Jess Stevens graduated from the University of Montana Davidson Honors College in 2016 with degrees in Philosophy and Economics. To her, the two fields were opposite sides of one very important coin. On one side is the culmination of our beliefs, desires and intuitions packed tightly into lenses through which we analyze and critique the human experience. Economics, on the other hand, is a way of quantifying that experience. It tells us what people value, how they attach value and how their value system is influenced by external factors. It is also a way to take what we know about society and influence behavior. To incentivize “good” or efficient behavior and disincentivize bad.

With those degrees she believed she had both the understanding of the “why,” why problems arise, why people act as they do and the “what,” or what effect these problems and actions may have on the economy or a given business and what creates inefficiencies. But she still lacked the “how,” or how to use her understanding of the world to effect change within it. So, she went to law school.

Jess is currently in her 2^nd year at the University of Virginia School of Law. Over her 1L summer, Jess worked as a research assistant studying topics in financial regulation, monetary policy and corporate law. These studies got her excited about the possibility of advising new, emerging companies as they navigate the tricky regulatory waters that come with bringing a new, ground-breaking or life-saving idea to market. Next summer, Jess will be doing just that as a summer associate with Perkins Coie in Seattle.