--- title: Founding --- This is a search field with an auto-suggest feature attached. - There are no suggestions because the search field is empty. [![Public Interest Experts](https://www.publicinterestexperts.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Screenshot%202024-09-07%20at%2011.26.07%20PM.png?width=478&height=281&name=Screenshot%202024-09-07%20at%2011.26.07%20PM.png "Public Interest Experts")](https://www.publicinterestexperts.org/?hsLang=en) - About Show submenu for About - [Mission](https://www.publicinterestexperts.org/about/mission) - [What Is an Expert?](https://www.publicinterestexperts.org/about/what-is-an-expert) - [Founding](https://www.publicinterestexperts.org/about/founding) - [Board](https://www.publicinterestexperts.org/about/board) - [Services](https://www.publicinterestexperts.org/services) Show submenu for Services - [Overview](https://www.publicinterestexperts.org/services) - [Litigation Support](https://www.publicinterestexperts.org/services) - [Advocacy Support](https://www.publicinterestexperts.org/services) - [Research Support](https://www.publicinterestexperts.org/services) - Our Work Show submenu for Our Work - [Case Studies](https://www.publicinterestexperts.org/our-work/case-studies) - [Reports and Presentations](https://www.publicinterestexperts.org/our-work/reports-and-presentations) - Press Show submenu for Press - [PIE in the News](https://www.publicinterestexperts.org/press/pie-in-the-news) - [Newsletters and Announcements](https://www.publicinterestexperts.org/press/newsletters-and-announcements) - Supporters of PIE Show submenu for Supporters of PIE - [Satisfied Clients](https://www.publicinterestexperts.org/supporters/satisfied-clients) - [Volunteer Voices](https://www.publicinterestexperts.org/supporters/volunteer-voices) - [Partners](https://www.publicinterestexperts.org/supporters/partners) - Contact Show submenu for Contact - [Get Involved](https://www.publicinterestexperts.org/contact/get-involved) - [Let Us Help You](https://www.publicinterestexperts.org/contact/let-us-help-you) - [Donate](https://abqgwgsy.donorsupport.co/page/FUNGPGMWZKZ) - [How to Reach Us](https://www.publicinterestexperts.org/contact/how-to-reach-us) - About Show submenu for About - [Mission](https://www.publicinterestexperts.org/about/mission) - [What Is an Expert?](https://www.publicinterestexperts.org/about/what-is-an-expert) - [Founding](https://www.publicinterestexperts.org/about/founding) - [Board](https://www.publicinterestexperts.org/about/board) - [Services](https://www.publicinterestexperts.org/services) Show submenu for Services - [Overview](https://www.publicinterestexperts.org/services) - [Litigation Support](https://www.publicinterestexperts.org/services) - [Advocacy Support](https://www.publicinterestexperts.org/services) - [Research Support](https://www.publicinterestexperts.org/services) - Our Work Show submenu for Our Work - [Case Studies](https://www.publicinterestexperts.org/our-work/case-studies) - [Reports and Presentations](https://www.publicinterestexperts.org/our-work/reports-and-presentations) - Press Show submenu for Press - [PIE in the News](https://www.publicinterestexperts.org/press/pie-in-the-news) - [Newsletters and Announcements](https://www.publicinterestexperts.org/press/newsletters-and-announcements) - Supporters of PIE Show submenu for Supporters of PIE - [Satisfied Clients](https://www.publicinterestexperts.org/supporters/satisfied-clients) - [Volunteer Voices](https://www.publicinterestexperts.org/supporters/volunteer-voices) - [Partners](https://www.publicinterestexperts.org/supporters/partners) - Contact Show submenu for Contact - [Get Involved](https://www.publicinterestexperts.org/contact/get-involved) - [Let Us Help You](https://www.publicinterestexperts.org/contact/let-us-help-you) - [Donate](https://abqgwgsy.donorsupport.co/page/FUNGPGMWZKZ) - [How to Reach Us](https://www.publicinterestexperts.org/contact/how-to-reach-us) # About Public Interest Experts ###### OUR FOUNDING   ## Filling a Need By Dr. Coleman Bazelon, Founder In the Spring of 2022, I attended the ACLU Biannual Conference.  We gave a UC San Diego professor, [Tom Wong](https://polisci.ucsd.edu/people/faculty/faculty-directory/currently-active-faculty/wong-profile.html), an award in appreciation for his work as an expert witness in several immigration related litigations filed by the ACLU.  As he accepted the award, he started to riff on what it was like to be an expert witness.  To much laughter, he talked about the tight deadlines, the funny way you had to write reports for Courts, and the challenges of sticking to the legal mandates.  As I watched, and chuckled, I thought to myself – he is describing my day job.  Much of my professional life as a consulting economist and Principal at The Brattle Group is serving as an expert witness in litigation.  I knew what Professor Wong was making fun of.  I also knew it could be better than he described. Expert support firms specialize in providing the highest possible quality expert witness testimony to litigations.  In a typical commercial litigation an expert would assess damages or the market impacts of a merger.  These are high stakes litigations with millions or billions of dollars at stake.  The experts have to be first rate because the other side is going to throw everything they can at them to undermine their testimony.  Depositions and trial testimony are like an oral defense of a thesis, but unlike in a university setting with your advisor grilling you, the opposing lawyers really want you to fail.  It is also a very lucrative business for the experts and firms that support them.  As a result, there are natural incentives built in to make sure the best experts, with the highest quality support, are engaged.  This contrasts to my experience with pro bono engagements as an expert.  When a lead for a pro bono case comes in, it does not receive the same interest and there are no built-in incentives to find the best qualified expert with the highest quality support.  For example, I have served as an expert in a voting rights case where we provided analysis and testimony on the disparate impacts of a voter ID law that was well received by the Court.  I was qualified by my PhD in Economics and experience serving as an expert, but I had never done a voting rights case or disparate impact analysis before.  In other words, if this had been a high stakes commercial case, I would not have been the expert. Thinking more about that night listening to Professor Wong, it became clear to me that public interest litigation and advocacy did not enjoy the same level of expert support that my commercial clients enjoy.  Public Interest Experts was founded to fix that. 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