Each year the United States Chamber of Commerce announces which States have the best and worst legal system. For the fifth year in a row, Delaware has received the top honors, being named the State with the fairest legal system. Additionally, a survey of U.S. businesses ranked Delaware as the State doing the best job of creating a fair and reasonable legal environment. As many of the top businesses in the United States, and a growing number of small and medium sized businesses, have chosen Delaware as the place to incorporate, that ranking should not come as a big surprise.
The results of the 2006 study, which was officially conducted for the United States Chamber Institute for Legal Reform by The Harris Poll, surveyed a national sample of in-house general counsel or other senior corporate litigators to explore how reasonable and fair the legal system is perceived to be by U.S. business. In order to ensure the integrity of the results, respondents were first screened for their familiarity with States, and those who were very or somewhat familiar with the litigation environment in a given State were then asked to evaluate that State.
When deciding where to...