Articles & Analysis
Insights
Practical articles on vocational rehabilitation, forensic economics, life care planning, and the legal standards that govern expert testimony - written for attorneys and legal professionals navigating damages issues.
What Is an Earning Capacity Evaluation?
Earning capacity evaluations are central to damages calculations in personal injury, workers' compensation, and matrimonial cases. This post explains what the evaluation involves, how opinions are formed, and why earning capacity differs from actual earnings.
Read articleExpert Testimony Admissibility: Reliability and General-Acceptance Frameworks
Two broad framework families govern the admissibility of expert testimony in U.S. courts: a reliability-based gatekeeping framework used in federal courts and a majority of state courts, and a narrower general-acceptance framework retained in a smaller number of states. Understanding which framework applies in your jurisdiction is essential to retaining experts and challenging opposing opinions.
Read articleHow to Evaluate an Opposing Life Care Plan
A life care plan the other side has served is tested item by item: the clinical foundation of each recommendation, the cost figures behind it, the individual's actual history of use, and the life expectancy the plan assumes. This post is that review checklist.
Read articleThe Role of the Vocational Expert in Personal Injury Cases
Vocational experts play a central but often misunderstood role in personal injury litigation. This post explains what a vocational expert does, when their involvement is necessary, and how their testimony interacts with medical and economic evidence.
Read articleUnderstanding Loss of Household Services as an Economic Damage
Loss of household services is a compensable economic damage whose valuation requires individualized, market-based analysis. This post explains the methodology for valuing unpaid household labor and how it fits into a comprehensive damages analysis.
Read articleHow Forensic Economists Calculate Economic Damages
Forensic economists apply structured methodology to translate injury or death into specific dollar amounts. This post explains the analytical framework, the data sources used, and the key variables that most affect the final damages figure.
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