Landing a Cornerstone Research Internship: A Comprehensive Guide

Cornerstone Research is a leading economic and financial consulting firm known for providing expert testimony and rigorous analysis in complex disputes and regulatory investigations. With over 1,000 professionals across nine offices in the US, UK, and EU, the firm has built a reputation for high-quality work, a strong culture, and a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. For students interested in economic consulting, a summer internship at Cornerstone Research offers invaluable experience and a potential pathway to a full-time position.

What is Cornerstone Research?

Cornerstone Research provides economic and financial consulting and expert testimony in all phases of complex disputes and regulatory investigations. Since 1989, the firm has delivered rigorous, state-of-the-art analysis, working with an extensive network of prominent academics and industry practitioners to identify the best-qualified expert for each assignment. Cornerstone Research specializes in working with law firms and government entities. The firm's diverse experience allows them to provide clients with a unique breadth of perspective and expertise.

The firm is involved in a broad variety of high-profile projects, including:

Claims of anticompetitive conduct
Potential mergers and the impact on market competition
The impact of intellectual property infringement
Allegations of misleading marketing or false claims
Allegations of manipulation of financial markets
Evaluation of fair merger prices
Securities litigation
Claims in consumer finance
Anticompetitive conduct in financial markets
Corporate governance issues

Cornerstone Research Culture

Current and former employees rave about the supportive and collaborative culture Cornerstone Research has built. The firm hires smart, motivated people who are quantitative in skill-set. Ongoing training and skills development is a big point of emphasis for Cornerstone Research, and a big reason why employees consistently rate the firm a great place to work.

The Cornerstone Research Summer Analyst Program

The Summer Analyst Program at Cornerstone Research is an eight-week experience that takes place during the summer between your junior and senior years of college/university. It’s a comprehensive program designed to introduce you to the world of economic consulting and the culture of Cornerstone Research. The summer role closely mirrors the full-time Analyst position.

Program Highlights:

Project (Case) Work: This element of the role closely mirrors that of the full-time position. Summer Analysts work on case teams that range in size but typically include a faculty expert, senior consultants, and analysts. Within a case team, you will make important contributions during all phases of a project - from developing case strategy to conducting analyses, to preparing experts for testimony.
Social Events: The Summer Program is as fun as it is informative. Cornerstone Research is all about teamwork, and throughout your internship, you will be working alongside your peers regularly, even if you are not working on the same cases.
Orientation and Training: From day one of your internship, there is a strong emphasis on equipping you with the information, training, and resources to help you succeed. Your internship will begin with an orientation program, which will introduce you to Cornerstone Research’s culture and work. Following orientation, you will join a case team(s) and have immediate impact while continuing to learn new skills.
Networking Opportunities: Through case work and the other core elements of the Summer Program, you will have ongoing opportunities to network with consultants and determine if economic consulting is the right fit for you.
Professional Growth: Cornerstone Research values the professional growth of its Summer Analysts and recognizes their contributions to clients and the firm.

What to Expect as a Summer Analyst

As a Summer Analyst, you will play an important role at Cornerstone Research. You will join the firm as a generalist, providing you the opportunity to work on projects (cases) that span multiple practice areas, including finance, antitrust, intellectual property, consumer fraud and product liability, accounting, and more.

Your responsibilities will include:

Developing case strategy
Conducting complex analyses
Preparing experts for testimony
Preparing an expert witness for court
Conducting and then submitting analyses to the court
Developing case strategy

You will typically work on multiple cases simultaneously and will be working alongside your peers regularly, even if you are not working on the same cases.

Application and Eligibility

Cornerstone Research seeks well-rounded, enthusiastic individuals for its Summer Analyst role.

Important Dates for US Applicants:

2026 Summer Analyst: Apply by September 21, 2025.
Secondary Deadline: October 12th.

Analyst Role

2026 Full-time Analyst: Apply by September 14, 2025.
Secondary Deadline: October 5th.
Eligible for those graduating between December 2025 - July 2026.

Please review the application process and submit materials through the online portal by the specified deadlines.

Visa Support

Cornerstone Research will provide H-1B, H-1B1, E3 and TN visa support to full-time candidates that require visa support.

Compensation and Benefits

Cornerstone Research offers market-leading compensation. The base salary for the Analyst role is $105,000. In addition to the base salary, new Analysts will be eligible for a starting bonus. Analysts are also eligible for discretionary bonuses based on case performance, firm contributions, and other factors. Previous relevant work experience will be taken into consideration in determining compensation.

The Interview Process

The interview process at Cornerstone Research is rigorous and designed to assess your analytical skills, problem-solving abilities, and fit with the firm's culture. An important part of each round is the case interview.

First Round: Your first round will consist of two 30-minute virtual interviews.
Final Round: Your final round will consist of four 45-minute interviews.

Interview components include:

A discussion of personal background, interests, and goals
Behavioral and situational questions
A case
Time for Q&A

Preparing for the Case Interview

The case interview is a crucial part of the Cornerstone Research interview process. It is designed to assess your ability to think critically, analyze data, and solve complex problems.

Read also: Benefits of Cornerstone LMS

Key Skills to Demonstrate:

Analytical Thinking: Break down complex problems into smaller, more manageable parts.
Problem-Solving: Develop logical and creative solutions to the case scenario.
Communication: Clearly articulate your thought process and recommendations.
Quantitative Skills: Demonstrate proficiency in working with numbers and data.
Business Acumen: Understand basic business concepts and industry dynamics.

Tips for Success:

Practice: Practice case interviews with friends, mentors, or career services professionals.
Structure Your Approach: Use a structured framework to approach the case, such as a cost-benefit analysis or a market sizing exercise.
Ask Clarifying Questions: Don't be afraid to ask questions to clarify the case scenario and gather more information.
Think Out Loud: Explain your thought process to the interviewer, so they can understand how you are approaching the problem.
Be Creative: Think outside the box and propose innovative solutions.
Stay Calm and Confident: Project confidence and enthusiasm throughout the interview.

Other Internship Opportunities

Cornerstone Research’s internship program provides invaluable opportunities for college students or recent graduates to gain hands-on experience as part of our Policy, OpsWatch, Public Affairs, Appropriations or Operations team.

Internship programs:

Government Affairs Internship: This internship provides students and graduates with a variety of learning experiences and an inside look at government relations strategies.
OpsWatch Internship: OpsWatch interns get a unique insight into how federal funding mechanisms work and have the opportunity to do meaningful work and contribute substantially to client-facing work products.
Public Affairs Internship: This internship offers students and graduates the opportunity to become an integral part of our public affairs team and provides experience in drafting and executing full public affairs campaigns, creating content, writing and editing social media, press releases and more.
Operations Internship: This internship provides students and graduates with a variety of learning experiences and insight into the operations and business development objectives of the government relations industry.
Appropriations Internship: This internship provides a unique opportunity each Spring semester in our DC office to work directly with the firm’s well-regarded appropriations team by assisting with the completion and submission of client appropriations requests.

Our Spring 2026 applications are open from June 2nd to September 1st.

Life as an Analyst

As an Analyst at Cornerstone Research, you will be responsible for preparing an expert witness for court, conducting and then submitting analyses to the court, and developing case strategy. Your team will include other Analysts, an industry expert, and a Senior Consultant.

If you want to move up to Senior Consultant, expect to be in the Analyst position for 3-5 years. After another 2-3 years as Senior Consultant, you'll usually have the option to move up to Manager. After gaining experience across a variety of cases and analytical approaches, many Analysts decide to attend graduate school.

Work-Life Balance

While Cornerstone Research emphasizes investment in employees and a supportive culture, many employees talk about the poor work/life balance at the firm. Clients are demanding, cases are time-sensitive, and deadlines can change unexpectedly, so it is not uncommon to be at the office until 11pm and work weekends as well. If you are applying for a position at Cornerstone Research, you should know that this is just what comes with the territory. Hours can also be hard to predict simply because of the nature of the legal system.

Career Path

After gaining experience across a variety of cases and analytical approaches, many Analysts decide to attend graduate school at top business, finance, economics, and law institutions. Many Analysts also choose to stay at Cornerstone Research and continue their careers with the firm - a number of their senior consultants, including Partners, started their careers as Analysts.

Learning and Development

Ongoing training and skills development is a big point of emphasis for Cornerstone Research, and a big reason why employees consistently rate the firm a great place to work. The analytical depth of assignments and breadth of industry exposure serves as outstanding preparation for graduate school. In addition to the experience casework provides, Cornerstone Research offers multiple resources for those applying to top graduate programs in business, economics, and law.

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