General Counsel of the Navy

General Counsel of the Navy
Seal of the Office of the General Counsel
Flag of the General Counsel and the Assistant Secretaries of the Navy
Incumbent Sean Coffey[1] since February 16, 2022
Department of the Navy Office of the Secretary
Style	The Honorable (formal address in writing)
Reports to	Secretary of the Navy Under Secretary of the Navy
Seat	The Pentagon, Arlington County, Virginia, United States
Nominator	The President with Senate advice and consent
Term length	No fixed term
Constituting instrument	10 U.S.C. § 8019
Precursor	Solicitor General of the Navy
Formation	1941
First holder	H. Struve Hensel
Succession	18th in SecDef succession by seniority of appointment
Deputy	Principal Deputy General Counsel
Salary	Executive Schedule, level IV[2]
Website	Official website

The General Counsel of the Department of the Navy is the senior civilian lawyer in the U.S. Department of the Navy and is the senior legal adviser to the Secretary of the Navy. The Office of the General Counsel of the Navy provides legal advice to the Secretary, the Under Secretary of the Navy and the various Assistant Secretaries of the Navy and their staffs. The General Counsel of the Navy is the third highest-ranking civilian office in the Department of the Navy, behind the Secretary and Under Secretary of the Navy.

The General Counsel maintains a close working relationship with the Judge Advocate General of the Navy, the senior uniformed lawyer in the Department of the Navy who performs statutory duties under the Uniform Code of Military Justice.

The General Counsel manages nearly 650 attorneys worldwide, helps to oversee the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, and advises senior Navy and Marine Corps officials on litigation, acquisition, contractual, fiscal, environmental, property, personnel, legislative, ethics, and intelligence law issues.