What Christensen Associates does

Christensen Associates (Laurits R. Christensen Associates, Inc.) is an applied economic consulting firm founded in 1976 and headquartered in Madison, Wisconsin. The firm provides expert economic analysis, expert testimony, data acquisition, and policy evaluation to clients facing complex regulatory, antitrust, and litigation matters. Its client base spans federal agencies such as the United States Postal Service (USPS), the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), and the Surface Transportation Board, as well as regulated utilities including TELUS and Eversource, and state transportation authorities such as the Wisconsin Department of Transportation.

The firm's core capabilities center on quantitative economic modeling, productivity analysis, and regulatory cost studies. Christensen Associates is best known for its Total Factor Productivity (TFP) methodology, which it has applied since 1985 to support major regulatory proceedings and litigation matters. Its technical staff employs statistical and computational tools including Stata, SAS, Python, R, and MATLAB, and the firm develops custom software for data acquisition and analysis. The firm also operates a dedicated energy-sector subsidiary, CA Energy Consulting, signaling focused vertical depth in regulated energy markets.

Christensen Associates generates revenue primarily through fee-based consulting engagements and expert testimony work, structured around project-based engagements rather than subscription or volume-based pricing. The firm became 100% employee-owned in March 2014 through an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP), and maintains a relatively lean headcount of approximately 45 professionals, all based in Madison. The firm is currently led by Chair Dianne Christensen and CEO Tammy Droessler, who assumed the CEO role in 2019.

Name

Christensen Associates

Legal name

Laurits R. Christensen Associates, Inc.

Website

https://lrca.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1976

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Christensen Associates is an applied economic consulting firm founded in 1976 in Madison, Wisconsin, providing expert economic analysis, testimony, and policy evaluation to federal agencies, regulated utilities, and state governments.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Economic Consulting Services

NAICS

Management Consulting Services (54161), Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services (54169), Other Management Consulting Services (541618)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Litigation Support & Expert Witness Services (BPAHALAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Data, Analytics & AI Consulting (BPAHAEAF), Operations & Process Improvement Consulting (BPAHACAB)

Keywords

• Economic consulting services
• Econometric modeling
• Litigation support
• Regulatory economics
• Productivity measurement

Headquarters

HQ city

Madison

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Economic Consulting Services: Christensen Associates generates revenue through professional economic consulting services, including expert testimony, economic analysis, data acquisition, and policy evaluation. As a consulting firm, they bill for professional services rendered, typically on project basis or retainer arrangements with government agencies, utilities, and corporate clients.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Christensen Associates is an applied economic consulting firm that provides expert testimony and litigation support, economic analysis (econometrics, cost models, pricing, productivity), data acquisition (survey design, sample design, field data collection), and policy evaluation services to government agencies, utilities, and corporate clients across regulated industries.

Product overview

Christensen Associates is an applied economic consulting firm offering four primary service practice areas: Expert Testimony and Litigation Support (antitrust, IP, business disputes, class actions, insurance, labor), Economic Analysis (econometrics, statistical methods, cost models, pricing strategies, demand analysis, productivity analysis), Data Acquisition (survey design, sample design, database development, field data collection), and Policy Evaluation (benefit-cost analysis, financial forecasting, economic modeling). The firm serves clients across regulated industries including postal services, energy/utilities, telecommunications, transportation, and railroads, as well as government agencies. These services are delivered through a team-based approach without a unified software product platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Expert Testimony and Litigation Support
• Economic Analysis
• Data Acquisition
• Policy Evaluation

Quantifiable outcome

• Enabled USPS to save millions of dollars through cost analysis and revenue optimization strategies
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Transportation Research BoardminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2012Christensen Associates led a consortium that won a competitive bid funded by the Transportation Research Board's National Cooperative Freight Research Program (NCFRP) to investigate issues related to freight corridor encroachment.
• University of Texas at Austin—Center for Transportation ResearchminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2012Part of the consortium led by Christensen Associates investigating freight corridor encroachment issues under the TRB's NCFRP program.
• CA Energy Consulting, LLCcoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerCA Energy Consulting, LLC is a wholly owned subsidiary of Laurits R. Christensen Associates, Inc. It focuses specifically on energy industry consulting work. The subsidiary operates under a separate brand (caenergy.com) to serve clients seeking information about the firm's work in the energy sector.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Bates White Economic Consulting: Economic consulting firm providing expert analysis and testimony in litigation, regulation, and policy. Overlaps in energy regulation, antitrust, healthcare economics, and damages quantification.
• Cornerstone Research: Economic and financial consulting firm specializing in litigation and regulatory matters, particularly in antitrust, securities, IP, and class actions. Directly comparable in expert testimony, academic credentialing, and economics-led case support.
• NERA Economic Consulting: Global economic consulting firm specializing in antitrust, regulatory economics, finance, and energy. Directly comparable in expert testimony, damages analysis, and regulatory proceedings support for utilities and network industries.
• The Brattle Group: Consulting firm providing economic, regulatory, and litigation expertise in energy, telecommunications, and financial services. Strong overlap with Christensen Associates in utility regulation, rate design, and expert testimony for federal and state proceedings.
• Compass Lexecon: Global economic consultancy focused on competition, antitrust, and finance-related litigation and regulatory matters. Comparable in expert witness services and complex economic damages analysis across antitrust and regulated industries.
• Edgeworth Economics: Economic, antitrust, and financial consulting firm providing expert testimony, class action support, and regulatory economics. Comparable in litigation economics and damages analyses for complex matters.
• Economists Incorporated: Economic consulting firm providing expert economic analysis, testimony, and regulatory economics support. Comparable in antitrust, intellectual property, energy, and telecommunications matters.
• Analysis Group: Large economic, financial, and strategy consulting firm providing expert testimony and analytical support in litigation, regulation, and public policy. Closely comparable in practice areas including antitrust, IP, energy, and healthcare economics.
• Charles River Associates: Boston-based economic and management consulting firm with a dedicated litigation support and energy/practice areas that closely mirror Christensen Associates' offerings. Direct competitor in antitrust, IP, and regulated-industry economics; multiple former CRA staff now work at Christensen Associates.

Broad incumbents

• Berkeley Research Group (BRG): Large global consulting firm with significant economic and financial consulting expertise including litigation support, regulatory economics, and damages analysis. Overlaps in expert testimony and regulated-industry work, though BRG's portfolio extends well beyond economic consulting.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Christensen Associates