Steven S. Honigman (14 May 1948 – 26 July 2022) was an American

lawyer A lawyer is a person who practices law. The role of a lawyer varies greatly across different legal jurisdictions. A lawyer can be classified as an advocate, attorney, barrister, canon lawyer, civil law notary, counsel, counselor, solic ...

who served as General Counsel of the Navy from 1993 to 1998.

Early life and education

Honigman was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York City, graduating from Midwood High School in 1965. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from New York University in 1969 and his

Juris Doctor The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice law ...

from Yale Law School in 1972. Honigman was admitted to the New York State bar in 1973.

Career

From 1972 to 1973, Honigman was a law clerk for District Judge

Jacob Mishler Jacob Mishler (April 20, 1911 – January 26, 2004) was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York from 1960 to 2004 and its Chief Judge from 1969 to 1980. Education and career Born i ...

. He then served on active duty in the Navy Judge Advocate General's Corps until 1977. From 1977 to 1982, Honigman was an associate at the law firm of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison specializing in civil litigation. From 1982 to 1993, he was a partner at the law firm of Miller, Singer, Raives & Brandes. In 1993, President of the United States Bill Clinton nominated Honigman as General Counsel of the Navy, and, after Senate confirmation, he held this office from June 1, 1993, until March 15, 1998. One of his first duties as General Counsel was to assist United States Secretary of the Navy John Howard Dalton in his confidential investigation of the Tailhook scandal. Dalton recommended removing

Chief of Naval Operations The chief of naval operations (CNO) is the professional head of the United States Navy. The position is a statutory office () held by an admiral who is a military adviser and deputy to the secretary of the Navy. In a separate capacity as a memb ...

Admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in some navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force, and is above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet, ...

Frank Kelso for his role in covering up the scandal. As General Counsel of the Navy, Honigman oversaw procurement litigation reforms. In 1997, President Clinton named him a Special Assistant responsible for purchasing encryption technology government-wide. He was awarded the

Navy Distinguished Public Service Medal A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare Amphibious warfare is a type of offensive military operation that today uses naval ships to project ...

for his service to the Navy. Upon leaving the United States Department of the Navy in 1998, Honigman joined Thelen LLP as a partner. Honigman was also a member of the

EastWest Institute The EastWest Institute (EWI), originally known as the Institute for East-West Security Studies and officially the Institute for EastWest Studies, Inc., was an international not-for-profit, non-partisan think tank focusing on international confli ...

Personal

Honigman married Irene Elizabeth Finel. They have a daughter.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Honigman, Steven S. 1948 births 2022 deaths Lawyers from Brooklyn Midwood High School alumni New York University alumni Yale Law School alumni United States Navy officers General Counsels of the United States Navy Clinton administration personnel Recipients of the Navy Distinguished Public Service Award