Jessica Lake is a legal scholar whose research focuses on defamation law, gender, and legal history. She is the author of *Special Damage: The Slander of Women and the Gendered History of Defamation Law*, published by Stanford University Press in 2025, which explores how defamation doctrines have historically treated women, the development of legal standards for reputational harm, and the broader social implications of these legal frameworks. Lake’s work combines legal analysis with historical context to show how defamation law has reflected and reinforced gendered assumptions in both doctrine and practice. In addition to her book, she contributes to academic discourse through law review articles, lectures, and conferences on torts, media law, and gender justice. Her scholarship informs ongoing discussions about legal reform and the interplay between law, reputation, and social inequality.