Interview process
The consistent preparation signal is economics, not generic strategy frameworks. Be ready to explain why economic consulting, discuss research or analytical experience, reason from data and defend assumptions.
More details
Candidates should prepare one research project in depth and practice a case that asks what data are needed, what model is appropriate and what alternative explanation could exist.
Internship programs
Internship And Student Architecture
Internship timing is flexible. In the U.S. and Latin America, interns generally join during the summer before their final year of studies or before starting graduate school. In Europe, interns can join during the final year, between courses or shortly after completing a degree. [CL2]
The company also runs North American virtual information sessions for analyst and intern candidates that explain economic consulting and the interview/application process. That is a recruiting and education event, not an internship itself. [CL2]
Is it a fit?
Fit and trade-offs
Compass Lexecon is a strong fit for students who like economics, econometrics and empirical research and want to work on competition, damages, finance or regulation.
Specialization. The internship builds economic-consulting depth rather than broad management exposure.
Academic orientation. Students considering graduate economics or finance may find the research environment particularly valuable; students who dislike econometrics or academic-style scrutiny may not.
Geographic variation. A global brand does not mean one program or one work culture.
Work, teams and company background
Jump to a section
Global And Regional Recruiting
Compass Lexecon’s internship model differs by geography. The U.S./Latin America timing targets the summer before the final academic year or before graduate study, while European internships can be more flexible. [CL2]
A student considering multiple offices should create separate application plans. Verify language requirements, academic status, internship length, pay, work authorization and local recruiting dates for each location.
At a glance
Evidence snapshot: 2026-09-04. This is a dated research summary, not a live vacancy feed.
Program: Student internships embedded in project teams. [CL2]
Apply: Check each office’s direct role; flexible program timing is not a rolling-application guarantee. [CL2]
Eligibility: U.S./Latin America: generally before final year or graduate study. Europe: final year, between courses or shortly after degree completion. [CL2]
Pay: No role-specific amount established.
Locations: Country and office control language, duration and authorization requirements. [CL2]
Routes: Competition; damages; financial/securities analysis; intellectual property; regulation/policy; empirical research. [CL1][CL5]
Distinctives: Academic-stage arrangements differ between U.S./Latin American and European internships. Flexible program timing does not guarantee rolling applications. [CL2]
Prepare: Explain data, model choice and an alternative economic explanation; prepare office-specific motivation.
Competition And Antitrust Economics
Competition economics is central to Compass Lexecon’s identity. The firm’s senior ranks include former economists from the DOJ, FTC, SEC, FCC and European Commission, and the careers page emphasizes involvement in major antitrust and regulatory investigations. [CL1][CL3]
Intern work can include market definition, merger analysis, pricing, demand estimation, competitive effects, damages, econometric analysis and industry research. Students should prepare microeconomics, industrial organization, regression and evidence-based reasoning.
A strong proof asset is a public-market competition analysis: define the market, identify substitutes, study price or demand, state assumptions and explain what evidence could overturn the conclusion.
Damages And Litigation Economics
The key skill is building the counterfactual. What would likely have happened absent the alleged conduct? The answer may require financial data, market evidence, regression, industry context and careful treatment of alternative explanations.
Candidates should be able to explain a quantitative analysis in plain language. A technically correct model that cannot be defended under questioning is weak evidence.
Financial Economics And Regulation
Compass Lexecon also works on financial and regulatory matters. Its professionals include former chief economists of the SEC and FCC, which signals a practice extending beyond antitrust. [CL3]
Finance students can contribute valuation, securities-market, event-study or regulatory analysis. Strong preparation includes financial statements, valuation, market data and statistical reasoning.
This is not investment banking. The analyst is generally producing economic evidence or advisory analysis rather than executing financing transactions.
Data, Econometrics And Research
Compass Lexecon explicitly tells students that project work can involve client data, empirical analysis in Excel and Stata, and report drafting. [CL2]
A quantitative applicant should therefore prepare one project where the data and method are transparent. Explain how the data were cleaned, why the model was selected, how sensitivity was tested, and what limitation matters most.
Programming in R, Python or other tools can be useful even where the public student page names Excel and Stata. The tool is secondary to the analytical question and reproducibility.
Candidate evidence that changes preparation
An April 19, 2026 Milan intern account describes motivation questions and an economics case about damages and relevant data. A separate Washington account concerns analytical experience. Prepare the corresponding skill; do not transfer a European sequence to a U.S. role. [CL7][CL8]
Before accepting the assignment
Ask how the office assigns interns to cases and how much direct contact they receive with senior economists.
Company and practice model
Compass Lexecon describes itself as a leading global economic consulting firm serving law firms, corporations and government clients in legal and regulatory proceedings, strategic decisions and public-policy debates. [CL1]
The core intellectual model is economics under scrutiny. Teams can analyze merger effects, market power, damages, regulation, finance, securities, intellectual property, class certification, consumer behavior or other economic questions. Work may support expert testimony, regulatory submissions, litigation strategy or high-stakes corporate decisions.
Compass Lexecon’s practice is therefore closer to Analysis Group, Cornerstone Research, CRA, NERA, Bates White and Brattle than to MBB-style general management consulting. The distinguishing question is not “what should the business do?” but often “what does the economic evidence imply, and can that conclusion withstand challenge?”
The firm’s global scale also matters. With 23 offices, students can encounter different local practice mixes, languages, recruiting cycles and academic calendars. A European internship condition should not be applied to a U.S. candidate without direct evidence.
Research context
Compass Lexecon interns can move from client data and background literature to empirical analysis and written reports. Geography changes the entry route: U.S./Latin American summer timing is not the same as Europe’s more flexible academic-stage arrangements. [CL2]