Valerie Hans
Professor of Law, Cornell Law School
Valerie P. Hans is the Charles F. Rechlin Professor of Law at Cornell Law School, where she teaches courses on torts, social science and the law, and a seminar on the contemporary American jury system. She holds a Ph.D. in Social Psychology from the University of Toronto and is a leading authority on jury systems in the USA and in other countries. She has carried out extensive research and lectured around the globe on juries and jury reforms. She is the author or editor of 10 books and over 150 research articles. Right now, she is excited to be coediting the Research Handbook on Jury Decision Making, which includes chapters by many of the top scholars who study the jury. It should be a great resource for people who want to know all that researchers have learned about juries. It will be published by Elgar within the next year or so.
Her books include Business on Trial: The Civil Jury and Corporate Responsibility; Judging the Jury; American Juries: The Verdict; The Psychology of Tort Law; and Juries, Lay Judges, and Mixed Courts: A Global Perspective. Her coauthored article, Democratic Renewal and the Civil Jury, which offers recommendations for strengthening the U.S. civil jury system, was recently awarded the 2025 Civil Justice Scholarship Award from the National Civil Justice Institute.
She has consulted with judges, lawyers, and courts about a variety of jury matters. She is an elected member of the American Law Institute and is on the Board of Advisors of the Civil Justice Research Initiative. She has served as president of the Law and Society Association and co-president of the Society for Empirical Legal Studies.
In her spare time, she makes (admittedly pretty mediocre) wine. But hope springs eternal.
1:00 - 1:50PM Session
Wednesday Oct 1st
Data on Damages
Join Valerie Hans as she unveils groundbreaking empirical research conducted with her colleagues, offering rare insights into how jurors navigate the complex and often controversial task of determining damage awards. Discover what truly influences jury decisions, and how these findings could reshape the future of civil justice.