What is the difference between a lawyer and an attorney?
Marla Miller's Answer
General Questionslake charles, USA20 years experience
Marla Miller's Answer
To be a lawyer, one must earn a Juris Doctorate, pass the bar exam in their state, and maintain good standing; only then can they represent clients as an attorney.
Misrepresenting oneself as a lawyer without passing the bar exam.
Failing to maintain ethics or good standing with the bar.
Confusing legal terms, which can lead to misunderstandings.
Ignoring the responsibilities involved in practicing law.
Below is an AI-generated transcript of the video answer.
All right, there's a little bit of confusion. I think I've seen one or two things in the media
right now about what is a lawyer, what is having a law degree, what is an attorney,
what does it all mean. Okay, after you get your undergraduate degree, you can go to law school
if you get in and you want to go and you pay all the money and you go there for three years.
Some do it faster, like insane people like me and because you take no time off and then you
get a law degree. Okay, looks like this. Juris Doctorate, if you can read it. So I have a JD,
I have a law degree. That's what that means. Some of us get more LLM. Okay, cool. I have another
degree, but I'm still not a lawyer until what? I pass a bar exam in a state in which I am licensed
to practice law. Looks a little bit like this. Texas, Louisiana. There's a glare. Okay, cool.
I'm a lawyer. Yay, I passed bar exams. Okay, yeah, there's all these things you have to do to
maintain it. Ethics, paying things, things, things, things. Okay, get it. Now, what makes an attorney?
You are taking that authority as a lawyer, admit it into a bar exam. I mean, admitted to a state
bar and you're going to practice law. You have real clients, you're engaged, you're representing
them, transactional, in court, all of that, right? You are an attorney. You're someone's attorney.
That's what that means. Okay, so law degree, JD or another one, LLM, not a lawyer.
Lawyer, once you pass a bar exam and admitted to the state and it's active and you're in good
standing and all ethics, check out. Cool, you're a lawyer. Attorney, you're representing clients,
you're practicing law. That's an attorney. And then you may go crazy and do a board certification
because you're an expert in one area. Now, the reason lawyers and really just everyone
in general is so fired up about this, I think, I think I've seen a couple things,
it's because it's freaking stressful. And there's all these ethics involved and that we have to
follow and that people's, it's high stakes, people's lives, people's freedom, people's money.
And just to call yourself a lawyer because you went to law school, no. I mean, you can get a law
degree and go do something else that you totally kick ass in, but that doesn't make you a lawyer.
You don't then call yourself a lawyer. You just put JD behind your name. I have a Juris Doctorate.
I have a law degree. That's it. That's it. That's it.
General Questions Lawyer
lake charles, USA
