Bay State Legal Climate Rated 9th In Nation

The Institute for Legal Reform, an affiliate of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, says the legal climate in Massachusetts ranks ninth among all the states.

The state did especially well in the ranking for judge competence, jury fairness and overall treatment of tort and contract litigation.

The states that ranked the best were Delaware, North Dakota, Nebraska, Indiana and Iowa. The worst were California, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and West Virginia.

The ranking is based on a four-month survey of general counsels, senior attorneys and corporate executives. Respondents were asked to rank the states by their overall treatment of tort, contract and class action litigation.

In tandem with the survey, the U.S. Chamber is launching an advertising campaign called "Jobs, Not Lawsuits" to send the message that with widespread joblessness, states "can no longer afford to discourage new business and new jobs as a result of a dysfunctional legal climate."