Jessica Deborah Findley
- Professor of Practice, Law
- Director, Bar and Academic Success
Contact
- (520) 621-1373
- College of Law Building, Rm. 140
- Tucson, AZ 85721
- jessfin@arizona.edu
Biography
Jessica D. Findley, J.D., Ph.D, grew up in Dallas, Texas. She attended the University of Texas at Austin, earning her BA in psychology. A Double Wildcat, (JD, PhD), Dr. Findley earned both her law degree and PhD in psychology at the University of Arizona. After graduating, Dr. Findley gained experience in juvenile and dependency law by clerking for the Hon. Christopher P. Staring at Pima County Juvenile Court before serving the court and community as mediator. Dr. Findley is currently the Director of Bar & Academic Success and a Professor of Practice at the University of Arizona College of Law. Dr. Findley launched critical educational initiatives at the Law College, such as JD‐Next and LAWtina, the success of which have been supported empirically. Dr. Findley has also worked on innovative programs at the Arizona College of Law such as the i4J Licensed Legal Advocate Pilot as well as federally-funded research. Dr. Findley is using her expertise to strategically plan and critically evaluate future bar success efforts. Dr. Findley’s interdisciplinary approach to attorney advocacy was published by the American Psychological Association in 2010.
Awards
- I-Squared Awards, #MADEITHAPPEN honor
- Tech Launch Arizona, Fall 2024
- Arizona HSI Evidence Based Practice Awardee
- Arizona HSI Consortium, Winter 2023
- 2023 Programs to Watch
- Excelencia in Education, Fall 2023
Interests
No activities entered.
Courses
2025-26 Courses
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Pre-Bar Professional Skills
LAW 679A (Fall 2025)
2024-25 Courses
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Pre-Bar Professional Skills
LAW 679A (Spring 2025) -
Pre-Bar Professional Skills
LAW 698A (Spring 2025) -
Psyc/Law+Juvenil Justice
PSY 378 (Spring 2025) -
Pre-Bar Professional Skills
LAW 679A (Fall 2024) -
Preparing to Practice
LAW 679B (Fall 2024)
2023-24 Courses
-
Pre-Bar Professional Skills
LAW 679A (Spring 2024) -
Pre-Bar Professional Skills
LAW 698A (Spring 2024) -
Pre-Bar Professional Skills
LAW 679A (Fall 2023) -
Preparing to Practice
LAW 679B (Fall 2023) -
Substantial Paper
LAW 692 (Fall 2023)
2022-23 Courses
-
Pre-Bar Professional Skills
LAW 679A (Spring 2023) -
Pre-Bar Professional Skills
LAW 698A (Spring 2023) -
Pre-Bar Professional Skills
LAW 679A (Fall 2022) -
Preparing to Practice
LAW 679B (Fall 2022)
2021-22 Courses
-
Independent Study
LAW 699 (Summer I 2022) -
Independent Study
LAW 499 (Spring 2022) -
Pre-Bar Professional Skills
LAW 679A (Spring 2022) -
Pre-Bar Professional Skills
LAW 698A (Spring 2022) -
Pre-Bar Professional Skills
LAW 679A (Fall 2021) -
Preparing to Practice
LAW 679B (Fall 2021)
2020-21 Courses
-
Independent Study
LAW 699 (Spring 2021) -
Independent Study
LAW 699 (Fall 2020)
2019-20 Courses
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Special Topics in the Law
LAW 495 (Spring 2020) -
Special Topics in the Law
LAW 595 (Spring 2020)
Scholarly Contributions
Journals/Publications
- Cheng, K., Findley, J. D., Cimetta, A., Burross, H., Charles, M., Balser, C., Li, R., & Robertson, C. T. (2022). JD-Next: A randomized experiment of an online scalable program to prepare diverse students for law school. Journal of Legal Education, 71(4), 673-715.
- Holtzman, S., Steinberg, J., Weeks, J., Robertson, C., Findley, J., & Klieger, D. (2024). Validity, Reliability, and Fairness Evidence for the JD‐Next Exam. ETS Research Report Series. doi:https://doi.org/10.1002/ets2.12378
- Findley, J. D., Buzick, H. M., Robertson, C., Burross, H. L., Charles, M., & Klieger, D. M. (2023). The Association of Participating in a Summer Prelaw Training Program and First-Year Law School Students’ Grades. The Journal Education, Research, & Practice, 13(1), 181-202. doi:https://doi.org/10.5590/JERAP.2023.13.1.14
- Findley, J. D., Cimetta, A. D., Burross, H. L., Chang, K., Charles, M., Balser, C. B., Li, R., & Robertson, C. (2023). JD-Next: A Valid and Reliable Tool to Predict Diverse Students’ Success in Law School . Journal of Empirical Legal Studies, 20(1), 31.
- Robertson, C., Woods, A., Bergstrand, K., Findley, J., Balser, C., & Slepian, M. J. (2023). Diverse patients' attitudes towards Artificial Intelligence (AI) in diagnosis. PLOS Digital Health, 2(5), e0000237.
Presentations
- Findley, J. D. (2024, March). LAWtina. Evidence Based Practices Webinar. Webinar: AZ HSI Consortium.
- Findley, J. D. (2024, May 15). Continuing the Pursuit of Student Diversity in a Post-Affirmative Action World. AccessLex Spring Sync Workshop. Webcast: AccessLex Institute.More infoFollowing Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA) last year, colleges and universities have had to identify race-neutral approaches to ensure that their entering classes are diverse. Join our panelists for a continued discussion of ways in which law schools and pre-law advisors can help foster the enrollment of law students from underrepresented backgrounds, even when race and ethnicity can no longer be considered.
- Findley, J. D. (2024, May). Skills Based Resilience Interventions: Empowering Law Students Through a Resilience Focused Pre-Law and First-Year Curriculum. Building Resilience Conference. University of Pittsburgh School of Law: University of Pittsburgh School of Law.
- Findley, J. D. (2023, October). Validity, Reliability and Fairness Evidence for the JD-Next Exam. Conference on Empirical Legal Studies. University of Chicago: Conference on Empirical Legal Studies.
- Findley, J. D., & Robertson, C. T. (2023). Supporting Student Preparedness and Diversity Through JD-Next. National Association of Law Student Affairs Professionals. Denver, Colorado: National Association of Law Student Affairs Professionals.
Poster Presentations
- Findley, J. D. (2022, Fall). Increasing the Pool of Successful Law School Students: The Effect of a Training Program on First-Year Law School Students’ Grades (JD-Next). Conference on Empirical Legal Studies. Charlottesville, VA.
Creative Productions
- Findley, J. D., & Wagenheim, M. (2024. Bar Success Database Platform Development. I-Corps. Online: Tech Launch Arizona.More infoThe I-Corps program develops and nurtures a national innovation ecosystem built upon fundamental research and the development of technologies, products, processes, and services that benefit society.The I-Corps regional training program provides a hands-on, high-impact and fast-paced opportunity for innovators to learn to commercialize their technology.
