Looking to distinguish itself from other litigation consulting firms, the Berkeley Research Group announced a new business research journal Tuesday that will provide a publication outlet for the firm's many academic experts.

The group - an advisory and data analytics firm based in Emeryville - initially released the journal free of charge on its website in January. The journal, titled the Review, is published twice a year, and its intended readership is attorneys and college professors, according to Lynnie Kim, business manager for the journal.

"Our hope is to provide a medium where we can inform our clients and anyone else who's interested," Kim said. "It is a way to basically showcase our academic talent."

The firm has a panel of experts who advise lawyers and other clients in business-related court cases. Additionally, experts at the firm often testify at trials and depositions, according to Director David Lewin, one of the journal's co-editors.

The journal, which will be available online and in print, features contributions from experts and affiliates in business, finance and accounting from the firm's 10 worldwide offices.

"It's similar to a law school review journal," Kim said. "Our hope is that (finance professionals, lawyers and professors) will benefit from it."

The decision to publish the first issue was put into motion over a year ago, according to Paul Wazzan, director of the group and journal editor in chief, who called the journal "a natural extension" of the firm's work.

While other consulting firms publish newsletters and "thought leadership" pieces - articles that introduce innovative business ideas - Kim said the Berkeley Research Group hopes to distinguish itself with academic talent.

Several of the firm's affiliates are professors at the UC Berkeley Haas School of Business, including Laura Tyson, a member of the President's Economic Recovery Advisory Board. Lewin said affiliates' backgrounds as academics who prioritize research and publication fueled the journal's creation.

Lewin is the faculty director of the UCLA Anderson School of Management's Advanced Program in Human Resource Management and sits on the boards of four other journals, two of which are published by UC Berkeley.

"We have an audience in the academic world because (the publications) can be useful reading tools," Lewin said. "The idea is to show how knowledge of these practical matters applies in decision making ... (the journal) has a practical flavor about it."

In the firm's first year publishing the Review, Kim said directors and affiliates hope to tackle current legal issues like subprime lending and reach out to attorneys and professionals across the globe.

"Our firm can differentiate itself by having a journal," Lewin said. "We differentiate ourselves by adding intellectual capital to the industry."

Tags: UC BERKELEY, BERKELEY RESEARCH GROUP, THE REVIEW