“All we are asking for is an honest investigation of the facts.” – Rep. Henry Waxman, December 24, 2001
Interviewed after his trial, famous – now infamous – class action attorney Bill Lerach admitted it is “industry practice” to give kickbacks to certain plaintiffs, which effectively bilked other clients out of their settlements. Yesterday, Lerach reportedto the minimum-security federal facility at Lompoc, California, to begin serving a two-year sentence for committing crimes he considers merely in line with the standard operating procedure of the trial bar. The “industry practice” that landed Lerach in jail has also netted his former law partner Mel Weiss, whose part in the racketeering scheme may put him in prison for 18 to 33 months. Read More
As trial lawyer Bill Lerach reports to prison, the U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform supports exposing the ‘industry practice’ of the trial bar
Statement of Lisa Rickard, President of the U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform, on Senator Cornyn’s call for the Senate to investigate recent abuses by the plaintiffs’ trial bar: Read More
This seems to be the year of big-time plaintiffs’ trial lawyers facing bad behavior charges. The latest case is the Kentucky Three – wealthy trial lawyers who are now themselves on trial, accused of stealing $65 million from their clients in a diet drug settlement. Read More
Statement of Lisa Rickard, President of the U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform, on Leader Boehner and House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Smith’s call for the House of Representatives to investigate recent abuses by the plaintiffs’ trial bar: Read More
The Institute for Legal Reform's seventh annual ranking of the 50 state lawsuit systems is out. Each year, the immediate curiosity is always, "who's on top? Who's at the bottom?" For the record, Delaware is again number one, although by the slimmest of margins. For the third year running, West Virginia is number fifty, though showing some signs of improvement. Read More
WASHINGTON, DC – Louisiana’s legal climate is ranked as the second worst in the country, according to Lawsuit Climate 2008: Ranking the States, the annual assessment of state liability systems conducted by Harris Interactive, a leading national market research firm, and released today by the U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform (ILR).
Louisiana ranked 49th out of 50 states in the study, down one spot from the previous year. In addition, New Orleans/Orleans Parish was named among the ten least fair and reasonable court systems in the country. Read More
WASHINGTON, DC – Illinois has one of the five worst legal climates in the nation according to Lawsuit Climate 2008: Ranking the States, an annual assessment of state liability systems conducted by Harris Interactive, a nonpartisan national market firm, and released today by the U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform (ILR). Read More
WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform (ILR) today announced that Florida’s legal climate slipped backwards—down six spots to number 42—in its annual assessment of state liability systems conducted by Harris Interactive, a leading nonpartisan market research firm.
The study also shows that Miami-Dade County remains one of the ten least fair and reasonable lawsuit environments in the country, reflecting a growing concern within the national business community over the size of non-economic and punitive damages awards. Read More
WASHINGTON, DC - Texas remains one of the ten worst legal climates in the country, according to Lawsuit Climate 2008: Ranking the States, an annual assessment of state liability systems conducted by Harris Interactive, a leading national market research firm, and released today by the U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform (ILR). Read More
WASHINGTON, DC - Senior attorneys at America's largest employers say state court liability systems have steadily improved over the last several years, but less than half of them rate the state courts as "excellent" or "pretty good." These lawyers say Delaware still has the best legal climate in the country, and West Virginia remains the worst. Read More
WASHINGTON, DC – West Virginia’s legal climate is once again ranked as the worst in the country, according to Lawsuit Climate 2008: Ranking the States, the annual assessment of state liability systems conducted by Harris Interactive, a leading national market research firm, and released today by the U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform (ILR).
West Virginia’s legal climate ranked last among the fifty states for the third straight year, although its raw score in the study has improved over the last several years. Read More
WASHINGTON, DC – Delaware ranks first among all fifty states in the fairness of its litigation environment, a position it has held for seven years running, according to Lawsuit Climate 2008: Ranking the States, an annual assessment of state liability systems conducted by Harris Interactive and released today by the U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform (ILR). Read More
WASHINGTON, DC – California’s legal environment remains mired in the bottom ten states, according to Lawsuit Climate 2008: Ranking the States, an annual assessment of state liability systems conducted by Harris Interactive, a leading nonpartisan market research firm, and released today by the U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform (ILR). In addition, Los Angeles was again named the least fair and reasonable litigation environment in the country. Read More
WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform (ILR) today announced that New Jersey’s legal climate has dropped nine spots to number 35 in Lawsuit Climate 2008: Ranking the States, an annual assessment of state liability systems conducted by Harris Interactive, a leading national market research firm. Read More
A short article appeared in The New York Times on June 13, 1925 headlined 'Federal Court Cases Double in Ten Years.' From 1915, the number of cases had risen annually from nearly 63,000 to about 126,000. Despite their best efforts, the federal courts were drowning in cases, but change was coming. Four months earlier, Congress had passed the Federal Arbitration Act. Read More
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Americans strongly oppose legislation that would dramatically alter the way consumers and employees resolve disputes, according to a new bipartisan survey released today by the U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform. Read More
Statement of Lisa A. Rickard, president of the U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform, on the announcement of the plea agreement of Mel Weiss in the kickback scandal related to his decades-long securities law practice. Read More
In 1886, Europe gave a gift to the United States. La liberté éclairant le monde, or what is more commonly known as the Statue of Liberty, has come to serve as a symbol of freedom and democracy around the world.
America has now decided to return the favor with a gift of its own – class action lawsuits. U.S.-style class action litigation is rearing its ugly head in Europe and some American trial lawyers are salivating at the thought. Read More
Bill Lerach, the famed class action trial lawyer who made a personal fortune representing plaintiffs in securities lawsuits, was sentenced this week to federal prison for conspiracy to obstruct justice in connection with a two-decade scheme of paying individuals to participate as lead plaintiffs in massive class action lawsuits. Read More
Statement of Lisa Rickard, President of the U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform, on today’s sentencing of William Lerach for lying to the courts and defrauding plaintiffs in securities class action cases:
“Today’s sentencing of Bill Lerach is significant not only for the relatively short prison term he’ll serve, but also for the crime he has pled guilty to – lying to the courts about a two-decades long scheme that federal prosecutors say violated his duty to plaintiffs in securities class action lawsuits. Read More