Certain state attorneys general have made headlines lately by banding together to file joint lawsuits over consumer or environmental issues. Less well known is that a pro-manufacturers coalition has also formed to file amicus briefs opposing recent climate change lawsuits.

Rallied together by the Manufacturers' Accountability Project, an undertaking by the legal arm of the National Association of Manufacturers, these state attorneys general also have appeared in roundtables hosted by the project.

Linda Kelly, senior vice president and general counsel of the manufacturers' association, told Corporate Counsel, “We have played a primary role in educating the state attorneys general about the lawsuits and the weaknesses in the cause of actions. From the start we saw them as potential allies because of the potential economic impact on manufacturing in their states.”