CRA International, Inc. (Nasdaq: CRAI), a worldwide leader in providing economic, financial, and management consulting services, today announced the expansion of its finance capabilities in the Western U.S. Vice President Dr. Brian Palmer, an experienced econometrician specializing in economic litigation, has been named Director of Western U.S. Operations for CRA’s Finance Platform. He will be responsible for further developing the Finance Platform and assisting with CRA’s overall activities in the Western U.S. Dr. Palmer has already relocated to Pasadena, California from CRA’s Boston, Massachusetts office.

“The world’s leading companies rely upon CRA to provide consulting services in the financial markets sector,” said James C. Burrows, CRA’s President and Chief Executive Officer. “Through Dr. Palmer’s leadership on the West Coast and our proven track record in this practice area, we look forward to expanding our service offerings for clients in the Western U.S.”

Dr. Palmer is a testifying expert in cases involving damage calculations and class certification issues for healthcare, financial, labor, contract, and antitrust disputes. Dr. Palmer will be joining internationally-recognized CRA Senior Consultants, Professors Bradford Cornell and Lawrence E. Harris, in Pasadena, California. Dr. Cornell is a recognized authority in the application of financial economics to business litigation and regulation. Dr. Harris is the Fred V. Keenan Chair in Finance in the Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California and a former chief economist of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission who has written extensively about trading rules, transaction costs, index markets, and market regulation.

As part of CRA’s expansion in the Western U.S., two additional CRA economists, Dr. Mukarram Attari and Assen Koev, have relocated to Oakland, California. They also will play an integral role in extending the activities of CRA’s Finance Platform on the West Coast. Dr. Attari is an expert in the fields of corporate finance, risk management, and asset pricing with a particular emphasis on the risks related to illiquid markets. Mr. Koev has expertise in empirical asset pricing, international finance, applied econometrics, investments, and fixed income securities.

About CRA’s Finance Platform

CRA’s Finance Platform provides consulting services to corporate clients and attorneys in a wide range of litigation and regulatory proceedings including securities litigation, trading and financial markets, financial accounting and valuation, risk management, and other financial litigation. The platform specializes in applying the tools, principles, and findings of financial economics and accounting to complex litigation and business problems. Companies, law firms, and government agencies are provided with high-quality research and analysis, expert testimony, and comprehensive support in litigation and regulatory proceedings. The platform is known for its commitment to providing exceptional, innovative, and pragmatic solutions for clients. The platform offers experts in all areas of finance and accounting, and includes former chief economists of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission; current and former professors of finance, economics, and accounting; Ph.D.s; M.B.A.s; C.P.A.s; C.F.A.s; and other highly trained specialists.

About CRA International

Founded in 1965, CRA International is a leading provider of economic and financial expertise and management consulting services. Working with businesses, law firms, accounting firms, and governments, CRA is a preferred consulting firm for complex assignments with pivotal and high-stakes outcomes. The firm is distinguished by a unique combination of credentials: deep vertical experience in a variety of industries; broad horizontal expertise in a range of functional disciplines; and rigorous economic, financial, and market analysis. CRA offers a proven track record of thousands of successful engagements in regulatory and litigation support, business strategy and planning, market and demand forecasting, policy analysis, and engineering and technology management. Headquartered in Boston, the firm has sixteen offices within the United States, and ten offices in Canada, Europe, the Middle East, and the Asia Pacific region. Detailed information about CRA is available at www.crai.com.

Statements in this press release concerning operations in the Western U.S. and the expected future business, operating results, and financial condition of the Company, and statements using the terms “anticipates,” “believes,” “expects,” “should,” or similar expressions, are “forward-looking” statements as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are based upon management’s current expectations and are subject to a number of factors and uncertainties. Information contained in these forward-looking statements is inherently uncertain and actual performance and results may differ materially due to many important factors. Such factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from any forward-looking statements made by the Company include, among others, changes in the Company’s effective tax rate, share dilution from the Company’s convertible debt offering and stock options, the impact of Financial Accounting Standards Board Statement No. 123R and total stock-based compensation, dependence on key personnel, attracting and retaining qualified consultants, dependence on outside experts, utilization rates, factors related to its recent acquisitions, including integration of personnel, clients, offices, and unanticipated expenses and liabilities, risks associated with acquisitions it may make in the future, risks inherent in international operations, the performance of NeuCo, changes in accounting standards, rules and regulations, management of new offices, the potential loss of clients, dependence on growth of the Company’s business consulting practice, the unpredictable nature of litigation-related projects, the ability of the Company to integrate successfully new consultants into its practice, intense competition, risks inherent in litigation, and professional liability. Further information on these and other potential factors that could affect the Company’s financial results is included in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Company cannot guarantee any future results, levels of activity, performance or achievement. The Company undertakes no obligation to update any of its forward-looking statements after the date of this press release.

Posted: 10|15|07 at 3:41 pm. Filed under: News.