Judge Dweynie Esther Paul is a Kings County Civil Court Judge, elected in 2015.  She resides in the Bedford Stuyvesant section of 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 of Arts degree in Political Science and Social Science, with a minor in Child and Family Studies.

While in college, Dweynie studied abroad in London, England at Middlesex University within its British Legal System Program.  Upon her return, she gained first-hand knowledge of criminal proceedings by interning for a Justice of the Queens County Criminal Supreme Court.  Thereafter, she completed her Master of Arts degree in Public Policy at SUNY Stony Brook.  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, Dweynie graduated from George Washington University Law School in Washington D.C. where she received her Juris Doctorate degree.  During her time in D.C., she worked in the Vaccine Injury Litigation Clinic, appearing before the US Court of Federal Claims and negotiating with the US Department of Justice on behalf of injured persons.

Dweynie began her legal career within the court system as a Judicial Law Clerk for an Administrative Judge of 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, Civil 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 practiced law throughout New York State.  She dedicated some of her practice to alternative dispute resolution, having obtained extensive training, managed a team of paralegals and oversaw attorneys’ arbitration submissions before the American Arbitration Association.   

Dweynie has never wavered from her commitment to the community.  As the former Director of Community Service for the Metropolitan Black Bar Association, former member of Community Board 3 and former member of the Vanguard Independent Democratic Club she has developed programs and workshops that served to create greater access to justice, resources and information for our communities.  She organized the first annual Community Law Day, annual Domestic Violence workshops, and founded the Young Men’s Leadership Initiative.  As a Deacon at Mt. Lebanon Baptist Church, she leads a ministry that supports caregivers, both spiritually and by providing practical resources for elder care and mental health. Her work as Secretary of the Judicial Friends Association, an organization of New York State Black Judges, serves to promote diversity in the courts and support a pipeline for others entering the legal field. 

In 2015, Dweynie became the first person of Haitian-American descent to be elected Civil Court Judge in the State of New York.  She commenced her term in 2016, presiding in Family Court, focusing on custody, visitation, domestic violence, adoptions, guardianship and child support objections.  She sat on the Administrative Judge’s Advisory Committee in an effort to improve Family Court statewide.  She understands the need to bridge the gap between the community and the courts and collaborated with the NYS Unified Court System’s Office of Justice Initiatives to create events like Clergy Day and programs that expand free supervised visitation for parents and children. 

Currently, Dweynie presides over cases in Civil Court, hearing small claims, commercial landlord tenant, consumer debt, first-party benefits, personal injury and other civil trials with experience, integrity and compassion.