Frequently Asked Questions

How does economics add value in disputes beyond what legal research can do?

In my experience, a lawyer and an economist who both go through the same files from an opponent’s business do not produce the same research results. Half the documents they flag as being relevant to winning a case are the same, but fully half the documents the economist identifies are different and not flagged by the lawyer. The economist strengthens the case, often substantially, by using expertise from economics that the legal team misses in the document search.

How quickly can Class LLC produce substantial results under stressful litigation timelines?

Data in excess of one million cells was gathered by hand over the holidays, and copied at a university repository 1,000 miles away. When the boxes of data arrived at the office, research assistants entered the data with an error rate of less than one percent over the end-of-the-year holidays. The Federal Communications Commission was so impressed with the data base that it was used by all parties to the dispute to settle the issue. Another assignment required less than two weeks to produce a white paper for the White House science advisor on a high technology issue. We supervised a group of lawyers from a major law firm in Washington DC to assemble the material, working around the clock until the white paper was drafted, reviewed and finalized. The law firm delivered the product within the deadline, and the outcome was favorable.

How do we work with our clients, how closely are they involved?

Economic knowledge and arguments are extremely persuasive when properly done. Because we often use empirical fact-based evidence in our analyses, we work closely with our clients at all stages of the engagement. Economic science is clear-cut in what it can and cannot accomplish for a client. As a result, for a new client it typically does not take long to get a sufficient knowledge of the situation and industry before we can be productive.