Definition of ambulance chaser

Definitions

ambulance chaser

noun

(derogatory) An unethical attorney who solicits business at the scenes of accidents or in hospitals, in exchange for a percentage of the damages that will be recovered in the case.<ref>"http://www.answers.com/topic/ambulance-chaser West"s Encyclopedia of American Law, The Gale Group, Inc, 1998.", Answers.com 15 Jul. 2006</ref>

- 2004, Richard Lacayo, "http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,994665,00.html Court and Spark: Edwards' Legal Career," Time, 19 July,
- :Republicans have tried to cast him as a millionaire , the kind of man who forces doctors and businesses to pay ever higher liability-insurance costs.
  1. (context, by extension) An attorney who engages in unethical behavior.

Etymology: The origins of this phrase date from 1897, from newspaper articles about attorneys seeking clients through targeted mail solicitation.<ref>"http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?l=a&p=11 Etymonline.com" 15 Jul. 2006</ref> "Ambulance chasing" was one of the descriptive phrases employed by the media for this activity. It later became a derogatory term for direct advertising.

Supplemental Details:Sponsor an extended definition for ambulance chaser for as little as $10 per month. Click here to contact us.

Browse the Dictionary
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z


Dictionary content provided from Wiktionary.org under the GNU Free Documentation License Allwords Copyright 1998-2013 All rights reserved.

Share this page:

More To Explore

Contact & About