Darlene Hemerka, Esq.

​Darlene Hemerka, Esquire brings a passion for equity and inclusion to her role as a Hearing Examiner for the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission (PHRC). Hemerka became an attorney to enforce civil rights laws. Part of her passion stems from the fact that she was born with Cerebral Palsy and uses a walker to ambulate.

Prior to joining the PHRC, Hemerka was a staff attorney at the Legal Clinic for the Disabled. Her responsibilities included overseeing the intake line, 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.

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. As a fellow, she designed a project to ensure that students with disabilities ages 14-21 received appropriate "transition services;" activities designed to prepare the student for employment and further education. After completing her fellowship, Hemerka became a staff attorney at the Law Center and worked on education cases.

Before joining the Law Center, Hemerka was a judicial law clerk at the Superior Court of New Jersey. She conducted mediation in small claims cases, drafted orders in family matters and communicated with attorneys and self-represented litigants. 

Email: dhemerka@pa.gov