Almost decided to become lawyer join darkside

[westcoastpirate]

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I have recently been an intern at a lawfirm when i am not going to school.I just mostly shuffle papers around and get coffee (be a gofer).You would not believe how much some of these lawyers are making doing medical malpractice cases.I have seen quite a few documents in the last few weeks relating to settlements.Some of the lawyers are making 10 million plus a year without nearly the effort of the years spent becoming a doctor.There is one partner who made 13 million last year off of personal injury and medical malpractice.I am wondering if it is really smart to spend 12 plus years learning an occupation only to be sued and have it taken all away.Why not just join the forces of darkness and become a lawyer? 🙄

 

[Rafa]

Why not just join the forces of darkness and become a lawyer? 🙄

Because money isn't everything.

And of course, not all laywers are greedy people. If I were to go into law, I'd do something in human rights (here or abroad), or in environmental defense. But I'd rather help people with medicine than with the law, so it's med school for me. 🙂

 

[Oculus Sinistra]

Why not just join the forces of darkness and become a lawyer? 🙄

Because law is boring.

If you are interested in money, why don't you work at a mint? You could be around lots of money all day.

 

[McMD]

The personal injury lawyers are scum-bags who post their face all over the city, on the back of the phone book, and on every other commercial. To me it's kinda sick. Everyone in the city knows that person's name, but no-one knows the name of the doctor who saved your neighbors life. It would be great to make $10 million a year, but I like my dignity much better than $10 mil.

 

[drmota]

because lawyers like that are what's wrong with america's legal system. they are considered scum in the eyes of millions and command/deserve no respect from anybody. and you will not lose your license to these douchebags...that's what malpractice insurance is for. unless you do something really heinous.
-mota

 

[Law2Doc]

because lawyers like that are what's wrong with america's legal system. they are considered scum in the eyes of millions and command/deserve no respect from anybody. and you will not lose your license to these douchebags...that's what malpractice insurance is for. unless you do something really heinous.
-mota

A bit overbroad dont you think? Try mentioning this when meeting the counsel who's going to be defending you when you get sued. You might not like the prospect of being sued, but you darned well are going to need legal services at some point in your career, so you may want to cool your jets on this issue.
The truth of the matter is that there is a very small segment of law that practices the kind of law you find offensive. There are bad apples in every profession, even medicine. If not for expert medical testimony for plaintiffs, none of these lawsuits would ever get off the ground. Most of what you suggest is wrong with the US legal system (contingency fees, apparently) was put in place hundreds of years ago, with the goal of providing indigent with the opportunity to obtain equal access to counsel as the rich.

 

[drmota]

A bit overbroad dont you think? Try mentioning this when meeting the counsel who's going to be defending you when you get sued. You might not like the prospect of being sued, but you darned well are going to need legal services at some point in your career, so you may want to cool your jets on this issue.
The truth of the matter is that there is a very small segment of law that practices the kind of law you find offensive. There are bad apples in every profession, even medicine. If not for expert medical testimony for plaintiffs, none of these lawsuits would ever get off the ground. Most of what you suggest is wrong with the US legal system (contingency fees, apparently) was put in place hundreds of years ago, with the goal of providing indigent with the opportunity to obtain equal access to counsel as the rich.

defense lawyers aren't the ones that make the chedder. you should know that. besides, what does your post have anything to do with the OPs question? i was just giving my opinion. don't tell me to cool my jets.
-mota

 

[Law2Doc]

defense lawyers aren't the ones that make the chedder.

You didn't limit your previous response to medmal plaintiff lawyers. You disparaged a whole profession (and one which you will ultimately need in some context.) Not cool.

(FYI, the OP is likely a reincarnation of a prior troll, based on his similar diction, and his multiple threads he started on the same topic -- I was giving you more credit.)

 

[drmota]

You didn't limit your previous response to medmal plaintiff lawyers. You disparaged a whole profession (and one which you will ultimately need in some context.) Not cool.

no i didn't man. go read my post. it said "it's lawyers LIKE THAT that are what's wrong with the legal system". i have nothing against lawyers. i dont know what your deal is law2doc, but you've been getting under a lot of people's skin recently. cool it.
-mota

 

[Law2Doc]

no i didn't man. go read my post. it said "it's lawyers LIKE THAT that are what's wrong with the legal system". i have nothing against lawyers. i dont know what your deal is law2doc, but you've been getting under a lot of people's skin recently. cool it.
-mota

Ok - my bad, I misunderstood you.
As for the other comment, I'd like to think I usually offer decent comments/advice (albeit opinionated). If I got under your skin, I apologize.

 

[Flopotomist]

A bit overbroad dont you think? Try mentioning this when meeting the counsel who's going to be defending you when you get sued. You might not like the prospect of being sued, but you darned well are going to need legal services at some point in your career, so you may want to cool your jets on this issue.
The truth of the matter is that there is a very small segment of law that practices the kind of law you find offensive. There are bad apples in every profession, even medicine. If not for expert medical testimony for plaintiffs, none of these lawsuits would ever get off the ground. Most of what you suggest is wrong with the US legal system (contingency fees, apparently) was put in place hundreds of years ago, with the goal of providing indigent with the opportunity to obtain equal access to counsel as the rich.

There are certainly noble, decent, worthy attorneys - just as there are scumbag physicians in it for the money. Like it or not though, certain stereotypes do exist - if lawyers want to be able to be proud of their profession, perhaps as a group, they should stand up and do something about the system that they work in that destroys so much.

 

[LadyWolverine]

I work in the Antitrust group of one of the largest law firms in the country right now, and yes, most of the senior partners bill out at upwards of $500 an hour (the associates only make a portion of that, while the partners usually get big bonuses). But the partner and associates that I work with are usually in the office until 7 or 8 at night (sometimes significantly later if a report or case is pressing), and usually come in on the weekends. That doesn't even include work done at home. So I don't think that associates/partners at major law firms necessarily have a "better" lifestyle than doctors. They make more starting, but the partner track is usually 6-8 years (depending on the firm), and until then you are a slave, albeit an overpaid slave 😀

However, this is only "firm life." There are plenty of attys who work for the government or other organizations and have much more reasonable hours. Of course, they take a serious pay cut. I guess it depends on where your interests and motivations lie. I, personally, could not stand to be an associate at one of these mega-firms for very long. I'd snap, simply because half the time I would feel like I was never really doing anything meaningful.

 

[masterMood]

no i didn't man. go read my post. it said "it's lawyers LIKE THAT that are what's wrong with the legal system". i have nothing against lawyers. i dont know what your deal is law2doc, but you've been getting under a lot of people's skin recently. cool it.
-mota

KNOCKOUT!

 

[DrZee]

because lawyers like that are what's wrong with america's legal system. they are considered scum in the eyes of millions and command/deserve no respect from anybody. and you will not lose your license to these douchebags...that's what malpractice insurance is for. unless you do something really heinous.
-mota

I dont know why Drmota is being targetted in this thread but if you read his wording correctly you will see that he is not disparaging the whole legal profession rather expressing his disgust in a few who are in his view rather evil people and who abuse the system.
In fact, if you read carefully, the very beginning of his post says exactly what Law2Doc argues, there are bad apples in every profession. Just as there are scumbags in law, there are scumbags in medicine who overcharge and underserve you. So this deviation from the thread can be resolved by reading posts more carefully...Drmota said: "because lawyers like that..." he is already defining only a subgroup of the legal profession, the bad apples.
Im sure Drmota is not a lawyer hater per se, but he does have his opinions on certain lawyers just as I have my opinions on certain platic surgeons in Beverly Hills.
👍

 

[DrZee]

oops Dr mota took care of this himself...I took too long in posting this message

 

[jebus]

Im sure Drmota is not a lawyer hater per se, but he does have his opinions on certain lawyers just as I have my opinions on certain platic surgeons in Beverly Hills.

Those surgeons have helped create an entire industry to study the evolution of Michael Jackson's face. I will assume your opinions are positive because those positions studying Jacko's face are high paying jobs and to withhold support would be unpatriotic and un-American.
This is by far my favorite example of this new industry made possible by those Beverly Hills plastic surgeons.

EDIT: I hate those surgeons. Those jobs have already been outsourced to India.

 

[medhacker]

Ok - my bad, I misunderstood you.
As for the other comment, I'd like to think I usually offer decent comments/advice (albeit opinionated). If I got under your skin, I apologize.

I think it was appropriate you added an opinion from the other side of the spectrum. I think ethical malpractice attorneys do help people tremendously and are worthy of respect just like any other well-deserving attorney.

Whether such an attorney bags 10 Mil or not is a non-issue. Ethical mal-practice attorneys, both those who sue physicians and those who defend them, are a necessary part of our society.

 

[beetlerum]

No, that's wrong. The defense attorneys, on average, make much more. They often work at big firms or insurance companies and make a lot. The average plaintiff's attorney makes < 100k. There are a very very small number of P attorney's making the big bucks and it ain't easy to become one of them.

I also like how the OP just assumed that these attorneys didn't put in nearly the work a physician put in to get to where they are. Not sure how he knows that. The road to becoming a partner at a law firm pulling in huge $$$ is extremely demanding and not available to almost anyone.

Edit: Also, the lawyers who advertise looking for personal injury cases may seem like scum to you all. But many of them are just trying to make a living. I know, you all think "that's crazy, they can make so much doing their scummy work". Well, there are a lot of struggling lawyers running small firms.

defense lawyers aren't the ones that make the chedder. you should know that. besides, what does your post have anything to do with the OPs question? i was just giving my opinion. don't tell me to cool my jets.
-mota

 

[Ugly Boy]

If it means anything, everyone here is a scumbag.

 

[DrKitty]

If it means anything, everyone here is a scumbag.