Charles River Associates Hires Former Consultant as Principal in Washington Office; Bruce Abramson Is Skilled Technologist, Economist, and Legal Analyst.

Business/Technology Editors

BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 3, 2000

Charles River Associates Incorporated (NASDAQ: CRAI), an internationally known leader in providing economics, financial, and management consulting services, announced today that Bruce Abramson, a former CRA outside consultant, has joined its Washington, DC, office as a Principal in the firm's Antitrust and Mergers practices.

"We are delighted and fortunate to have attracted Bruce Abramson from the ranks of our consultants to a full-time position with us," said James C. Burrows, CRA president and CEO. "In addition to his superb qualifications as an economic analyst, Bruce combines extensive knowledge of high-tech processes and products with a legal perspective that is so essential to assessing developments in the current environment of business acquisitions and consolidations. We anticipate that Bruce will become an integral component of CRA's rapidly expanding consulting practice focused on high-tech industries."

Dr. Abramson is an expert in the evaluation of business plans, communication and information technologies, legal damages, and antitrust and intellectual property claims. His capabilities allow him to assess the likely impacts of technological, economic, business, legal, and regulatory changes in highly competitive environments. Prior to joining CRA full-time, Dr. Abramson consulted to such firms as Atlantic Richfield, Arthur Andersen, The Brattle Group, and Putnam, Hayes & Bartlett.

Founded in 1965, CRA is a leading provider of sophisticated economics and finance consulting services, expert testimony and litigation support, and business consulting in dynamic environments. The firm's areas of expertise include technology evaluations, auctions and e-commerce, antitrust, mergers and acquisitions, policy impact assessments, corporate finance, strategy and business operations, and regulatory economics. The firm has advised legal and corporate clients, government agencies, and other organizations in thousands of engagements. In addition to its corporate headquarters in Boston, CRA has U.S. offices in Berkeley/Oakland, Los Angeles, Palo Alto, and Washington, DC, as well as international offices in London, Mexico City, and Toronto. More information about the Company can be found on its Web site at www.crai.com.

Statements in this press release concerning CRA's ability to expand its practice areas are "forward-looking" statements as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements are based on management's current expectations and are subject to a number of factors and uncertainties. Information contained in these forward-looking statements is inherently uncertain, and actual performance and results may differ materially. Such factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from any forward-looking statements made by the Company include, among others, dependence on key personnel, attracting and retaining qualified consultants, dependence on outside experts, intense competition, and professional liability. Further information on factors that could affect the Company's financial results is included in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.