Dweynie Esther Paul is a Kings County Civil Court Judge, currently presiding in Queens County Family Court. Dweynie Paul was born and raised in Cambria Heights, Queens and currently resides in the Bedford Stuyvesant Community in Brooklyn. With a passion for justice and the community, Dweynie began to pursue a career in law and public service. Dweynie attended SUNY Stony Brook University where she obtained a Dual Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science and Social Science, with a Minor in Child and Family Studies.
While in college, she studied abroad in London, England at Middlesex University within its British Legal System Program. Upon her return from England, she interned with the Honorable Daniel Lewis of the Criminal Supreme Court in Queens County. She continued her education within Stony Brook’s Graduate Program and obtained a Master’s Degree in Public Policy. As a Policy Analyst for the NYS Comptroller’s Office, she studied immigration related issues, with a focus on immigrants’ ability to gain access to essential resources, such as education, employment and healthcare and their impact on the economy. Thereafter, she went on to George Washington University Law School in Washington D.C. where she received her Juris Doctorate Degree.
Dweynie began her legal career within the court system as a Judicial Law Clerk for the Honorable Marcella A. Holland, Administrative Judge for the Baltimore City Circuit Court. As a Judicial Law Clerk, she worked to resolve disputes in the areas of civil, family, and criminal law. Dweynie later became In-House Counsel for a fortune 500 insurance company. She represented people in Supreme Court, Civil Court and Small Claims Court proceedings where she litigated various issues such as, contract disputes, premise liability, personal injury, property damage, products liability, intentional torts, and lawsuits related to residential and commercial real estate claims. For over 12 years Dweynie has practiced law throughout New York City and New York State.
Dweynie has never wavered from her commitment to the community. As the former Director of Community Service for the Metropolitan Black Bar Association and former Member of Community Board 3, she has developed programs and workshops that served to create greater access to justice, resources and information for our communities. In 2015, Dweynie became the first person of Haitian-American decent to be elected Civil Court Judge in the State of New York. Today, Dweynie presides over cases with experience, integrity and compassion.