Can anybody tell me about what it's like working for either of these firms in London? I'm interested in doing some work in their competition policy practices in particular, but any general info on work culture, compensation, perks would be very useful. Have not found a lot of information on the forums so far, so my only sources so far have been my interviewers...Thanks!

I'm also in the dark: Does anyone know ANYTHING about LECG? All I've got to go on is their website and what the people I've met at interview have told me.

type of work and experience you have at these firms will depend to some extend on how senior you are when you go in. What level are you? Hours are variable, but I'd say about 50-60 hours a week in competition policy and more like 40 in other sectors.Both are rather academic and while you will work with other people on projects, the style of working is a bit more like academic work (work byself). NERA in particular is full of really nice supportive people (but I left a few years ago and opted for the buzz of mainstream strategy consulting). Think carefully about starting esp in competition policy without a phd - while senior people don't always have them, increasingly they are important for career progression & credibility. Bad things in my out of date experience and that of friends: (compared to the big strategy consulting firms), there is limited formal training programmes, limited mentoring, projects are chosen for you rather than according to your development needs, culture is rather serious and geeky.