The phrase “ambulance chaser” is derogatory term for a lawyer who, after an accident, immediately seeks the person injured and, for a contingent fee, offers his professional services in a suit for damages.
This profession of dubious ethics, or at least the descriptive term, apparently originated in New York City in the 1890’s, during the period when the notorious partnership of criminal lawyers, Howe & Hummel, was entering the height of its career.
