The Walnut Creek--based law firm of Archer Norris surveyed corporate lawyers and other businesspeople about California's legal climate for business, and 121 responded (more than 94 percent of them lawyers).
Here are their top complaints (they could pick more than one):
65% said "burdensome"
44% chose "complex"
38% picked "cumbersome."
But ...
40%also said legal challenges were a "cost of doing business in California."
Here are the legal risks respondents cited most:
67% employment litigation
59% environmental and
regulatory matters
43% commercial litigation
And their top factors in choosing outside counsel:
72% responsiveness to
phone calls
69% overall proposed
litigation costs
69% knowledge of the
industry
Note: Archer Norris conducted the survey in March. More than half the respondents worked for companies with yearly revenue over $1 billion.
