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 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 joined LAI as a Senior Economist in 2017. He has significant experience evaluating complex economic damages, including the analyses of over 100 wrongful death cases, many arising from multiple major air disasters. Dr. Crouch received his Ph.D. from the University of Houston, where he also taught economics. His fields of specialty are Labor Economics, Health Economics, and Law and Economics. Prior to joining LAI, he was an Assistant Professor at Flagler College. His research interests include: the effect of a moderate disability on earnings, the allocation of consumption expenditures within a household, and non-cognitive skills and their effect on labor market outcomes.

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.

Dr. Houseworth has been working as a labor economist for over a decade calculating economic damages and providing expert testimony, initially while a senior economist and lecturer in what was then LAI’s New York City office. She now serves as the Chair of the Department of Economics and Associate Professor at Hobart and William Smith Colleges, after previously teaching at UIC Chicago, Loyola University Chicago, and Columbia University. Dr. Houseworth earned her Ph.D. and M.A. in Economics from the University of Illinois at Chicago and B.A. in Economics from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. In addition to her work as a testifying economist, she is actively engaged in producing empirical research and publications using Census data, the American Community Surveys (ACS), the Current Population Surveys (CPS), the Education Longitudinal Study of 2002 (ELS:2002), the American Time Use Surveys (ATUS), and the General Social Surveys (GSS), among others. Her research primarily focuses on issues related to employment and wages, immigration, marriage, and the military.

Dr. Scarbrough supports LAI’s cases through his expertise in scholarly writing and education research. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Rochester, his M.A. from Columbia University, and his B.A. from Duke University. His research focuses on adolescent literacy pedagogy and the impact of out-of-school-time learning on youth development. Dr. Scarbrough is an Associate Professor at the University of Minnesota Duluth.

Jeff Galner joined LAI in 2009 and is the company’s Director of Operations and 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 provides support to LAI’s economists. She 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.

Ms. Smith provides 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.

Ms. Galner provides 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.

John E. Scarbrough, Ph.D.

Ben Hillman, M.S.

Randall Crouch, Ph.D.

Thomas F. Lanier, III, Ph.D.

Christina Houseworth, Ph.D.

Burke Scarbrough, Ph.D.

Jeffrey Galner, MBA

Laura Day, MBA

Allison Smith, J.D.

Kasey Galner, J.D.