Typical hourly rates, deposition costs, trial fees, and retainer ranges for economic damages expert witnesses in 2026.
| Fee Type | Typical Range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Hourly Rate (Case Review) | $400 – $650/hr | Record review, research, report preparation, counsel calls |
| Deposition Rate | $450 – $750/hr | Often billed portal-to-portal; some experts use flat half-day rates |
| Trial Testimony Rate | $550 – $850/hr | Frequently billed as flat daily rate; standby time may apply |
| Initial Retainer | $6,000 – $18,000 | Billed against hours worked; unused portion typically refunded |
Economic damages experts quantify financial losses in personal injury, wrongful death, employment, and commercial litigation. PhD economists and financial analysts apply econometric modeling, wage data, and present-value discounting to calculate past and future economic losses.
In personal injury and wrongful death cases, economic damages typically include lost wages and earning capacity, lost fringe benefits, household services, and medical costs. In commercial cases, the focus shifts to lost profits, diminution in business value, and reasonable royalties. Each requires different methodological approaches.
Top economics experts from academic institutions or major consulting firms (Compass Lexecon, Analysis Group, NERA) command $500–$650/hr and are particularly strong in high-stakes commercial and securities cases. Boutique forensic economics firms offer comparable analytical quality at $350–$450/hr for most personal injury matters.
Economic damages reports must survive Daubert challenges — the expert's methodology must be grounded in peer-reviewed economics literature and must be applied consistently. Courts have excluded expert testimony that relied on non-standard discount rates or speculative assumptions about future earning capacity.
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