Alana Motley

Data Analyst

My Work

I'm a data analyst on the Economics & Data Analytics team, where I apply econometrics, programming, and data visualization to help attorneys answer complex economic and statistical questions.

My background is in labor economics and urban policy, and I’m driven by a commitment to advancing equity and workers’ rights. My work centers on the analysis of large datasets in employment litigation, supporting cases involving workplace discrimination, harassment, wage violations, and retaliation. I build statistical models, design and implement damages methodologies, and conduct labor market and compensation analyses that strengthen our clients’ cases.

Previously, I was an economic consultant at NERA in the Antitrust & Competition practice, advising law firms on FTC and DOJ merger investigations. I also held research roles at ICF Consulting’s Regulatory Policy & Economics practice and at the FDIC’s Division of Consumer Protection.

Credentials

B.A., Boston University
M.A., Boston University

My Story

My career in Economics grew out of an interest in inequitable economic landscapes, and what could be done to move toward a system where all people were on more equal footing.

At Boston University I focused on Urban Economics, which let me build the quantitative side without losing the policy context that explains why economic outcomes look the way they do. That thread has run through every role I’ve held since, from fair lending and consumer protection to regulatory policy to antitrust. Across all of them, I saw first-hand how much weight a strong analysis can carry in a legal or regulatory proceeding, and how much meaningful work there is to do in this space.

That same focus on advancing equity and fairness from the numbers side is what led me to Outten & Golden. On the Economics & Data Analytics team, we provide the quantitative analysis behind our attorneys’ cases, making large payroll, timekeeping, and personnel datasets usable, testing for disparities in pay and promotion, and modeling what an employer’s practices cost the people subject to them. By identifying and substantiating those patterns, we give attorneys evidence that holds up under scrutiny, at trial and in settlement negotiations.