WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform (ILR) today announced that Ohio’s legal climate has shown significant improvement, moving up seven spots to number 19 in the 2006 Harris State Liability Systems Ranking Study.

“Ohio is a great example of a state that has taken substantive steps to fix its legal system,” said Tom Donohue, President and CEO of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. “The two meaningful legal reform bills enacted during the past two years have played a direct role in significantly improving the state’s legal – and business – climates.”

The ILR/Harris Interactive survey of more than 1,400 senior attorneys, now in its fifth year, is the preeminent standard by which companies, policymakers and the media measure the legal fairness of states. In 2006, West Virginia ranked last among the fifty states and, for the fifth year in a row, Delaware is ranked number one.

“The best thing a state can do to attract business is to have a fair legal system,” said Donohue. “By enacting reforms in 2004 and 2005, the governor and legislature have scored a much-needed victory for the state’s employers, consumers and working families.”

ILR is launching a national advertising campaign highlighting the results of the study and the need for comprehensive legal reform.

ILR’s mission is to make America’s legal system simpler, fairer, and faster for everyone. It seeks to promote civil justice reform through legislative, political, judicial, and educational activities at the national, state, and local levels. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is the world’s largest business federation, representing more than 3 million businesses and organizations of every size, sector, and region.

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The ILR ranking survey is available online at www.instituteforlegalreform.org

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