Valerie Hans is an American legal scholar and psychologist. She is the Charles F. Rechlin Professor of Law at Cornell Law School^[1] and has been the editor of the Annual Review of Law and Social Science.^[2] Trained as a social scientist, her major areas of study are the jury system, jury reform, and the application of social science to law.^[1]

Hans holds a BA in psychology from the University of California, San Diego (1973), an MA (1974) and a PhD (1978) in social psychology from the University of Toronto.^[3][4]

Hans' area of study is on the jury system, conducting social science-based empirical studies on legal decision making, particularly focusing on jury decisions.^[5] She has authored or edited seven books and written scholarly publications that are listed among the highest rated in terms of scholarly impact.^[6]

Hans serves as a co-editor for the Journal of Empirical Legal Studies^[7] and was the president of the Law and Society Association for a two-year term beginning in June 2015.^[8] She was awarded the group's Stan Wheeler Mentorship Award in 2012.^[9]

Hans has appeared as a commentator in news publications and programs on the jury system and juror behavior during prominent public trials such as the Boston Marathon bombing trial of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev,^[10] and other prominent cases.^[11]

• Hans, Valerie; Robbennolt, Jennifer (2015). The Psychology of Tort Law. New York: NYU Press. ISBN 9781479814183.
• Hans, Valerie; Vidmar, Niel (2007). American Juries: The Verdict. New York: Prometheus Books. ISBN 978-1591025887.
• Hans, Valerie (2006). The Jury System: Contemporary Scholarship. Hampshire, England: Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. ISBN 978-0754625049.
• Hans, Valerie (2000). Business on Trial: The Civil Jury and Corporate Responsibility. New Haven: Yale University Press. ISBN 978-0300082067.
• Hans, Valerie; Vidmar, Neil (1986). Judging the Jury. New York: Plenum Press. ISBN 978-0738205748.

• Hans, V. P.; Blume, J. H.; Eisenberg, T.; Hritz, A. C.; Johnson, S. L.; Royer, C. E.; Wells, M. T. (2015). "The death penalty: Should the judge or the jury decide who dies?". Journal of Empirical Legal Studies. 12: 70–99. doi:10.1111/jels.12065. S2CID 155520969.
• Hans, V. P. (2014). "Reflections on the Korean jury trial". Journal of Korean Law. 14: 81–115.
• Hans, V. P. (2014). "The impact of victim participation in Saiban-in trials in Japan: Insights from the American jury experience". International Journal of Law, Crime and Justice. 42 (2): 103–116. doi:10.1016/j.ijlcj.2013.07.002.
• Hans, V. P. (2014). "What's it worth? Jury damage awards as community judgments". William & Mary Law Review. 55: 935–969.
• Hans, V. P. (2012). "What difference does a jury make?". Yonsei Law Journal. 3: 36–54.
• Johnson, S.L.; Blume, J.; Eisenberg, T.; Hans, V.P.; Wells, M. T. (2012). "The Delaware death penalty: An empirical study". Iowa Law Review. 97: 1925–1964.
• Hans, V. P.; Reyna, V. F. (2011). "To dollars from sense: Qualitative to quantitative translation in jury damage awards". Journal of Empirical Legal Studies. 8: 120–147. doi:10.1111/j.1740-1461.2011.01233.x. S2CID 678343.

• Cornell Law School Faculty Profile