Paul S. Koffsky

Adjunct Professor of Law

Paul S. Koffsky served in multiple senior roles in the Department of Defense in a 45-year career spanning ten Presidents, thirteen Secretaries of Defense, and sixteen Department of Defense General Counsels. He provided legal and prudential advice on a wide range of matters affecting the Department and national security, including civil-military relations, military justice, sexual assault prevention and response, military equal opportunity/civilian equal employment opportunity, dependents’ education operational matters, organizational and authorities issues, the Federal Vacancies Reform Act, labor-management relations, the Federal Tort Claims Act, non-appropriated fund instrumentalities, health care law, and military reserve affairs.

In addition, the Secretary of Defense designated Mr. Koffsky to oversee the delivery of defense services for military commissions. As the senior official performing the duties of the Department of Defense General Counsel from January to August 2017, Mr. Koffsky led the Department of Defense Office of General Counsel and the Defense Legal Services Agency (DoD OGC and DLSA) during a critical period of Presidential transition and thereafter under Secretary of Defense James Mattis. He also performed the duties of the DoD General Counsel on various other occasions under several Secretaries of Defense. During these periods, he was the principal legal advisor to the Secretary and Deputy Secretary of Defense.

Mr. Koffsky is a graduate of Harvard College (1973) and Columbia Law School (1976). Before joining the Department of Defense, he was an associate in a Washington, D.C., law firm, where, among other projects, he served on the team advising the Northern Mariana Islands Constitutional Convention. He is the recipient of multiple awards, including six Presidential Rank Awards, the DoD Distinguished Civilian Service Award (four awards), the Secretary of Defense Meritorious Civilian Service Award, and the Office of the Secretary of Defense Medal for Exceptional Civilian Service (two awards). In addition, the District of Columbia Bar presented Mr. Koffsky the Beatrice Rosenberg Award for Excellence in Government Service.

He is a member of the District of Columbia Bar and admitted to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces. He retired from the Department of Defense on December 31, 2022, as the Senior Deputy General Counsel and Deputy General Counsel (Personnel & Health Policy) and is currently a consultant to the Office of the DoD General Counsel.

Mr. Koffsky is a member of the adjunct faculty of Fordham Law School and of Columbia Law School, where he served most recently as a Lecturer in Law co-teaching a seminar on the U.S. Law of Civil-Military Relations during the 2025 January Term. He will co-teach this course with Professor Thomas Lee during the 2026 January Term at Fordham Law School.