Our services
Expert reports
Our reports cover the heads of economic loss relevant to a claim. They use established methods and current data, and set out conclusions in plain English.
Our testifying economists — Mark Gosling, Mark Szekely, Doug Hildebrand, Judy Ren and Tom Steigervald — have decades of courtroom experience.
The sections below describe the losses we most often assess.
Past and future loss of earnings
We project lifetime earnings using the approach that best fits the plaintiff’s circumstances. For example:
- For a high school student, we often use earnings statistics by level of education.
- For a mid-career employee, we also consider tax returns and collective agreements.
- For a self-employed real estate agent, we may use financial statements and local market trends.
Where an injury shortens life expectancy, we also assess the lost years claim, including the deduction for personal living expenses.
Pension loss
We assess lost pension benefits under both main types of employer plan: defined contribution and defined benefit.
In a defined contribution plan, the pension depends on accumulated contributions and investment returns. The member’s net benefit equals the employer’s contributions on the member’s behalf.
In a defined benefit plan, the pension depends on salary and years of service. The member’s net benefit equals the present value of projected pension benefits, less the present value of the member’s own projected contributions.
Cost of future care
We calculate the lump-sum present value of the plaintiff’s future care costs. The result depends on the annual cost of each item, the applicable discount rate and life expectancy.
Where life expectancy is normal, we use published mortality rates for the general population. Where it is reduced, we adjust those rates to match the medical evidence.
Loss of financial support
In a wrongful death claim, we assess the family’s loss of financial support. We consider both what the deceased contributed to the household and what they consumed themselves.
Contributions usually include employment income and may include pensions and other income. Personal consumption is usually a share of household income and may extend to existing household assets.
Every household is different, so we will tell you which details we need.
Loss of household services
We estimate the value of household work — such as cooking, cleaning, home maintenance and childcare — that a family loses after a death. We net the deceased’s own use of those services against their contribution.
We usually start from published time-use statistics for people in similar circumstances, then adjust for the facts of the case — for example, a spouse who works out of town or other circumstances that limited the person’s household work.
Tax gross-up and management fees
A lump-sum award is invested, and the income it earns may be taxed. A tax gross-up increases the award to offset that tax; an allowance for investment management fees covers the cost of investment help where the plaintiff needs it. We calculate both and can explain which heads of damage they may apply to.
Other topics
We also assess:
- Loss of the financial benefit of a marriage
- Costs and benefits of structured settlements
- Underinsured Motorist Protection (UMP) claims
- Financial losses in estate and family law matters
- Losses from land expropriation
- Pre- and post-judgment interest on damages
Not sure which losses apply?
Call to talk through the claim, or start with a conflict check.