Darlene Hemerka Esquire brings a passion for equity and inclusion to her role as a Hearing Examiner for the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission (PHRC). Ms. Hemerka became an attorney to enforce civil rights laws. Part of Ms. Hemerka’s passion stems from the fact that she was born with cerebral palsy and uses a walker to ambulate.
Prior to joining the PHRC, Ms. Hemerka was a staff attorney at the Legal Clinic for the Disabled. Her responsibilities included educating families and practitioners on alternatives to guardianship for adults with disabilities and representing tenants in municipal court and in front of the Philadelphia Fair Housing Commission.
Ms. Hemerka also worked at the Public Interest Law Center, (Law Center). She began her time at the Law Center as an Equal Justice Works Fellow. After completing her fellowship, Ms. Hemerka was a staff attorney at the Law Center and worked on education cases. Before joining the Law Center, Ms. Hemerka was a judicial law clerk.