He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from New York University in 1969 and his Juris Doctor from Yale Law School in 1972.
[1] From 1977 to 1982, Honigman was an associate at the law firm of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison specializing in civil litigation.
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 Admiral Frank Kelso for his role in covering up the scandal.