About Kensley
Kensley Barrett built a legal path that crosses public service and private practice. He earned a B.A. in English from Florida International University, a J.D. from the University of Connecticut School of Law in 2008, and later added an MBA from Boston University in 2015. Those degrees anchor a career that has moved between federal agencies, indigent defense and his own practice.
Early in his career Barrett worked on civil rights issues in the federal government. In 2011 he served as a Civil Rights Specialist at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, examining fair housing complaints and enforcement questions. The work required detailed factual review and familiarity with federal housing statutes. He later joined the U.S. Department of Education in 2015 as a civil rights lawyer, handling investigations and compliance matters tied to educational institutions.
Barrett also spent time in criminal defense. In 2013 he was an Assistant Public Defender at the Rhode Island Public Defender’s Office. That role put him in court on a regular basis, managing trials, motions and plea negotiations on behalf of clients who could not afford private counsel. The combination of federal civil rights work and trial experience shaped a practice capable of moving between administrative processes and courtroom advocacy.
In 2016 Barrett began operating under the Law Office of Kensley R. Barrett, taking on clients directly and managing a small firm’s case load. He later became associated with Marin, Barrett, and Murphy Law Office. His bar memberships include both Rhode Island and Massachusetts, and he maintains membership in the National College for DUI Defense, reflecting experience in drunk-driving defense and related criminal matters.
Colleagues describe Barrett as methodical in case preparation and direct in court. He has handled investigations at the agency level and contested matters in state criminal courts. That breadth of experience informs how he approaches discovery, client counseling and litigation strategy. He balances statutory and regulatory work on one hand and constitutional and trial issues on the other.
Barrett’s practice today is situated at Marin, Barrett, and Murphy Law Office, where he handles civil rights matters, criminal defense including DUI cases, and related litigation arising in Rhode Island and Massachusetts. He continues to split his time between casework in court and administrative advocacy before federal agencies.
