Perhaps you disagree with the title. That's OK. You may say, “Hey, lawyers talk a lot, and that's a Venusian characteristic. And doctors (especially surgeons) do things, which is Martian.” I respect you for saying that, and up to a point you're right. But let's look at it another way.
Which profession is the more confident and doesn't care what the other thinks of it? Which profession imposes its way of working on the other? Which profession cannot tolerate uncertainty and says, “Come along, doctor, answer yes or no”? Which profession is the one that worries? Which profession can't make a major decision without asking the other's opinion? Which practitioners keep wondering, “What might the lawyers make of this?”
To the rest of the world, they look and sound alike. They're both middle class achievers. Both sets of mothers are equally proud of them. But they come from different planets.
On Mars, life is lawyer centred. Cases wait for years without anyone complaining—least of all the government, which is composed of lawyers. Aggression, a male characteristic throughout the solar system, is channelled into writing unpleasant letters or fighting each other in court. And victors get promoted.
On Venus, patients come first. Empathy is feminine. Doctors work late but blame themselves for not working even harder. They acquiesce to being treated like other healthcare workers. And they lose their sense of humour.
Here on Earth, doctors and lawyers have to get along. This is where I, an experienced relationship counsellor, can help. In my hugely popular seminars I say, “OK, now you've hugged one another, let's talk. Tell me honestly, where would you rather be? Mars or Venus?”
Guess what? Nobody wants to go to Venus, unless they're ill. But many doctors envy the Martian lifestyle. They like going to court because it's the only place they're allowed to fight any more.
As a therapist, my job is to help professions get along. I can't like one more than the other. But I'll tell you something. In any long term relationship the partners have to feel equal. Doctors have a problem, not with lawyers but with their own self confidence. Boy, do they need therapy.