“Celebrity fees are expensive” Stars led by luxury lawyers

Celebrities accused of crimes that shock the public, such as drug use and drunk driving, are responding by appointing luxurious defense attorneys one after another. Celebrities for whom image is important are paying high fees to form legal teams to avoid imprisonment. However, some are pointing out that this strategy actually worsens the company's image with the public.

Actress Kim Sae-ron was sent to trial on charges of causing an accident while driving while intoxicated. Although he claimed that he was suffering from hardships, he formed a luxurious defense team of six people. This is difficult to imagine for most criminal suspects who barely have to hire a lawyer.

Kim Sae-ron appointed two law firms, one of which is Daeryuk Aju, which is considered one of the top 10 law firms in Korea. Attorney Min Ki-ho (29th class of the Judicial Research and Training Institute), the law firm's representative attorney and former chief prosecutor, became Kim Sae-ron's strong assistant.

It is known that the cost of hiring a drunk driving lawyer from a general domestic law firm, not a large law firm, is at least 5 million won per person. In the case of Kim Sae-ron, it consists of six people, including a lawyer from a large law firm. At least hundreds of millions of won in hiring costs are incurred. In criminal cases, the amount can increase as the case progresses. As a result, Kim Sae-ron avoided imprisonment and was sentenced to a fine of 20 million won.

Actor Yoo Ah-in, who is accused of habitual use of four types of drugs (propofol, ketamine, marijuana, and cocaine), also put effort into forming a defense team. Attorney Cha Sang-woo of Infinity Law Firm, who served as legal representation, is a former prosecutor and worked at Kim & Chang, the largest law firm in Korea.

In addition, Attorney Park Seong-jin, who was named to the defense team as the representative attorney of this law office, was called a 'drug bucket' during his time as a prosecutor. Attorney Park Seong-jin's most famous drug investigation was the indictment without detention of actresses who were considered prominent at the time, including Lee Seung-yeon, Park Si-yeon, Jang Mi-in-ae, and Hyun Young, in 2013 on charges of habitual use of propofol. Attorney Park served as the Chief of the Narcotics Division at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office and the Head of the Homicide Department at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, as well as Deputy Chief Prosecutor of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office and Acting Prosecutor General. He has been an attorney at Infinity since September of last year.

However, there are reactions from the legal community that it is difficult to understand that a lawyer who was a prosecutor was appointed first, even though it was a police-level investigation. A criminal lawyer at a large law firm explained, "Celebrity cases are more expensive because there are more eyes on them than general criminal cases, and in drug cases, the fee is the real deal," and added, "Some appointments seem difficult to understand strategically."

Ha Jung-woo, who administered propofol, also showed full preparation. As many as 10 lawyers were appointed. Assisting Ha Jung-woo were lawyers from four law firms, including Yulchon, Pacific, Barun, and Gayul. It is rare for an ordinary person to hire lawyers from multiple law firms at the same time while responding to a drug case. Regarding the reason for appointing 10 lawyers, Ha Jung-woo said , "Well, I don't think it's anything special." Ha Jung-woo was eventually sentenced to a fine of 30 million won.

Typically, there is not much room to dispute the facts of crimes such as drunk driving, drug use, and habitual gambling, for which celebrities frequently appear in court. This means that rather than a so-called not guilty plea, a sentencing plea of ‘please reduce the punishment’ is required.

For this reason, he does not claim innocence from the beginning. The only goal is to avoid imprisonment. This is because celebrities who make a living from their image cannot leave a picture of themselves wearing a prison uniform. In that respect, the desperation to hire a former attorney is understandable. Also, how one chooses a legal team is completely up to the individual.

However, the public's view of this is not positive. Could it be that the excuses such as 'living difficulties', 'depression', and 'health problems' that are made by luxury lawyers in order to lessen the cost of the crime are actually planting a cowardly image in the public's mind? It is painful for fans to watch them struggle to escape the law.

Ryu Ye-ji, Ten Asia Reporter ryuperstar@tenasia.co.kr