About Derrick J
Derrick J Hensley earned a B.A. from Duke University in 2002, studying history, philosophy and classical civilizations. He went on to receive 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 private practice.
His early legal experience came in local government. In 2010 he served as a legal intern at the City of Durham Lawyer’s Office and later that year practiced under the third‑year rule as a legal intern at the Durham County Lawyer’s Office. He moved into private practice and public advocacy soon after. In 2011 he opened The Law Office of Derrick J. Hensley, PLLC. While maintaining his practice he took roles that kept him close to family and child welfare work. In 2013 he worked as a lawyer advocate for the Alamance County Guardian ad Litem Program and served as a coverage lawyer advocate for the Durham County Guardian ad Litem Program. In 2014 he worked 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 through the National Association of Counsel for Children. Those credentials reflect years spent handling custody, support and child welfare cases. He is admitted to practice before the North Carolina courts, the Fourth Circuit, the D.C. Circuit and the U.S. Supreme Court.
His professional affiliations include the North Carolina Bar Association, where 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 areas of his work and with issues that frequently intersect family law, child welfare and federal procedure.
Colleagues and opposing counsel encounter him in a mix of courtroom hearings and administrative proceedings. He has handled IV‑D child support matters, guardian ad litem advocacy and family law filings in state and federal venues. His practice combines courtroom advocacy, case preparation and representation in sensitive child welfare contexts.
He continues to lead The Law Office of Derrick J. Hensley, PLLC and practices in matters involving family law, child welfare, and child support enforcement.
