ambulance-chaser

A lawyer known as an ambulance-chaser hands a business card to a person with a bandaged arm outside a hospital.

Definition

Noun:
- A lawyer who solicits clients: "ambulance-chaser" refers to a lawyer who pursues clients, especially victims of accidents, by offering legal services, often in an aggressive or unethical manner.
- A person who seeks profit from others' misfortunes: More broadly, it describes anyone who attempts to gain financial advantage from someone else's distress or tragedy.

Usage Examples

Noun:
- The lawyer was criticized for being an ambulance-chaser, approaching accident victims in the hospital. (A lawyer who aggressively solicits clients from those injured in accidents.)
- He's nothing but an ambulance-chaser, always looking for a quick profit from other people's misery. (A person who exploits others' misfortunes for gain.)

Advanced Usage

"to act like an ambulance-chaser": to behave in a predatory or opportunistic manner.
- The insurance adjuster acted like an ambulance-chaser, offering low settlements to grieving families. (He behaved unethically to profit from their loss.)
"ambulance-chaser tactics": unethical methods of soliciting clients.
- The firm's ambulance-chaser tactics included sending representatives to accident scenes. (They used aggressive, unprofessional methods to get clients.)

Variants and Related Words

Ambulance-chasing (adj/n): the practice of soliciting clients from accident victims.
- Ambulance-chasing is considered unethical by most legal associations. (The practice of pursuing accident victims for legal business.)

Synonyms

Related Idioms

"Chase the ambulance": to pursue accident victims for legal fees.
- The firm's reputation was ruined when they started to chase the ambulance. (They began aggressively seeking clients from accident scenes.)
"Sue for a living": to make a living by filing lawsuits, often frivolously.
- He was known as a lawyer who sued for a living, like an ambulance-chaser. (He earned income through constant litigation.)