LAWYER VS. ATTORNEY

AREN’T THEY THE SAME THING???

Nope. Although most people use the terms interchangeably.

A lawyer is anyone who has a law degree. An attorney, on the other hand, is a person who has been admitted to practice in a certain jurisdiction. In other words, an attorney has passed the bar exam in his or her state.

So if you watch that show Suits, Jessica Pearson would be a lawyer but not an attorney after she gets disbarred for unethical behavior.

And Mike Ross would technically not be a lawyer since he never went to law school. One could argue that he is an attorney because he passed the New York State Bar, but let’s get real…not gonna happen.

FUN FACT:

In the UK, lawyers/attorneys are known as Barristers and/or Solicitors. Which is kind of funny because “solicitation” is a big no-no for attorneys in the United States.