Forensic Economist Qualifications for Texas Damages Cases

By Christopher Skerritt, M.Ed., MBA, Chief of Economic Services · Published · Reviewed

Texas trial courts act as gatekeepers for expert testimony and ask whether the economist is qualified, whether the method is reliable and accepted in the profession, and whether it was applied to the facts of the case rather than to assumptions the record does not support. A damages report meets that inquiry by stating each assumption and its source so the analytical gap the court looks for is not there. The forensic economist qualification is what that inquiry examines: graduate training in economics, finance, or business, a published damages method applied to the record, and a record of reports and testimony.

Recognition and qualification in Texas

State recognition: Recognized nationally; no state licensure applies. There is no state license for forensic economists to check, so counsel verify the credential with its issuer and review the economist's testimony record directly.

For a matter venued in Texas, counsel verify the qualification the same way in every venue, because no state licenses forensic economists and there is no Texas register to check. The elements are the economist's graduate training, the published method behind each component of the report, and the testimony record, and each can be examined directly: the CV, the report's stated sources, and the transcripts of prior depositions. In Texas, the same elements are what the court weighs when the opinion is challenged, so a report that ties every input to the record and names its data sources answers the qualification question before it is asked.

KW Economics economists apply nationally recognized methods while accounting for Texas's wage levels, venue, and damages rules.

Texas courts and venues

Economic damages experts testify in Texas's courts, where qualification is decided case by case on education, method, and experience rather than on any single credential.

Highest court: Supreme Court of Texas. Federal venues: N.D. Tex., S.D. Tex., E.D. Tex., W.D. Tex. Court system: txcourts.gov.

Forensic economists for Texas matters

KW Economics provides forensic economists for Texas damages matters, including remote consultation, report preparation, and deposition or trial testimony where the case is venued. Contact us to discuss availability for your matter.

Other credentials in Texas

Frequently asked: qualifying a forensic economist in Texas

How do Texas courts qualify a forensic economist?

Texas trial courts act as gatekeepers for expert testimony and ask whether the economist is qualified, whether the method is reliable and accepted in the profession, and whether it was applied to the facts of the case rather than to assumptions the record does not support. A damages report meets that inquiry by stating each assumption and its source so the analytical gap the court looks for is not there. Recognized nationally; no state licensure applies. There is no state license for forensic economists to check, so counsel verify the credential with its issuer and review the economist's testimony record directly.

More questions about this credential

References

Request a consultation on Texas damages matters or call (201) 343-0700. Plaintiff and defense counsel.