At this time, Song Woo-Seok (Song Kang-ho) is a successful attorney in Busan specializing in tax law. The only reason that he became an attorney is for the money. Unlike other attorneys around him, he hands out his business card to pick up clients.

One day, his views regarding civil liberties are changed by student activist Park Jin-woo (Im Siwan). When Jin-Woo is brutally tortured and put on trial for his activism, Woo-seok decides to defend Jin-woo as his client.

The Attorney (Hangul: 변호인; RR: Byeonhoin, also known as The Counsel) is a South Korean commercial film produced by Withus Film and released in December 2013 about attorney Song Woo-seok (played by Song Kang-Ho), who moves from being a very successful lawyer just out to make money to one caring about the civil liberties of the activist high-school student Jin-Woo (played by Im Siwan) he defends. Inspired by the early life of Roh Moo-hyun, the ninth president of the Republic of Korea, before he devoted himself to activism, as well as the famous "Burim case" of 1981, this movie had gathered considerable amount of interests from Korean media even before the release.

The story is based off a web-toon by Yang Woo-seok. This is Yang's first time directing a film.