It is estimated that over one-half of all litigation today is related, in some degree, to issues involving economic damages. This handbook presents the basic elements involved in the evaluation of economic damages associated with wrongful death and personal injury cases. It will assist practicing attorneys to understand, through examples, the conceptual issues involved in the determination of economic damages, and the methods used to evaluated such damages.The book is divided into two main sections. The first section of the book is devoted to estimation procedures specific to wrongful death cases. Nine key elements involved in an analysis of economic losses are systematically presented and illustrated in separate chapters. Reference tables are included to illustrate the variety of situations which exist, and the impact that changes in key assumptions about the situations have on the analysis. The second section of the book builds upon the concepts developed in the first section, and illustrates how to calculate economic losses in personal injury cases. These chapters also have examples and reference tables to assist the practicing attorney. A glossary of basic economic terms and an extensive bibliography are included.

An OverviewThe Concept of Present ValueEconomic Losses in Wrongful Death CasesEconomic Losses in Wrongful Death Cases: An OverviewEstimating Future EarningsEstimating Life ExpectancyEstimating Worklife and Probability of EmploymentEstimating Future Tax LiabilitiesEstimating a Personal Consumption AdjustmentEstimating Fringe BenefitsChoosing a Discount RateSpecial Cases Involving Wrongful DeathNon-Market Economic LossesEconomic Losses in Wrongful Death Cases: A SummaryEconomic Losses in Personal Injury CasesPermanent Total DisabilityPermanent Partial DisabilityGlossary of TermsReferencesIndex