whom she becomes entangled in a serial murder case targeting wealthy elderly men.[1](https://asianwiki.com/May_It_Please_The_Court) • [2](https://www.disneyplus.com/en-kr/series/may-it-please-the-court/6X7v9ZIranok)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Original title | 변론을 시작하겠습니다 (Byeonloneul Shijakhagekseubmida); English title May It Please the Court, literal title Start Defense[1](https://asianwiki.com/May_It_Please_The_Court) |
| Network and run | Disney+ original; 12 episodes, September 21 to October 26, 2022[1](https://asianwiki.com/May_It_Please_The_Court) |
| Director and writers | Directed by Kang Min-gu; written by Kim Dan, based on the novel by Jung Hye-jin[1](https://asianwiki.com/May_It_Please_The_Court) • [3](https://butwhytho.net/2022/10/review-may-it-please-the-court-is-an-ace-legal-drama/) |
| Production companies | Arc Media and Slingshot Studios; filmed January 22 to June 15, 2022[4](https://kankokuentame.com/mayitpleasethecourt-13093) |
| Lead cast | Jung Ryeo-won (Noh Chak-hee), Lee Kyu-hyung (Jwa Si-baek), Jung Jin-young (Jang Ki-do), Kim Hye-eun (Oh Ha-ran)[1](https://asianwiki.com/May_It_Please_The_Court) • [5](https://www.tvmaze.com/shows/63749/may-it-please-the-court) |
| Genre and rating | Legal, mystery, thriller; rated 15+ in Korea and TV-14 in the United States[2](https://www.disneyplus.com/en-kr/series/may-it-please-the-court/6X7v9ZIranok) • [6](https://www.disneyplus.com/browse/entity-d703999d-e523-45a6-a9c6-63c96748fd23) |
| Reception | IMDb rating 7.3/10 (715 votes); episodes run about 64 minutes[7](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt22181096) • [8](https://next-episode.net/may-it-please-the-court) |
## Spoilers
### Premise
Noh Chak-hee is the ace attorney of the large law firm Jangsan, with the firm's highest winning rate, and is willing to take risks to win a case. She is set to be promoted to partner, but a problem arises on a case she accepted: on the day of the promotion announcement she is urgently arrested on suspicion related to a teacher's suicide, and instead of suspension she is sent to work as a public defender in Jeongha, hoping to return to Jangsan.[1](https://asianwiki.com/May_It_Please_The_Court) • [9](https://www.disneyplus.com/ko-kr/browse/entity-dfdc197b-f84c-4ae8-9ed3-e8e4da8545c7)
There she shares an office with Jwa Si-baek, a public defender who graduated at the top of the Judicial Research and Training Institute and turned down careers as a judge, prosecutor, or big-firm attorney to do public defense work; he is enthusiastic about his job and has a mysterious side to his personal life. The two do not get along, but a serial murder case whose victims are wealthy elderly people draws them together, and the story reaches back to a very old case whose hidden truth the series gradually uncovers.[1](https://asianwiki.com/May_It_Please_The_Court) • [2](https://www.disneyplus.com/en-kr/series/may-it-please-the-court/6X7v9ZIranok)
### Cast and characters
Jung Ryeo-won, previously known for *Witch at Court*, plays Noh Chak-hee, a feared and tenacious lawyer who dresses impeccably while carrying a raw, straightforward inner character. Lee Kyu-hyung, known for *Prison Playbook* and *All of Us Are Dead*, plays Jwa Si-baek, an unassuming but driven public defender. The supporting cast includes Jung Jin-young as Jangsan's representative Jang Ki-do, Kim Hye-eun as Oh Ha-ran, Jeon Mu-song, Kim Sang-ho, Park So-jin, and Ko Kyu-pil.[11](https://www.tatlerasia.com/lifestyle/entertainment/interview-jung-ryeo-won-lee-kyu-hyung-may-it-please-the-court-disney-plus-hotstar-kdrama) • [1](https://asianwiki.com/May_It_Please_The_Court) • [6](https://www.disneyplus.com/browse/entity-d703999d-e523-45a6-a9c6-63c96748fd23)
In interviews at the September 2022 press conference, both leads said they were about 30 percent like their characters, and Jung Ryeo-won described the series as fast-paced and unpredictable, with the suspect changing from episode to episode so that viewers who miss one or two episodes lose track of the story.[11](https://www.tatlerasia.com/lifestyle/entertainment/interview-jung-ryeo-won-lee-kyu-hyung-may-it-please-the-court-disney-plus-hotstar-kdrama)
## Production and adaptation
The series is based on the novel *Byeonloneul Shijakhagekseubmida* by Jung Hye-jin, published December 6, 2019 by Miraeuichang, and was adapted for television by writer Kim Dan.[1](https://asianwiki.com/May_It_Please_The_Court) It was produced by Arc Media and Slingshot Studios, with filming running from January 22 to June 15, 2022, under director Kang Min-gu.[4](https://kankokuentame.com/mayitpleasethecourt-13093) It was one of Disney+'s Korean original drama lineup for 2022, alongside titles such as *[Kiss Sixth Sense](https://www.edgepedia.org/kiss-sixth-sense)*, *Connect*, and *Casino*.[10](https://www.hanaw.com/main/research/research/download.cmd?attachFileSeq=1&bbsCd=4003&bbsId=&bbsSeq=1283822&dbType=)
## Themes and reception
Unlike lighter legal K-dramas such as *Extraordinary Attorney Woo*, the series takes a darker turn, dealing with ambition, politics, and a web of intertwined cases, and reviewers noted its case-of-the-week structure built around a larger theme of justice and class.[11](https://www.tatlerasia.com/lifestyle/entertainment/interview-jung-ryeo-won-lee-kyu-hyung-may-it-please-the-court-disney-plus-hotstar-kdrama) • [3](https://butwhytho.net/2022/10/review-may-it-please-the-court-is-an-ace-legal-drama/) Critics highlighted the character arc of Noh Chak-hee, who loses multiple cases as a public defender; the series uses those losses to show the injustice of the justice system toward the marginalized and to teach a character who had never experienced failure how to move past it.[3](https://butwhytho.net/2022/10/review-may-it-please-the-court-is-an-ace-legal-drama/) A review in *The Star* noted that, compared with existing lighter K-legal dramas, the series stood out for its themes of murder, mystery, greed, and justice.[12](https://thesun.my/style-life/representing-justice-GG10075542)
The series holds a 7.3/10 rating on IMDb from 715 votes and received one award nomination.[7](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt22181096) It ran as a single season and is listed as ended.[5](https://www.tvmaze.com/shows/63749/may-it-please-the-court)
## Distribution
The series streams on Disney+ in South Korea, Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Taiwan, and in the United States it is available on Hulu, including a version dubbed in English alongside the Korean original.[13](https://flixpatrol.com/title/may-it-please-the-court/streaming/) • [14](https://oldaintdead.com/may-it-please-the-court-k-drama-looks-at-justice-and-the-law/) Disney+ notes that some flashing light sequences may affect photosensitive viewers.[2](https://www.disneyplus.com/en-kr/series/may-it-please-the-court/6X7v9ZIranok)
## References
1. [May It Please The Court, AsianWiki](https://asianwiki.com/May_It_Please_The_Court)
2. [Watch May It Please the Court, Disney+](https://www.disneyplus.com/en-kr/series/may-it-please-the-court/6X7v9ZIranok)
3. [REVIEW: 'May It Please The Court' Is An Ace Legal Drama, But Why Tho?](https://butwhytho.net/2022/10/review-may-it-please-the-court-is-an-ace-legal-drama/)
4. [弁論をはじめますのキャスト・カメオ特別出演一覧, 韓国エンタメライブラリー](https://kankokuentame.com/mayitpleasethecourt-13093)
5. [May It Please the Court, TVmaze](https://www.tvmaze.com/shows/63749/may-it-please-the-court)
6. [May It Please the Court (Eng), Disney+](https://www.disneyplus.com/browse/entity-d703999d-e523-45a6-a9c6-63c96748fd23)
7. [May It Please the Court (TV Mini Series 2022), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt22181096)
8. [May It Please The Court TV Show Air Dates & Track Episodes, Next Episode](https://next-episode.net/may-it-please-the-court)
9. [변론을 시작하겠습니다, Disney+ Korea](https://www.disneyplus.com/ko-kr/browse/entity-dfdc197b-f84c-4ae8-9ed3-e8e4da8545c7)
10. [2025년 08월 11일 Global Equity, Hanwha Investment & Securities](https://www.hanaw.com/main/research/research/download.cmd?attachFileSeq=1&bbsCd=4003&bbsId=&bbsSeq=1283822&dbType=)
11. ['May It Please the Court' K-Drama Interview with Jung Ryeo-won and Lee Kyu-hyung, Tatler Asia](https://www.tatlerasia.com/lifestyle/entertainment/interview-jung-ryeo-won-lee-kyu-hyung-may-it-please-the-court-disney-plus-hotstar-kdrama)
12. [Representing Justice, The Star](https://thesun.my/style-life/representing-justice-GG10075542)
13. [May It Please The Court Streaming, FlixPatrol](https://flixpatrol.com/title/may-it-please-the-court/streaming/)
14. [May It Please the Court, K-drama looks at justice and the law, Old Ain't Dead](https://oldaintdead.com/may-it-please-the-court-k-drama-looks-at-justice-and-the-law/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › International serial drama and telenovelas › East Asian drama series › Korean contemporary drama › Thriller, crime, and mystery series › Legal and political thrillers*
*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license