Jessica Gooding joined Baron & Budd’s Environmental Litigation Group as an eDiscovery associate in January 2020, where she manages electronic information vital to the firm’s large-scale complex environmental tort cases, including the nationwide multi-district litigation against 3M, DuPont, and other corporations related to PFOA/PFOS contamination of groundwater and soil through the use of aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF). In addition, Ms. Gooding has been instrumental in the management of data for the ongoing litigation against DuPont and Chemours for their roles in the contamination of North Carolina’s Cape Fear River with GenX.
Prior to joining the Environmental Litigation Group, Ms. Gooding spent a year working with Baron & Budd’s Pharmaceutical Litigation Group, helping in the fight against the opioid epidemic. Ms. Gooding has always had a passion for client advocacy and loves the opportunity Baron & Budd has given her to truly change people’s lives.
In 2012, Ms. Gooding graduated with honors from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Honors Program with a bachelor’s degree in Political Science, minoring in Human Rights & Diversity and Philosophy, with an eye toward her future as an attorney. In 2015, Ms. Gooding received her Juris Doctor from Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law in Dallas, Texas. While in law school, Ms. Gooding honed her legal skills within the SMU Criminal Defense Clinic and later as an intern with the Collin County District Attorney’s Office Crimes Against Children Division. Ms. Gooding was recognized for her volunteer service with these organizations through SMU’s Pro-Bono Honor Roll Award.
As a member of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, Ms. Gooding received invaluable support throughout her academic career from the Tribe’s Higher Education and Career Development programs. Ms. Gooding was also the recipient of numerous other academic scholarships and awards, including being named a National Hispanic Merit Scholar finalist and receiving the Robert C. Byrd Honors Scholarship while at UNL, and was a recipient of the Law Dean’s Scholarship Award program while at SMU.
When not practicing law, Ms. Gooding enjoys spending time with her husband, Daniel, playing golf, watching movies, and spoiling their many pets.
Education
Southern Methodist University (J.D., 2015)
University of Nebraska-Lincoln (B.A., 2012)
Bar and Court Admissions
State Bar of Texas