FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – January 10, 2008                                             Contact: Robin Conrad

NCLC Sets New Records in 2007

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The National Chamber Litigation Center (NCLC) completed its 30th year as the voice of business in the courts by entering and winning more cases than ever since its founding in 1977.

"2007 was our best year yet," said Robin Conrad, NCLC executive vice president. "We celebrated our 30th Anniversary by setting new litigation records on behalf of the business community, and we had the most successful Supreme Court term in NCLC's history."

NCLC entered a total of 125 new cases in 2007, breaking 2006's record of 106.  The Center also surpassed its all-time record of 47 victories by achieving 54 victories in 2007.  Fifteen new cases and 13 victories were in the Supreme Court term ending June 2007 helping the business community secure victories in landmark cases involving corporate free speech, punitive damages, and securities litigation.  

Recently proclaimed "cert.-stage champion" by the widely-read SCOTUSblog, NCLC successfully petitioned the high court to grant review in 4 cases since the beginning of the October 2007 term, including its very own lawsuit, Chamber of Commerce v. Brown, challenging on federal preemption grounds a California statute that prohibits employers from speaking to their employees about union organizing.  Oral argument is scheduled for March.

Leading the fight to protect companies from a patchwork of state and local immigration laws, NCLC also helped strike down a Hazleton, PA ordinance and is a plaintiff in a case pending against the state of Arizona.  In AFL-CIO, United States Chamber of Commerce, et al. v. Chertoff, NCLC successfully defended employers from immigration regulations that imposed unreasonable burdens on small businesses.

"NCLC benefits from an aggressive litigation team, a vast network of corporate supporters, and top legal advisors," Conrad noted. "We plan to significantly expand our litigation docket in the courts and in the regulatory agencies in 2008."

NCLC, the public policy law firm of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, is a membership organization that advocates fair treatment of business in the courts and before regulatory agencies. 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.

NCLC

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