Laura E. Simmons

Senior Advisor

Contact

  • Washington

Education

Laura Simmons has more than twenty-five years of experience in economic consulting across a variety of complex litigation matters. Dr. Simmons has focused on damages and liability issues in securities class actions, as well as litigation involving the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA). She has also managed cases involving financial accounting, valuation, and corporate governance issues.

Dr. Simmons assists clients with all phases of litigation and has experience across civil, criminal, and regulatory matters. She has served as a testifying expert in cases involving accounting analyses, securities case damages, ERISA issues, and research on securities lawsuits.

Dr. Simmons developed Cornerstone Research’s initiatives on securities case settlements and related settlements benchmarking models. Her research on pre– and post–Reform Act securities litigation settlements has been published in a number of reports and is frequently cited in the public press and legal journals. She has also published in academic journals, with recent research focusing on the intersection of accounting and litigation. Dr. Simmons speaks at professional and specialist conferences and has appeared on CNBC to discuss the topic of securities case settlements.

Dr. Simmons was an accounting faculty member at the Mason School of Business at the College of William & Mary from 2008 through 2011. A certified public accountant (CPA), she began her career at Price Waterhouse.

Press Release

Number of Securities Class Action Settlements Falls as Median Settlement Amount Reaches Highest Level Since 2010

Report

Securities Class Action Settlements–2023 Review and Analysis

Report

Securities Class Action Settlements

Report

Accounting Class Action Filings and Settlements—2022 Review and Analysis

Press Release

Total Value of Settlements in Accounting-Related Securities Class Actions Rises in 2022

Press Release

Number of Securities Class Action Settlements Reaches Highest Level in 15 Years

Report

Securities Class Action Settlements–2022 Review and Analysis

Research

Accounting Cases Involving SPACs

  • “Spotlight on Accounting Fraud: The SEC’s Renewed Focus and Implications for Private Securities Litigation,” Bloomberg BNA, 2015
  • “The Tenth Anniversary of SOX: Its Impact and Implications for Future Securities Litigation and Regulatory Enforcement Actions,” Bloomberg BNA, July 2012
  • “What Makes Securities Class Actions with Accounting Allegations Different?,” Professional Liability Litigation Committee, American Bar Association Section of Litigation, 2011
  • Securities Enforcement & Litigation Forum, Pennsylvania Bar Institute, 3 August 2021
  • “Introduction to Securities Class Action Litigation,” American Bar Association, 14 January 2021