James R. Feltner, LLM
James Feltner is one of the nation's only practicing temporal-dispute attorneys, representing clients in matters involving paradox liability, causality breach, and wrongful acts that occur outside conventional chronological sequence.
James R. Feltner is a partner at Cordwell, Holloway & Feltner, LLP, and the founder of the firm's Temporal Dispute and Paradox Liability practice. Mr. Feltner's work addresses what is widely considered the most complex and procedurally challenging area of modern civil litigation: claims arising from events that do not conform to linear chronological order. His clients include individuals who have suffered harm as a result of temporal displacement, causality inversion, retroactive negligence, and other injuries for which conventional statutes of limitation are structurally inadequate.
Mr. Feltner is the architect of the Causality Breach Doctrine, a legal framework that permits plaintiffs to pursue claims for injuries caused by events that have not yet occurred at the time of filing, or that occurred in a sequence inconsistent with standard temporal progression. The doctrine, first articulated in his 2010 article in the Columbia Law Review, has been cited in twelve reported decisions and was instrumental in the resolution of Okafor v. Unknown Future Defendant (2016), the first-ever wrongful death claim brought on behalf of a client whose death preceded its proximate cause by approximately fourteen months. Mr. Feltner served as lead counsel in that matter, which settled on terms that remain sealed pursuant to a temporal confidentiality order.
Mr. Feltner received his J.D. from Columbia Law School, where he graduated first in his class and served as Editor-in-Chief of the Columbia Law Review. He subsequently obtained an LLM in Chronological Jurisprudence from an institution whose accreditation status he describes as 'pending in the current timeline.' He has declined to provide further details regarding this degree, citing temporal confidentiality obligations that he states are binding but not yet in effect. His prior professional experience is similarly difficult to verify through conventional means, though court records confirm his admission to the bars of New York, the District of Columbia, and at least one jurisdiction whose name has been redacted from publicly available filings.
Mr. Feltner asks that prospective clients contact the firm in strict chronological order and notes that he is unable to accept representation in matters where he has already served as opposing counsel in a future proceeding. He is a member of the American Bar Association's Temporal Law Working Group and has testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee's Subcommittee on Emerging Legal Frameworks on the need for federal legislation addressing paradox liability.
Capabilities
Practice Areas
Recent Work
- Lead counsel, Okafor v. Unknown Future Defendant (2016) — first wrongful death claim where death preceded its cause; settled under temporal seal
- Lead counsel, In re Grandfather Paradox Multi-District Litigation (2020) — coordinated claims for 47 plaintiffs alleging retroactive nonexistence
- Co-counsel, Voss v. Chronos Laboratories, Inc. (2022) — $8.3M verdict for negligent temporal displacement of laboratory employee
- Lead counsel, Estate of Park v. Park (2024) — successfully argued that a decedent could not serve as executor of their own pre-death estate
Publications & Speaking
- 'Causality Breach and the Limits of Proximate Cause' — Columbia Law Review, Vol. 110 (2010)
- 'The Grandfather Paradox as a Question of Standing' — University of Chicago Law Review, Vol. 82 (2015)
- 'Temporal Displacement and the Due Process Clause' — Harvard Law Review, Vol. 132 (2019)
- 'Statutes of Limitation in Non-Linear Chronology: A Proposed Framework' — Yale Law Journal, Vol. 130 (2021)
- 'Retroactive Consent and the Temporal Autonomy Doctrine' — Stanford Law Review, Vol. 76 (2024)
Recognition
- Columbia Law Review — 'Most Cited Article of the Decade' for 'Causality Breach and the Limits of Proximate Cause' (2020)
- National Law Journal — 'Legal Visionary' (2018)
- American Bar Association — Chair, Temporal Law Working Group (2019–present)
- Senate Judiciary Committee — Invited Expert Witness, Subcommittee on Emerging Legal Frameworks (2021)