Paul M. Hensley

Paul M. Hensley

Conservative

BACKGROUND: Hensley, 57, of East Northport, is running on the Democratic, Conservative, Working Families, and Independence party lines in the general election. Since 2016, he has been a principal law clerk in  the Supreme Court Law Department assigned to Riverhead, writing drafts of opinions for Supreme Court justices. In January 2015, Hensley became a court attorney-referee at the Cohalan Court Complex in Central Islip. Hensley, a former 12-year District Court judge, lost re-election four years ago. He  was appointed to the county court in 2002 by Suffolk County Executive Robert Gaffney and approved by the Suffolk County Legislature. Hensley served as a principal law clerk to County Court Judge James Hudson from January 2001 to July 2002 and to State Supreme Court Justice Leonard B. Austin from January 1999 to January 2001. From March 1998 to January 1999, he worked as a special assistant attorney for Huntington Town. Before that, he worked for the insurance underwriter Robert Plan Corp.  in Bethpage from 1994 to 1998. Hensley spent eight years, from 1986 to 1994, as a Suffolk assistant district attorney working prosecuting white collar-complex litigation. Hensley received an associate degree from Nassau Community College in 1981 and a bachelor of science degree from SUNY Albany in 1983. Hensley received his law degree from SUNY Buffalo  law school in 1986. He was admitted to the New York State Bar in 1987. Hensley is a member of the Nassau County Bar Association and the Suffolk County Bar Association. He is a former president of the New York State District Court Judges Association.