Retaining Our Services
The process of retaining our services is simple. First, we encourage attorneys to take advantage of our gratis telephone consultation and contact our office to discuss the specifics of a case with one of our economists. To assist you in deciding to retain our services, we provide you with an engagement letter that quotes a fee (usually a range) for the assignment. Included with the engagement letter will be copies of our experts’ Qualifications Profiles, the appropriate Fact-Finding Questionnaire, and our Professional Fees Schedule. We request a retainer prior to beginning the assignment. An expedited fee will apply if a report is needed within four (4) weeks or less. More complex litigation such as commercial damages and business interruption will require a higher retainer fee.
Once we have been retained and upon receipt of the completed Fact-Finding Questionnaire and requested documentation, we will contact your office to discuss any additional information that may be needed. We stand ready to speak or meet with your client to obtain information. A completed appraisal report is typically provided within four to six weeks. Should a report be needed sooner, for an additional fee we will work on an expedited basis. Our final invoice must be paid before the final signed report will be released.
How We Work
Inquiry
We encourage attorneys to contact our office to discuss the specifics of their case with one of our economists. During this time, preliminary details of your case can be discussed to determine how STEG may help in evaluating the economic aspects of your case. At this stage of your inquiry, we provide you with an engagement letter that includes an estimate of the total cost of our analysis. Included are our experts’ Qualifications Profiles, a Fact-Finding Questionnaire, and our Professional Fees Schedule.
Retaining Our Services
If you have already contacted us regarding a case, please feel free to reply to the inquiry email previously sent stating your intention to move forward with our services. Alternatively, you are welcome to call to discuss any additional aspects of your case before retaining our services. We request a retainer deposit prior to beginning the assignment. If work is needed on an expedited basis, or a more complex analysis is required, an additional fee may apply. During this time, please inform us of any deadlines regarding the completion of our analysis.
Documents Required
Depending on the type of case, and venue, the documents required for our analysis may differ. Please note that the documents listed below are guides. They should not be considered a complete list of necessary documents and they may not pertain to all cases. After the receipt of initial documents, a more detailed request of information and documents based on the specifics of the case, may be prepared.
PLAINTIFF CASES: Complaint; Plaintiff’s Responses to Interrogatories; deposition transcripts of plaintiff(s); completed Sobel Tinari Economics Group Fact-Finding Questionnaire; documentation of plaintiff’s/decedent’s earnings before and after the incident; documentation of fringe benefits (if any) received by plaintiff/decedent; and relevant medical / vocational expert reports.
DEFENSE CASES: Complaint; Plaintiff’s Responses to Interrogatories; deposition transcripts of plaintiff(s); plaintiff’s economic expert report; documentation of plaintiff’s/decedent’s earnings before and after the incident; documentation on any fringe benefits received by plaintiff/decedent; and relevant medical / vocational expert reports.
Assessing the Damages
Once the requested documents have been received, STEG’s economists and analysts will work with you and your client to develop a thorough understanding of the components of loss for the case. Often, we require additional information or have follow-up questions based on the information received to date. We stand ready to speak or meet with you or your client to obtain this information. During this time, unique aspects of the case can be discussed so a proper, and thorough, analysis can take place. We believe that each individual matter must be evaluated on its own basis. Our proven approach recognizes that each case is unique. Our attention to the individuality of each case distinguishes STEG from other “experts.” Whether working with plaintiff attorneys or defense attorneys, we attempt to fully understand and quantify the impact a specific incident has on the life of the individual.
Comprehensive Appraisal Report
STEG employs a collaborative approach during the preparation of an economic appraisal report. Our economists are intimately involved in the analysis from the time a case is received by our office until the final report is issued. A completed appraisal report is typically provided within four to six weeks. However, our team of economists and analysts stand ready to meet your deadlines. STEG can meet any deadline with proper notice.
Engaging Testimony
Following the completion of our analysis, many cases require deposition and trial testimony of one of our economic experts. Since 2008, STEG’s experts have testified in over 700 trials and depositions. Many of our experts are, or were, college professors and are capable of succinctly articulating our analysis to the jury. Our economists have testified in both State and Federal courts and for FINRA arbitrations. The testimony of our experts has been described as “engaging”, “impressive” and “outstanding.”
Inquiry
We encourage attorneys to contact our office to discuss the specifics of their case with one of our economists. During this time, preliminary details of your case can be discussed to determine how STEG may help in evaluating the economic aspects of your case. At this stage of your inquiry, we provide you with an engagement letter that includes an estimate of the total cost of our analysis. Included are our experts’ Qualifications Profiles, a Fact-Finding Questionnaire, and our Professional Fees Schedule.