Sidley’s economists offer guidance on legal and policy matters whenever a high level of economic knowledge is required. Our team of Ph.D.-trained economists works closely with our lawyers to develop innovative solutions in the following ways:
- Adding quantitative rigor to and developing the economic angles of legal arguments by leveraging state-of-the-art analytical techniques.
- Keeping clients involved in economic goal-setting and communicating complex analysis to clients and courts in an accessible fashion. We put great effort and care into data visualization techniques and the presentation of results.
- Providing economic assistance throughout the entire legal process. This includes litigation support, expert selection and management, advocacy and negotiation support, training and education, and industry knowledge.
- Delivering outstanding economic services in a wide variety of legal areas, including international trade, intellectual property, complex litigation, regulation, life sciences, finance, antitrust, M&A and commercial arbitration, among others.
- Supporting clients in a variety of fora, including the World Trade Organization, domestic courts, regulatory and administrative agencies, and arbitral tribunals.
Our work; representative matters
Sidley’s economists have successfully completed many economic assignments on behalf of our clients. Select recent successes include:
- Assisting the Government of Brazil in securing a US$750 million retaliation award against the United States in the WTO dispute US – Upland Cotton.
- Advising a client in an international commercial arbitration proceedings before the ICC involving one of the largest and most important state-owned enterprises in Central Asia. Our economists handled evidence discovery and generation, the formulation of claims and defenses, and damage calculation. The arbitration tribunal ultimately awarded our client monetary compensation amounting to US$275 million, and fully rejected a counterclaim of roughly US$800 million.
- Running a multi-year project for PayPal to research the benefits of innovative financial payment tools for small and medium enterprises (SMEs), charitable organizations, and person-to-person transfers (such as remittances). Our work output helped PayPal to position itself as a thought leader in digital economic policy issues.
- Conducting a multi-year project for eBay Inc. with the aim of assessing the impact of e-commerce and internet marketplaces on economic growth and development worldwide. We quantified the significant role that e-commerce plays for consumers in remote and under-developed areas, for small and medium enterprises worldwide, and for economic development and employment at large. This led eBay Inc. to position itself as a global enabler of cross-border trade and economic growth. The results of the project also received significant media coverage and favorable feedback from thought leaders and the academic community.
About the team
Sidley’s economists are experienced professionals with advanced degrees from leading universities. We are active participants in the economic community and have made contributions to top-level academic publications. We regularly assume speaking and teaching engagements, as well as pro bono assignments.
We also maintain a roster of outside experts, many of whom are among the most distinguished professionals in their respective economic subfields, including statistics, econometrics, modeling or applied theory. Drawing from an international network of industry associates and thought leaders with strong ties to academia, our team is well situated to assist global clients.