Rate My Professor Tess Wilkinson-Ryan

Her research examines the psychology of legal decision-making, focusing on the role of moral judgment in private contracts and negotiations. Using experimental methods from psychology and behavioral economics, she investigates how moral intuitions shape legal choices related to mortgage borrowing and default, retirement planning, contract precautions, and responses to breach. Notable works include her book Fool Proof: How Fear of Playing the Sucker Shapes Our Selves and the Social Order—and What We Can Do About It (HarperCollins, 2023); articles such as "Breach Is for Suckers" (Vanderbilt Law Review, 2010, with David Hoffman), "The Perverse Consequences of Disclosing Standard Terms" (Cornell Law Review, 2017), "The Knowledge Gap in Workplace Retirement Investing and the Role of Professional Advisors" (Duke Law Journal, 2016, with Jill E. Fisch and Kristin Firth), and "Justifying Bad Deals" (University of Pennsylvania Law Review, 2020). Wilkinson-Ryan has earned the A. Leo Levin Award for Excellence in Teaching an Introductory Course (2012), Harvey Levin Memorial Award for Teaching Excellence (2014), and 2025 Lindback Award. She teaches Contracts, Consumer Law, Law and Psychology, and Ethical Leadership for Lawyers.