Berkeley Economic Consulting Experts Join The Brattle Group

SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 5, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The Brattle Group, a global provider of consulting and expert testimony in economics, finance, and regulation, announced today that Berkeley Economic Consulting (BEC) experts David Sunding and Mark Berkman have joined the firm as principals in the San Francisco office.  In addition, they bring with them four research analysts and a network of academic affiliates from the University of California, Berkeley and the University of California, Los Angeles, among others.  

"We are excited to welcome David, Mark, and their colleagues to our team," said Matthew O'Loughlin, president of The Brattle Group.  "BEC had a well-deserved reputation for insightful economic analysis, and the addition of these highly-regarded industry experts to our San Francisco office will enable us to better assist our clients on the West Coast and in the Pacific Rim."

Dr. Sunding's practice focuses on environmental and natural resource issues, utilities, and regulation.  He has served as an expert witness in litigation involving environmental damages, product liability, cost allocation, land use, and water quality regulation.  He has consulted on transactions involving natural resource and utility investments, and is on the advisory board of a private equity firm specializing in these areas.   He has also written extensively on environmental economics, the economics of regulation, technological change, applied econometrics, risk, and public finance, and has received research awards from the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and several private foundations.

He is the Thomas J. Graff Professor in the College of Natural Resources at the University of California, Berkeley and is currently on sabbatical as a visiting professor at the Woods Institute of the Environment at Stanford University.  In addition, Dr. Sunding was a co-founder of BEC and previously served as a senior economist for President Clinton's Council of Economic Advisers.

Dr. Berkman is an expert in applied microeconomics and has extensive experience in a number of areas including energy, environmental and natural resource matters, labor and employment, and intellectual property.  His energy work has involved the valuation of coal resources, power plants, and transmission rights-of-way, as well as energy demand and price forecasts.  His environmental work has included the review of proposed air, water, solid waste, and worker and product safety regulations, as well as toxic tort and product liability claims.  He has testified before state and federal courts, regulatory bodies, and legislative committees on these topics.  

He has also served as an expert witness in numerous labor cases regarding discrimination and wages and hours disputes.  He frequently assists clients regarding intellectual property disputes in a range of industries including wine, food, medical devices, and computer hardware and software.  Prior to co-founding BEC, Dr. Berkman was a vice president at Charles River Associates and NERA Economic Consulting.

"At BEC we were committed to providing quality economic research that utilized the most sophisticated tools and methods.  We look forward to upholding that commitment in our new role at Brattle and leveraging the firm's excellent reputation to expand the range of services we are able to provide to our clients," said Dr. Sunding.

The Brattle Group has offices in Cambridge, MA; San Francisco, CA; Washington, DC; Brussels; London; and Madrid.  Areas of expertise include antitrust and competition, valuation and damages, utility regulatory policy and ratemaking, and regulation and planning in network industries.  For more information, please visit www.brattle.com.

SOURCE The Brattle Group