Professor Pierce has published extensively on government regulation and the performance of regulated markets. His writings have been cited and relied upon by numerous agencies and courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court.

He has provided expert testimony on the performance of energy markets before state and federal agencies and courts. He has consulted to a large number of private participants in energy markets and for many government agencies, including the General Accounting Office, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, the Agency for International Development and the World Bank.

Professor Pierce received a B.S. in economics from Lehigh University and a J.D. from the University of Virginia. In 1994, he received the American Bar Association award for the best scholarship published in the field of administrative law and regulatory practice.