WASHINGTON, D.C.—Lisa A. Rickard, president of the U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform (ILR), made the following statement in response to the signing today of Florida’s Transparency in Private Attorney Contracting Act (TPAC):

“With the signing of the TPAC legislation today, the Sunshine State becomes a model to the nation. This law will shine a much-needed light on the process that Florida attorneys general must follow when they hire private plaintiffs’ law firms under a contingency fee arrangement to sue on behalf of the state.

“Florida’s Attorney General Bill McCollum in particular deserves credit for his aggressive pursuit of this law. He, along with Senator Thrasher, Representative Eisnaugle and the Florida Legislature, are to be commended for building public trust in state government.

“In recent years, we have seen too many instances of other state AGs abusing their authority and the public trust in their hiring of and interactions with contingency fee law firms. Florida has now set the standard for the nation for how states that allow private contingency fee lawsuits should engage in hiring these lawyers. We encourage other states that permit their AGs to hire private contingency fee counsel to follow suit to ensure that litigation brought by AGs is motivated by the public good, not by private profit.”

ILR 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 the interests of more than 3 million businesses of all sizes, sectors, and regions, as well as state and local chambers and industry associations.

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