Vident Partners provides vetted forensic economics expert witnesses for cases involving lost wage calculations, future earning capacity, wrongful death damages, and economic loss quantification in personal injury. Request a referral today.
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Forensic economists calculate economic damages in personal injury, wrongful death, employment, and commercial litigation. They quantify lost earnings, lost earning capacity, lost household services, future medical costs, and the present value of future damages, applying generally accepted economic methodologies and discount rate analysis to translate future losses into present-value figures courts can use 1. The National Association of Forensic Economics (NAFE) defines the field as the scientific discipline that applies economic theories and methods to the issue of pecuniary damages as specified by case law and legislative codes 1. NAFE publishes the peer-reviewed Journal of Forensic Economics, which sets methodological standards for lost earnings calculations, discount rate selection, and worklife expectancy analysis 2. Periodic surveys of NAFE members document prevailing methods and estimate norms, providing the peer consensus that supports Daubert reliability arguments 2. Qualified forensic economists must demonstrate command of present-value methodology, labor market data, and the economic literature on household services valuation. In employment cases, they calculate back pay, front pay, and fringe benefit losses under Title VII, the ADEA, and the ADA. These experts are among the most commonly retained across all litigation types, as virtually every case involving economic loss requires expert testimony on damage calculation methodology.
NAFE defines forensic economics as the scientific discipline that applies economic theories and methods to the issue of pecuniary damages as specified by case law and legislative codes.
Case Types
Lost wages and future earning capacity in personal injury
Wrongful death economic damages calculation
Lost household services valuation
Employment discrimination back pay and front pay
Present value analysis of future damages
Qualifications
Related Specialties
FAQ
A forensic economist calculates future economic losses such as lost earning capacity and projects future damages using economic models and discount rates. A forensic accountant investigates past financial transactions, traces assets, and identifies fraud. Both may be needed in the same case when historical fraud and future economic loss are both at issue.
Forensic economists are needed in virtually every personal injury and wrongful death case to calculate economic damages. They are also essential in employment discrimination cases, commercial litigation involving lost profits, and any case requiring present value analysis of future losses.
In general, forensic expert fees are determined by the expert themselves, based on a variety of criteria. Among those criteria are professional experience, forensic casework, academic qualifications, certifications, and publications. Vident does have some influence over expert fees by comparing experts within a specialty, but ultimately it is a personal decision by the expert.
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