# Do you know more doctors or lawyers? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 25, 2025, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-more-doctors-or-lawyers/1026051 "2025-12-25T18:05:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![ASL\_v2.0](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asl_v2.0/32/3525_2.png) [@ASL\_v2.0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASL_v2.0)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2025, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-more-doctors-or-lawyers/1026051/21 "2025-12-26T02:34:45Z")
Lawyers, because I am one and work with others. Before that? I suppose it would have been doctors, just by virtue of the fact I have seen a doctor or two in my day, but never had to do regular checkups with a lawyer. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2025, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-more-doctors-or-lawyers/1026051/22 "2025-12-26T03:19:08Z")
> [@RivkahChaya](#): > > I’m Jewish. About 1/3 of the synagogue membership is doctors and lawyers. Similar. The more i think about it, the more lawyers i come up with, including 2 or 3 cousins (although one has been retired for a while.) But I’m pretty sure i know more doctors. I still know some of my father’s colleagues socially, a pair of doctors live acoess the street, a doctor’s husband will come to our new years Eve party. Another doctor might come, although maybe only his wife will make it. There are doctors i solve puzzles with. A doctor married to another cousin… It’s possible i know about the same of both, and I’m just more comfortable talking shop with the doctors. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2025, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-more-doctors-or-lawyers/1026051/23 "2025-12-26T03:57:20Z")
I’m a lawyer myself, so I probably know more lawyers. Professionally and personally, I should add. A neighbour was a veterinarian with a DVM, and a long-ago beer-league softball teammate was an MD, but that’s been about the extent of me knowing any kind of physician. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2025, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-more-doctors-or-lawyers/1026051/24 "2025-12-26T04:08:02Z")
Probably we should restrict those of us who _are_ doctors or lawyers from answering the poll. It kinds biases our experiences. Childhood best friend, brother, one of his kids, several acquaintances lawyers, but many other good friends, brother in law, one son, all doctors. Definitely doctors. Third place would be therapists. My wife is one, my daughter is becoming one, they are present in our social circle. Which gets me thinking of a related question - what’s the most common job in your social circle? And are there lots of consultants? Not in my circles but it seems like almost all the men my daughter has gone out with over this last year have that as their job title. ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2025, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-more-doctors-or-lawyers/1026051/25 "2025-12-26T04:23:21Z")
I know more doctors than lawyers, although I was pretty good friends with a lawyer when I lived in Tokyo. I also know a number of dentists from my children’s sailing club. There is a doctor there as well. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2025, 5:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-more-doctors-or-lawyers/1026051/26 "2025-12-26T05:47:58Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > what’s the most common job in your social circle? If you allow the term to be used very broadly, then it is without a doubt “teacher.” But it includes professors, preschool teachers, Hebrew school teachers (yes, we plan lessons and teach); speech/language pathologists; Yoga instructors. Anyone who gets up in front of other people, and successfully passes along knowledge. We actually probably have more of those than the doctors and lawyers put together. ---
**Author:** ![griffin1977](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2025, 6:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-more-doctors-or-lawyers/1026051/27 "2025-12-26T06:37:30Z")
Doctors but somewhat unfair as I have two sisters (and one brother in law) who are doctors Also my wife’s family (which is large) are immigrants from the British Caribbean so very heavy on doctors and nurses ---
**Author:** ![FinsToTheLeft](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finstotheleft/32/2930_2.png) [@FinsToTheLeft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinsToTheLeft)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2025, 7:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-more-doctors-or-lawyers/1026051/28 "2025-12-26T07:38:54Z")
In my immediate family alone - siblings, in laws, parents, and niblings - I have 4 lawyers and 2 doctors. I would say I know more lawyers overall. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2025, 9:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-more-doctors-or-lawyers/1026051/29 "2025-12-26T09:46:26Z")
Because both my parents worked in hospitals all their working lives, I used to know many medical personnel, but none of them were Doctors. Now, many decades later, I still don’t know any, nor have I ever known a Lawyer. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2025, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-more-doctors-or-lawyers/1026051/30 "2025-12-26T13:06:34Z")
A lawyer or two, hundreds of doctors over the years. Something I’ve learned about doctors that I will share: they are (usually) very, very smart about what they do, but they may or may not know the capital of Canada or who shot Lincoln. mmm ---
**Author:** ![pullin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c57346/32.png) [@pullin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pullin)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2025, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-more-doctors-or-lawyers/1026051/31 "2025-12-26T13:48:25Z")
Since the OP asked for personal acquaintances… 1 doctor, zero lawyers. I’ve known 2 lawyers personally as family friends. They’re both in prison for the foreseeable future so I don’t know if that still counts as “knowing” them. (No contact any more). I play poker regularly with a bunch of guys, and one of them is a Doctor. I still “know” him and occasionally have a few beers at his house. I guess I “know” more Doctors if the question refers to present contact. ---
**Author:** ![OldOlds](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a3d4f5/32.png) [@OldOlds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldOlds)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2025, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-more-doctors-or-lawyers/1026051/32 "2025-12-26T14:25:33Z")
About equal. I have a lot of lawyers in my family, and when I was doing BD I was meeting with colleague lawyers all the time. Since I’m in pharmaceuticals, and used to run drug development programs, I know lots of doctors both who were clinicians in the trials I ran but also colleagues at the companies I worked for. If PhDs counted (and I am not one), then I know literally hundreds. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2025, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-more-doctors-or-lawyers/1026051/33 "2025-12-26T14:58:40Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > Something I’ve learned about doctors that I will share: they are (usually) very, very smart about what they do, but they may or may not know the capital of Canada or who shot Lincoln. That’s true of a lot of people who know a lot about one thing. My mother had a PhD in linguistics, and spoke 8 languages, but could never remember how to program the VCR. ---
**Author:** ![Dorjan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dorjan/32/12440_2.png) [@Dorjan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dorjan)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2025, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-more-doctors-or-lawyers/1026051/34 "2025-12-26T15:29:42Z")
I only know more doctors because my wife was a high-level administrator at a local medical school. Otherwise, it would have been about an even split between doctors/lawyers. ---
**Author:** ![Dorjan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dorjan/32/12440_2.png) [@Dorjan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dorjan)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2025, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-more-doctors-or-lawyers/1026051/35 "2025-12-26T15:32:12Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > Something I’ve learned about doctors that I will share: they are (usually) very, very smart about what they do, but they may or may not know the capital of Canada or who shot Lincoln. IME that’s common for PhDs in general. When you spend years becoming an expert on one very specific thing, your pool of “common knowledge” tends to be shallower. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2025, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-more-doctors-or-lawyers/1026051/36 "2025-12-26T15:59:46Z")
Do psychiatrists count as doctors? Because then it’s 5-1 doctors to lawyers. Otherwise 2-1. ---
**Author:** ![BippityBoppityBoo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bippityboppityboo/32/5745_2.png) [@BippityBoppityBoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BippityBoppityBoo)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2025, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-more-doctors-or-lawyers/1026051/37 "2025-12-26T16:15:40Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > Do psychiatrists count as doctors? Psychiatrists are medical doctors, full fledged physicians with an MD or DO from a four year medical school, followed by 3-5 year residency for their psychiatry specialty. [US] ---
**Author:** ![Schnitte](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/schnitte/32/9033_2.png) [@Schnitte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Schnitte)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2025, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-more-doctors-or-lawyers/1026051/38 "2025-12-26T19:54:24Z")
> [@EinsteinsHund](#): > > ETA: I just asked Google about the numbers of medical doctors and lawyers in Germany. According to the AI, there are 437,000 practicing doctors, but only 166,000 lawyers (in a population of ca. 84 Mio.) But note that the 166,000 figure in Germany is for “Rechtsanwälte”, i.e. practising attorneys who provide legal services to clients for a fee. It does not include legally qualified people who don’t hold an active admission to the bar because they work, for instance, in the public sector (which has a policy of prohibiting its staff from being admitted as “Rechtsanwalt” while working there) or do something else altogether. I suppose that in America, such people would be included in the count for lawyers (defined as those who have passed the bar examination). ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2025, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-more-doctors-or-lawyers/1026051/39 "2025-12-26T20:10:36Z")
How about here? More medical doctors or lawyers ya think? ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2025, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-more-doctors-or-lawyers/1026051/40 "2025-12-26T20:17:34Z")
Most of my family work in some sort of medical field. My father was a doctor, and two of my cousins are doctors (one of those cousins is a very well known cardiologist who has even been on TV a couple of times). I have another cousin who is a pharmacist, an aunt who is a physical therapist, and my mother was a lab tech. We have lots of friends who are doctors or are in some sort of medical profession. I was the odd one out and chose to become an engineer instead of choosing something medical. I only know two lawyers. One is my brother-in-law and the other is a friend that I grew up with and never thought he would become a lawyer, but it turns out he’s pretty good at it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-more-doctors-or-lawyers/1026051.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-more-doctors-or-lawyers/1026051.md?page=3)