What do you call a lawyer who doesn't chase ambulances?

This joke gets its chuckle from a hefty dose of irony and a well-worn, albeit cynical, stereotype about the legal profession. The humor mechanism isn't about clever wordplay or a sudden twist of logic, but rather the darkly humorous suggestion that a certain type of behavior is so inherent to a lawyer's job that the only way to avoid it is to no longer be a lawyer at all. It plays on our preconceived notions with a wink and a nudge.

The real-world context here is the infamous practice known as "ambulance chasing." This is a derogatory term used to describe lawyers who solicit clients at the scene of an accident or disaster, or shortly thereafter, often seen as preying on vulnerable individuals. While unethical and even illegal in many places, the stereotype of the aggressive personal injury lawyer constantly on the hunt (Review) for new cases has become deeply ingrained in pop culture. The joke implies that this pursuit of new clients is such an integral part of an active lawyer's life that if they aren't doing it, they must have hung up their legal hat for good.