NERA s Labor and Employment Practice
NERA s Labor and Employment Practice Experts NERA economists have long been recognized as leaders and innovators in the employment and labor field. Our expertise and capabilities span projects involving class certification, discrimination, wage and hour litigation, workforce reviews/evaluations of RIFs, economic loss and damages, contracting affirmative action, availability disparity studies, and sampling and surveys. Experts in our Labor and Employment Practice specialize in rigorous economic analysis based on the specific details of the employees, companies, and labor markets we study. Our statistical expertise allows us to develop targeted econometric studies that address the critical questions in a case, and we take pride in being able to explain our results using clear, compelling language and graphics. Our in-house experts provide scientific design, implementation, and analysis of surveys, in combination with a deep knowledge of sampling methods. We also offer extensive data processing capabilities that help clients manage and process large, complex personnel databases with maximum efficiency.
Dr. Elizabeth Becker, Senior Vice President +1 212 345 5096 betsy.becker@nera.com Leads NERA s Labor and Employment Practice, with more than 15 years experience in economics, statistics, and the management of complex databases related to employment disputes. Has testified in state, federal, and bankruptcy court and before arbitration panels, working for both defendants and plaintiffs, in discrimination and wage and hour class actions to address issues of class certification, liability, and damages. Expertise in self reviews of employment practices, implementation of remedial action, and negotiation of settlements. Frequently presents and publishes research on labor economics and statistics. Former Assistant Professor of Economics at Clemson University. PhD in applied economics and MA in economics from Clemson University.
Mark L. Berenblut, Senior Vice President +1 416 868 7311 mark.berenblut@nera.com Dr. Denise Neumann Martin, Senior Vice President +1 212 345 5296 denise.martin@nera.com Has 25 years experience in assessing the economic claims resulting from contract disputes, personal injury, and medical malpractice including mass torts. Has provided expert testimony in numerous court cases in the US and Canada, as well as at mediation and arbitration and at the European Court of Human Rights. Has authored leading texts in the economic damages field, including Proving Economic Loss and The Litigators Guide to Expert Witnesses. Graduate of the London School of Economics, Chartered Professional Accountant, Fellow Chartered Business Valuator, and Certified Fraud Examiner. Has more than 20 years of experience in economic consulting. For a variety of wage and hour cases, some involving hundreds of thousands of employees, has testified on issues of class certification and damages in both state and federal court. Has performed statistical analyses of alleged wrongful termination and discrimination in hiring, pay, and promotion decisions for individuals, as well as large classes. Expertise in statistics, surveys and sampling, and analysis of large data sets. Former Assistant Economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. PhD and MA in economics from Harvard University.
Dr. Kent Van Liere, Senior Vice President +1 415 291 1010 kent.van.liere@nera.com Dr. Jon Wainwright, Senior Vice President +512 383 4802 jon.wainwright@nera.com Expertise in statistics, sampling, survey research methods, risk assessment, and market research. Has testified at trial and in deposition on the application of statistical methods, sampling, questionnaire design, and the use of surveys in a range of cases. Litigation and project experience in labor economics includes analysis of employment records, methods for sampling records or employees, and use of surveys for purposes of estimating key facts in labor class actions including time to complete activities, exempt/nonexempt activities, meal and rest break issues, and employment pools. PhD and MA in sociology from Washington State University. Specializes in labor economics, statistics, and industrial organization. Extensive experience analyzing the effects of discrimination on minorities, women, and persons over 40. Has given expert witness testimony in federal and state courts on multiple occasions. Experience includes statistical analyses of affirmative action programs in public contracting (including disparity studies and availability studies), employment discrimination liability claims in class action and single plaintiff contexts, employment discrimination damages claims, and adverse impact evaluation of reduction-in-force and related workforce changes. PhD in economics from The University of Texas at Austin.
Sarah Butler, Vice President +1 415 291 1022 sarah.butler@nera.com Jonathan Falk, Vice President +1 212 345 5315 jonathan.falk@nera.com Expert in survey research, sampling, market research, and statistical analysis. Has designed and reviewed surveys used as evidence of employment status and promotion practices. Litigation experience in reviewing and designing surveys used to provide key evidence in matters such as time to complete activities, exempt/non exempt, and meal and rest break issues. Has constructed samples of workers and site locations used to represent trends and practices in large organizations. Has critiqued surveys and samples used in labor class action litigation. Previous experience in market research, conducting survey research, focus groups, and in-depth interviews. MA in applied sociology from Temple University. Mr. Falk has testified on statistical estimations of liability in termination and promotion processes, and in calculations of lost earnings in wrongful termination, wrongful death, and breach of contract cases for both plaintiffs and defendants. Pioneered the use of techniques to assess the probative nature of small samples in the assessment of liability. Has developed affirmative action plans for the purposes of OFCCP compliance. Lectured at the Practising Law Institute on damage calculation, has participated in a number of mock exercises in the training of attorneys to meaningfully confront expert witnesses, and has published commentary on legal decisions involving statistical calculations in trade publications. MA in economics from Yale University and a member of the American Statistical Association.
Dr. Alex Grecu, Vice President +1 212 345 6203 alex.grecu@nera.com Dr. Christine Siegwarth Meyer, Vice President +1 914 448 4119 christine.meyer@nera.com Specializes in labor litigation and consulting as well as in complex class certification issues. Has provided economic and statistical analyses in numerous class action matters involving allegations of gender, race, national origin, and age discrimination in pay and promotions, as well as FLSA and state wage and hour regulations. Experience in compliance reviews with government labor regulations, self-reviews of employment practices, and adverse impact analyses of workforce reductions. Has helped to assess economic losses stemming from alleged employment discrimination, employees misclassification, underpayments, wrongful terminations, breach of contract, and fraud. PhD in applied economics from Clemson University. Specializes in economic and statistical analysis of labor economics, antitrust economics, and economic damages. Has testified in damages cases, including wrongful termination. Has testified on behalf of numerous families of victims of the September 11 terrorist attacks to analyze the economic losses incurred by the families in connection with their claims to the Federal Victim s Compensation Fund. Has conducted research and published in peerreviewed journals on issues including work/family benefits, women s work, and childbearing decisions. Former Assistant Professor of Economics at Bentley College, and Visiting Assistant Professor at Colgate University. PhD in economics from MIT.
Dr. Elizabeth Newlon, Vice President +1 213 346 3019 elizabeth.newlon@nera.com Dr. Stephanie Plancich, Vice President +1 212 345 7719 stephanie.plancich@nera.com Specializes in applying economic and statistical analyses to labor cases. Extensive experience in litigation and employer audits for a wide range of employers from large retailers to small companies. Has evaluated labor discrimination claims and wage and hour cases, covering employment practices such as wages, promotions, hiring, and terminations. Expertise in building and maintaining large and complex databases. Former Assistant Professor of Economics at the University of Kentucky. PhD and MS in economics from Carnegie Mellon University. Has analyzed issues relating to class certification and damages estimation in cases relating to potential discrimination in promotions and pay, and has estimated the value of lost wages due to improper termination or personal injury. These analyses have included coding and review of employment application data, statistical evaluation of work assignments, application of sampling and survey techniques, and econometric modeling. Has worked on cases related to wage and hour litigation, determining if compensation and rest breaks had been properly received. Analyzed issues of class certification, market efficiency, and damages under ERISA. Graduate work focused on labor economics and public finance. PhD in economics from MIT.
Mary Elizabeth C. Stern, Vice President +1 914 448 4054 mary.elizabeth.stern@nera.com Dr. Kristin Terris, Vice President +1 213 346 3003 kristin.terris@nera.com Expert in analyzing issues of class certification, summary judgment, and damages in wage and hour cases. Extensive experience in cases involving large electronic data sets with millions of records and files. Has also forecasted claims arising from torts such as those related to asbestos, medical products, building products, food contamination, hearing loss, repetitive stress injuries, and various solvents. Examined issues of materiality, causation, and damages for securities class action suits. Previously worked at Resources for the Future, analyzing the effects of SuperFund liability on land use. MA in international relations from Yale University. Specializes in economic and statistical analysis for labor and antitrust litigation. Experienced in managing large complex data sets. Has analyzed issues related to discrimination, wrongful termination, class certification, organized labor, and the calculation of damages. Has extensive industry experience in airlines, construction, telecommunications, energy, petroleum, soft drinks, and technology. Taught labor economics, microeconomic theory, and econometrics at Wellesley College and Georgetown University. Dissertation was an applied study on the effects of unemployment on individuals subsequent employment opportunities. PhD and MA in economics from Georgetown University.
Flavia Bainbridge, Senior Consultant +1 213 346 3042 flavia.bainbridge@nera.com Drew Claxton, Senior Consultant +1 212 345 3442 drew.claxton@nera.com Specializes in employment-related litigation support and consulting. Work in this area has included economic and statistical analysis in class action matters involving allegations of gender, race, and age discrimination in a variety of employment practices, as well as FLSA and state wage and hour regulation compliance matters. Has also consulted with clients in analysis related to self-reviews of employment practices, adverse impact of reductions in force, and OFCCP compliance reviews. Works extensively in the development and manipulation of large and complex data sets and applies economic concepts in the formulation and analysis of statistical models in the areas of employment and antitrust litigation. Twenty years experience in economic research and database development. Expert in managing large dataintensive projects, statistical analysis, and survey research and design. Has worked on 11 public sector disparity studies, including studies for the States of Texas and Maryland. Former Senior Staff Associate for the Center for Human Resource Management Studies and the Industrial Relations Research Center at Columbia University. Prepared statistics for numerous reports, including Human Resource Policies and Practices and the Performance of American Firms, published by the US Department of Labor. MA in economics from New York University.
About NERA NERA Economic Consulting (www.nera.com) is a global firm of experts dedicated to applying economic, finance, and quantitative principles to complex business and legal challenges. For over half a century, NERA s economists have been creating strategies, studies, reports, expert testimony, and policy recommendations for government authorities and the world s leading law firms and corporations. We bring academic rigor, objectivity, and real world industry experience to bear on issues arising from competition, regulation, public policy, strategy, finance, and litigation. NERA s clients value our ability to apply and communicate state-of-the-art approaches clearly and convincingly, our commitment to deliver unbiased findings, and our reputation for quality and independence. Our clients rely on the integrity and skills of our unparalleled team of economists and other experts backed by the resources and reliability of one of the world s largest economic consultancies. With its main office in New York City, NERA serves clients from more than 25 offices across North America, Europe, and Asia Pacific. Visit www.nera.com to learn more about our practice areas and global offices.