NERA Economic Consulting
NERA Economic Consulting is a company.
Financial History
Leadership Team
Key people at NERA Economic Consulting.
NERA Economic Consulting is a company.
Key people at NERA Economic Consulting.
Key people at NERA Economic Consulting.
NERA Economic Consulting is a global economic consulting firm founded in 1961 as the first dedicated to applying microeconomic theory to litigation and regulatory matters.[1][2][3] It provides strategies, studies, reports, expert testimony, and policy recommendations using econometric, statistical, and quantitative analysis for governments, law firms, and corporations, including 96 of the Fortune 100.[1][2][3][5] Headquartered in New York City with over 25 offices across North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Australia, NERA employs more than 500 professionals, mostly with advanced degrees in economics, finance, law, or business, and operates as part of the Oliver Wyman Group under Marsh & McLennan Companies.[1][3][4]
The firm excels in specialties like antitrust, energy, securities & finance, environment & climate change, intellectual property, health care, bankruptcy, and regulatory economics, delivering objective, rigorous analysis grounded in academic principles and industry experience.[3][4][6] Recognized as one of the world's foremost consultancies—ranking second in Vault's 2018 economic consulting survey and third in 2022—NERA shapes policy and litigation worldwide through innovation and cross-disciplinary expertise.[1][7]
NERA Economic Consulting, originally National Economic Research Associates, was co-founded on April 10, 1961, by Jules Joskow and Irwin M. Stelzer, with advice from Alfred E. Kahn, known as the "Father of Deregulation."[1][2] The founders pioneered the economic consulting industry by methodically applying microeconomic theory, econometrics, and statistics to legal and regulatory challenges, filling a niche that did not previously exist.[1][3][4]
Over six decades, NERA evolved from a U.S.-based pioneer to a global firm with expanded capabilities in finance, game theory, and multidisciplinary analysis, acquiring a reputation for influencing industries and policy.[1][4][5] Key milestones include early work in regulatory economics and growth to over 500 experts, bolstered by its integration into larger professional services networks like Oliver Wyman.[1][3]
NERA rides trends in data-driven regulation and litigation within tech-adjacent sectors like communications, media, internet, intellectual property, and antitrust, where economic analysis informs competition policy, auctions, and digital market reforms.[3][4] Its timing aligns with rising scrutiny of Big Tech—antitrust cases, transfer pricing for global platforms, and regulatory economics for AI and data privacy—leveraging 60+ years of precedent-setting work.[1][6]
Market forces favoring NERA include policymakers' growing reliance on economic modeling for welfare-maximizing regulation and the complexity of tech-driven disputes, from mass torts to securities in fintech.[4][5] The firm influences the ecosystem by providing expert testimony and studies that shape outcomes in high-profile cases, bridging academia, government, and industry to guide tech policy evolution.[1][2][6]
NERA is poised to expand influence amid intensifying global regulation of tech giants, AI ethics, climate tech, and digital markets, capitalizing on its regulatory economics legacy and multidisciplinary toolkit.[4][6] Trends like advanced econometrics for algorithmic pricing and ESG litigation will drive demand, potentially elevating its role in policy design for emerging tech challenges.
As economic consulting integrates more AI and big data, NERA's innovation focus positions it to lead, evolving from litigation support to proactive strategy for tech firms navigating fragmented regulations—reinforcing its status as the foundational firm in an increasingly vital field.[3][4][7]