What lawyers fail to understand--repeatedly--is that most people consider them leeches (or cockroaches--pick your metaphor).

I grant my trash collector more prestige than I do pretty much any lawyer. At least he's doing an honest job for a fair wage.

Anonymous wrote:Why has this ridiculous thread been resurrected?

Sorry, lawyers, you will never change the public's mind on this. There is absolutely never a situation where a lawyer outranks a doctor. Not one.

Not so. Being a prosecutor is a lot more intellectually demanding than being a family medicine doc.

The way I look at it is 99.99% of the time, Doctors are more prestigious. But, in that 0.01% (or maybe lower), some lawyers -- because of what they do with law -- change society. Thurgood Marshall; Thomas Jefferson; etc. But, then Louis Pasture, Jonas Salk, Alexander Fleming and others also changed the world -- Vaccines and Penicillin.

In the last three years, three Doctors saved my life a total of four times: fixing Cardiac blockages (same doctor twice), and two surgeons -- one private, one at NIH removed tumors.

As for Doctors and prestige today in the DC area, I will put Dr. Linaham of the NCI/NIH who discovered multiple genetic linkages in certain cancers over any active lawyer today. And I am still amazed the care I received from Dr. Shrump of NIH. They have more respect from me than any one else I have met. And, they are Government employees.

Um, doctors of course. You don't have to be all that bright to get through law school.

This thread is hysterical in that only americans might consider a lawyer more prestigious than a dr. Good gravy! Think about greater good to society!

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Why is everyone ignoring my examples?

A family practice DO is more prestigious than a HLS big law associate?

Because they were stupid

Anonymous wrote:Board-certified doctors any day of the week and twice on Tuesday. I've got nothing but respect and admiration for those folks - and I was a Big Law lawyer. Of course, I have career-envy - really wish that neuropsychiatry was a thing when I went to college. Fascinating field.

Did you go to college in the 1800s?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm a former BigLaw lawyer, from a top ranked law school. My good friend is an ER doctor, from a middle-ranked school.

I am blown out with respect for her. She actually can make a real difference--a life and death difference, and does all the time.

I'm almost 50 and so are many of my friends, so a common theme is: "I am entering into the second half of my life. I want to leave the planet a better place. (Besides raising good kids) What can I do to make difference?"

My doctor friend does not have to mull over this one.

I vote doctor.

You mean she is great at consults? ER docs don't deal with life and death. They exist to turf patients.

Hey hey now this is getting personal! Don't tell me an ER doc doesn't deal with life and death until you'be manually pumped someone's heart (as in with your own hands) as a desperate last measure to save their life.

LOL as if ER docs ever do that in their careers. Maybe 1 in 100 of them? And ER thoracotomies are hack jobs with poor outcomes done by Cowboys - don't step into the ring unless your ready to play.

Doctors. No question.

Anonymous wrote:How is a pediatrician making 80k more prestigious than a big law partner?

Pediatrician makes sick kids healthy. Biglawyer helps no one but himself

Anonymous wrote:This thread is hilarious.
Jonas Salk, Edward Lister, Louis Pasteur, Alexander Fleming are but a few household names that come to mind, helping save billions of lives.
Blanking on any similar lawyer names......

I don't know which is more prestigious, but Louis Brandeis' work on privacy and transparency really had a great impact on me. He is not as famous as Salk, but I see his impact all over government. Also Thomas Jefferson was a pretty famous lawyer who implemented a lot of his ideas about American governance. Gandhi and Mandela were also lawyers that changed the course of history for their respective countries.

Doctors of course. I don't think many people are too impressed with lawyers to be honest, but doctors usually get respect automatically.

Anonymous wrote:This thread is hilarious.
Jonas Salk, Edward Lister, Louis Pasteur, Alexander Fleming are but a few household names that come to mind, helping save billions of lives.
Blanking on any similar lawyer names......

Louis Pasteur wasn't a medical doctor, Do you mean Joseph Lister?

Anonymous wrote:Why has this ridiculous thread been resurrected?

Sorry, lawyers, you will never change the public's mind on this. There is absolutely never a situation where a lawyer outranks a doctor. Not one.

Maybe when you are sued!!

I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I will let this thread die like it should. But just food for thought, remember that there are plenty of countries that excel at medical training and produce great doctors but are total shit because they have crappy lawyers/legal systems. Ok, now the thread can die.

Why has this ridiculous thread been resurrected?

Sorry, lawyers, you will never change the public's mind on this. There is absolutely never a situation where a lawyer outranks a doctor. Not one.