Since 1961, NERA has provided unparalleled guidance on the most important market, legal, and regulatory questions of the day. Our work has shaped industries and policy around the world. Our field-leading experts and deep experience allow us to provide rigorous analysis, reliable expert testimony, and data-powered policy recommendations for the world’s leading law firms and corporations as well as regulators and governments. Our experience, integrity, and economic ingenuity mean you can depend on us in the face of your biggest economic and financial challenges.
Our Approach
Our founders pioneered the economic consulting industry more than 60 years ago. While the business and legal world has changed significantly since then, NERA’s reputation for excellence, innovation, and cross-border, cross-industry teams continues to make us the firm of choice for clients facing serious legal, regulatory, and market challenges.
NERA’s global roster of in-house experts and affiliates offers an unparalleled mix of experience and economic aptitude. We work together across international borders, field-leading capabilities, and emerging topics as integrated and multidisciplinary teams to offer clients the right perspective.
Clients value our experts’ skill at translating complex economic concepts and analyses into straightforward reports and testimony before juries, judges, arbitration panels, and regulators.
We approach every engagement with a steadfast commitment to offer clients defensible solutions and results grounded in the application of big data, econometrics, regulatory economics, statistical analysis, and valuation techniques.
Economics at Our Core
Big Data
Supported by the latest technology and a flexible and efficient cloud computing infrastructure, NERA experts help clients understand and use the information captured in massive datasets in complex litigation, regulatory proceedings, and investigations. We have a wealth of experience building, cleaning, and validating data from a variety of sources—from Big Data and cloud systems to data warehouses, relational databases, and mainframe databases.
Because making sense of vast amounts of data requires a sophisticated infrastructure, our teams operate in a secure global network, using dedicated, in-house, high-capacity servers; redundant disaster-recovery data centers; and multiple cloud providers to deliver results. Our technology meets strict security standards and is supported by the 8,000-member technology team of our Fortune 250 parent company, Marsh McLennan.
Commercial Litigation
Complex business disputes raise complex economic issues. Resolving these disputes requires objectivity, access to data, information and experience, and a rigorous and unbiased scientific approach. NERA professionals provide dispute resolution insight through research, analysis, and valuation.
Our experts combine economic principles, recognized finance and valuation models, accounting principles, and statistical techniques with vast industry experience to address issues arising from general civil disputes, strategic business decision-making, public policy, competition, and regulation. We are as recognized for our rigorous application of accepted scientific theory and mathematical models as we are for our ability to communicate concepts, opinions, and conclusions in a clear and persuasive manner.
Our advisory services that help shape business strategies include analysis of competition, regulation, and management decisions on market and firm performance; analysis of cost, pricing, and product strategies; liability valuation and management of risk; and business valuation, intangible property valuation, and options valuation.
Econometrics
NERA economists are highly skilled at using industry data to analyze a broad range of markets. We extract the most relevant information that will enable business leaders and attorneys to give intelligent, sound advice to their clients and to litigate cases effectively. We know how to frame our analysis and present it in clear, understandable terms that resonate with our clients and in the courtroom and boardroom. This rigorous approach reflects our focus on analyzing economic data to provide intuitive insights, no matter the circumstances.
Our experts utilize a wide range of advanced statistical tools in their approach to problem solving. We employ the latest technologies—including GPU-based parallel processing and distributed computing—to efficiently process and analyze large datasets. We recognize the vital importance of technical and quantitative rigor and, to that end, employ advanced statistical techniques in our litigation work across all our capabilities.
Statistical Analysis
In litigation, business negotiations, and valuations, clients are confronted with seemingly endless amounts of data. Statistical samples, if properly designed and gathered, can provide important and defensible information about large populations of people, products, buildings, or events. Statistical samples allow experts to make precise, accurate, and efficient statements about groups of things that cannot be evaluated in their entirety. Our sampling experts have helped clients extract meaningful information by selecting samples from thousands of insurance claims, millions of allegedly defective products, multiple buildings or locations, constantly varying websites, and potential class members.
Class Actions and Certification
Economic analysis is an important and valuable tool in a wide range of class action litigation. NERA experts advise clients on the entire range of economic issues that can arise in class action cases, including the determination of common impact on a class-wide basis, proof of injury, analysis of intra-class conflict, and the feasibility of formulaic approaches to damages. NERA economists employ sophisticated economic theory and quantitative methods, grounded in a thorough understanding of markets. We work with clients at all stages of litigation, from the pre-complaint period through discovery and trial, and we present our findings in a clear and concise manner that is accessible to attorneys, juries, and judges, as well as other economists.
Damages
Claims for damages in mass torts and product liability litigation, arbitration, enforcement actions, and regulatory disputes can be quite varied. In some cases, damage claims are associated entirely with historical losses; in others, future losses may also arise. Forecasting techniques must be used to estimate the timing and extent of future losses. However, these techniques may also be needed to estimate the size of a representative class or to predict how many more individual claims will be filed before the statute of limitations has run.
NERA employs empirical analysis to estimate damages for large groups of claims, whether filed individually or as a class. The empirical basis for such valuation depends on the nature of the claim. However, valuation often depends on developing data on the salient attributes of the claims that are likely to affect losses. These attributes include characteristics of the claimants and exposure to or use of the products or hazards involved.
Regulatory Economics
NERA has made many important contributions to both the theory and the practice of regulatory economics over the past 60 years. This experience is more relevant than ever, as policymakers are increasingly using economic analysis in their assessments of options for the institutional structure and scope of regulation. Economic analysis is especially well-suited for the task of designing and reforming regulatory institutions and methods because it is grounded in the principles of welfare maximization through market design. NERA experts—who are well versed in the most up-to-date and relevant research in these areas—use economics to analyze issues, provide insights, and formulate practical, innovative solutions to a wide range of problems.
Our economists advise public bodies, regulators, and companies on how best to achieve efficiency and financial improvements through restructuring and privatization. We help companies and governments attain fiscal balance through the design of institutional and regulatory frameworks. Expert economic advice is essential for an understanding of the benefits and costs of different policy options, the extent to which industry restructuring is desirable, and the need for and most effective forms of regulation. NERA advises regulators, governments, and industry on all these issues. We are also closely associated with some of the world’s most successful reform initiatives in the electric utility, water, communications, and transport sectors.
Valuation
Correct valuation of assets, contracts, and damages is critical to the successful conclusion of many transactions, mergers and acquisitions, and disputes. NERA brings expert capabilities to the resolution of complex valuation and modeling problems. Our consultants use advanced techniques in economics, finance, statistics, and econometrics to improve the quality and accuracy of an appraisal.
We provide model auditing services for potential acquisitions, from checking the functional operation of complex models to advising on model inputs and assumptions such as the cost of capital and input and output prices. NERA also reviews existing contracts to evaluate risks and liabilities, to identify where there are gaps leaving unmitigated liabilities, and to assess their robustness in light of current conditions and likely market developments.
In dispute resolution and damages calculation, NERA experts apply economic principles, recognized economic and finance modeling techniques, accounting principles, statistical techniques, and our wide industry experience. We have extensive experience with estimating compensation using recognized valuation methods such as book value, replacement value, liquidation value, and discounted cash flow.
CORPORATE STRUCTURE AND VALUES
As a subsidiary of Marsh McLennan, NERA is backed by the world’s leading professional services firm. While we operate with the agility and freedom of a privately held firm, we have the support, access, and resources of a multibillion-dollar network of field-defining companies.
In everything we do, we emphasize our commitments to community and collegiality, reflected in our dedication to diversity and inclusion that is lived out daily at NERA. We also seek to serve our communities through mentorship initiatives, community engagement, and the NERA Pro Bono Program, which lends our expertise and skills to projects that promote justice, equality, and the empowerment of underserved and disadvantaged groups.
Learn More
How else can we help you? See how you can be a part of the incredible work we do at NERA and find out where our experts are based.
Careers
NERA experts come from a variety of professional backgrounds—including academia, government, regulatory agencies, accounting, and law—bringing with them distinctive ideas, perspectives, and expertise. Our culture is one of collaboration, development, and a hands-on approach to consulting.
Locations
Our global team of more than 500 professionals operates in major cities around the world.