Paul Figley is professor of legal rhetoric emeritus at American University Washington College of Law (AUWCL), where he taught from 2006-2024. During his tenure at AUWCL, the Student Bar Association voted him Professor of the Year in 2012-13 and Faculty Member of the Year  for 2014-15. Figley also served on the advisory boards of the Administrative Law Review and the American University Law Review.

Professor Figley has published articles in scholarly journals and a book, A Guide to the Federal Tort Claims Act (ABA, 2d ed. 2018).  He has testified before Congressional committees on matters pertaining to government liability and appropriations. He has presented at scholarly symposia and conferences and taught writing workshops to national organizations, international organizations, and government agencies. In 2017, he won Washington College of Law’s Emalee C. Godsey Scholar Award.

Professor Figley was a U.S. Department of Justice litigator for three decades. During his last fifteen years at Justice he served as Deputy Director in the Torts Branch of the Civil Division. At Justice, Professor Figley represented the United States and its agencies in appellate and district court litigation involving torts, national security, and information law. 

Professor Figley is a graduate of Franklin & Marshall College and Southern Methodist University School of Law, where he was Leading Articles Editor for the Journal of Air Law & Commerce.