Heidi Li Feldman
Professor of Law
Heidi Li Feldman is a Professor of Law at Georgetown University Law Center, with a courtesy appointment in the Georgetown University Philosophy Department. She earned both her J.D. and Ph.D. in philosophy from the University of Michigan, and her scholarship bridges tort law theory, legal ethics, and political philosophy. She joined the Georgetown faculty in 1998 and has become known for her interdisciplinary approach to teaching and scholarship. She also founded and directs Leaders from Law, a program training law students and lawyers considering careers in public office.
Teaching Style
Professor Feldman brings her dual training in law and philosophy to bear in her teaching, using the Socratic method to push students beyond mechanical rule application toward deeper engagement with the moral and philosophical foundations of tort doctrine. She cold-calls consistently and expects students to reason through why negligence law is structured the way it is, not just how it works. Her questions often explore the boundary between legal analysis and ethical reasoning, making her torts class both doctrinally rigorous and intellectually stimulating.
Cold Call Tips
- 1Understand not just the elements of negligence but the philosophical justifications for each element
- 2Be prepared to discuss competing theories of tort liability including corrective justice and economic efficiency
- 3Read the cases carefully for their reasoning, not just their holdings, as she probes the rationale behind judicial decisions
- 4Think about how tort principles connect to broader ethical concepts like prudence, care, and responsibility
Areas of Expertise
Education
- J.D., University of Michigan Law School
- Ph.D., University of Michigan (Philosophy)
Notable Publications
- Prudence, Benevolence, and Negligence: Virtue Ethics and Tort Law
- Major articles on tort law in Georgetown Law Journal and other leading reviews
Research Interests
More Professors at Georgetown University Law Center
Constitutional Law, Contracts, Legal Theory
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Information Privacy, Intellectual Property, Surveillance Law, Platform Regulation
Constitutional Law, International Law, National Security Law, Criminal Law and Procedure
Business Law, Commercial Law, Economic Justice, Race and the Law
Professional Responsibility, Corporations, Legal Ethics, American Legal Profession