Who We Are

Dr. Scarbrough has over 35 years’ experience analyzing economic loss in matters of personal injury and wrongful death and 30 years’ experience in evaluating cases arising from mass torts and other disasters. He is one of the few human capital economists testifying in court and was recently named a Heller-Hurwicz Economic Institute Research Affiliate. He is a frequent speaker to associations, insurance companies and law firms. Dr. Scarbrough, along with LAI’s Dr. Bartlett, is the only structured settlement broker in the United States with a Ph.D. in economics, which he received at the University of Minnesota.

Ben Hillman is one of LAI’s most experienced economists, located in our Southlake office. He received his M.S. in economics from Baylor University, where he focused on econometrics and statistical modeling, applying his exceptional undergraduate training in economics and applied mathematics. Ben has considerable experience working with large data, which makes him a valuable resource, given LAI’s use of such data sets regarding earnings, education, health expenditures, and disability.

Dr. Crouch, a Senior Economist in LAI’s Southlake office, received his Ph.D. in economics from the University of Houston, after earning both a B.S. and M.A. in economics there. His fields of specialization are labor economics, applied microeconomics, econometrics, health economics and law and economics. Prior to joining LAI, Dr. Crouch was an Assistant Professor at Flagler College. He has also taught economics at the University of Houston and The Village High School.

Dr. Lanier joined LAI as an economist in 2014. An applied micro theorist, his research focuses on occupational sorting and college major selection effects on the race wage gap, and spatial dependency of migration and its effects on various factors, such as income. He also brings years of experience related to the application of econometric techniques using various econometric packages. Dr. Lanier is involved with several research projects, one of which focuses on migration and income and the effect of human capital, as measured by education and experience, on the geographic breadth of the market for skills.

Audrey Hopewell joined LAI’s Southlake office as a Research Economist in 2020 after receiving her M.A. in Economics with a focus in Big Data from the University of Oklahoma, where she also earned B.A.s in Economics and Political Science. Audrey’s master’s research project focused on the application of social network theory to the film industry. Her other research interests include labor market discrimination, the social and policy determinants of labor market participation, behavioral economics, and machine learning.

Jeff Galner joined LAI in 2009 and is the company’s comptroller, responsible for all back-office functions of the firm. He also applies his financial training in support of LAI’s work in the area of structured settlements. In that role, he is responsible for interfacing with defendants and plaintiffs, developing settlement proposals, and handling the documents involved in the closing process. After receiving his B.A. in economics from Tufts University, Mr. Galner worked as a financial advisor for MetLife. Prior to joining LAI, he served as Director of Operations for an asset management firm in New York. He received his MBA with a concentration in management from the University of Connecticut.

Ms. Day joined LAI in 2006 after many years of working for managed health care companies, interfacing with national health insurance carriers. She earned her MBA from the University of Connecticut in 1995. In addition to her case-specific duties, Ms. Day manages the firm’s case coordinators and researchers in support of LAI’s testifying economists.

Ms. Galner is a Case Coordinator and Researcher, providing support to the economists at LAI. She received her J.D. from Pace University School of Law and joined LAI after many years of practicing law as a trusts and estates attorney. Prior to law school, Ms. Galner earned her B.A. in clinical psychology from Tufts University and went on to work as a home-care case manager for elderly and disabled individuals.

Ms. Smith is a Case Coordinator and Researcher, providing support to the economists at LAI. She received her J.D. from New England Law Boston and joined LAI after working in the Medicare compliance and medical malpractice fields. Prior to law school, Ms. Smith earned her B.A. in criminal justice from Marist College.

John E. Scarbrough, Ph.D.

Ben Hillman, M.S.

Randall Crouch, Ph.D.

Thomas F. Lanier, III, Ph.D.

Audrey G. Hopewell, M.A.

Jeffrey Galner, MBA

Laura Day, MBA

Kasey Galner, J.D.

Allison Smith, J.D.