Legal Definitions - ambulance-chasing

Ambulance-chasing refers to the unethical and often aggressive practice where a lawyer, or someone acting on their behalf, directly approaches individuals who have recently suffered an injury or accident, specifically to persuade them to hire that lawyer for legal representation. This practice is considered a form of improper solicitation because it targets vulnerable individuals at a difficult time, potentially exploiting their distress for financial gain.

Here are some examples to illustrate this term:

• Imagine a scenario where a serious car accident has just occurred, and emergency services are still on the scene. A representative from a local personal injury law firm arrives, approaches one of the visibly shaken and slightly injured drivers, and immediately hands them a business card, strongly suggesting that the firm can secure a large settlement for their injuries and urging them to sign a retainer agreement on the spot.

  This illustrates ambulance-chasing because the law firm's agent is directly soliciting an injured person at the scene of their injury, attempting to pressure them into hiring the firm while they are still in a vulnerable state.

• Consider a situation where a lawyer somehow obtains a list of individuals who were recently treated at a hospital emergency room for workplace injuries. The lawyer then sends personalized letters to these individuals, highlighting their recent injury and offering immediate legal consultation, implying they have a strong case and should act quickly to pursue compensation.

  This demonstrates ambulance-chasing as the lawyer is proactively targeting individuals known to be recently injured, using their vulnerability and recent medical event to solicit their business, even if the approach is not made in person at the accident scene itself.

• A law firm establishes an arrangement with a local auto body shop. When a customer brings in a vehicle damaged in an accident, the body shop owner or an employee provides the customer with the law firm's contact information, often exaggerating the firm's success rate and encouraging the customer to call immediately for legal advice regarding their injuries, in exchange for a referral fee from the law firm.

  This is an example of ambulance-chasing because the law firm is using an intermediary (the auto body shop) as an agent to solicit injured individuals, urging them to hire the firm, often with an improper financial incentive for the referrer.