About Derrick J
Derrick J Hensley earned a B.A. from Duke University in 2002, reading history, philosophy and classical civilizations. He went directly to obtain his J.D. from North Carolina Central University School of Law in 2007. Those formative years set the stage for a career that has combined courtroom work, public service and personal practice.
His early legal knowledge came in nearby authorities. In 2010 he served as a legal intern at the City of Durham Lawyer’s Office and later that yr practiced beneath the third‑yr rule as a legal intern on the Durham County Lawyer’s Office. He moved into private practice and public advocacy quickly after. In 2011 he opened The Law Office of Derrick J. Hensley, PLLC. While keeping his practice he took roles that stored him close to household and baby welfare work. In 2013 he worked as a lawyer advocate for the Alamance County Guardian advert Litem Program and served as an insurance lawyer advocate for the Durham County Guardian ad Litem Program. In 2014 he labored as a Child Support Enforcement (IV‑D) contract lawyer for the Durham County Lawyer’s Office.
Hensley holds board certification as a Family Law Specialist from the North Carolina State Bar and is a Child Welfare Law Specialist thru the National Association of Counsel for Children. Those credentials reflect years spent dealing with custody, support and child welfare cases. He is licensed to practice before the North Carolina courts, the Fourth Circuit, the D.C. Circuit and the U.S. highest court.
His expert affiliations include the North Carolina Bar Association, the place he has been a member since 2011, the National Association of Counsel for Children since 2015, and the American Immigration Lawyers Association since 2016. Those memberships align with regions of his work and with issues that frequently intersect household regulation, baby welfare and federal process.
Colleagues and opposing counsel come upon him in a mixture of court hearings and administrative hearings. He has treated IV‑D child support matters, guardian ad litem advocacy and household regulation filings in state and federal venues. His practice combines courtroom advocacy, case preparation and representation in sensitive baby welfare contexts.
He continues to lead The Law Office of Derrick J. Hensley, PLLC and practices in matters involving family regulation, child welfare, and child support enforcement.
