David F. Chermol, Esq.

Managing Partner

Mr. Chermol is a Founding and Lead Partner at the disability law firm of Chermol & Fishman, LLC. He represents Social Security disability and SSI claimants across the United States both at the administrative level and in federal court.

From 1997 until 2007, Mr. Chermol was as an Assistant Regional Counsel for the Social Security Administration’s Office of the General Counsel in Philadelphia.

In this capacity, he served as a Special Assistant United States Attorney for the Commissioner of Social Security in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and the District of Delaware.

Mr. Chermol was a GS-15 level attorney and served as the Commissioner’s senior disability litigator in Mid-Atlantic Region III.

He personally litigated or developed litigation strategy in most of the major disability cases resulting in published decisions in the Third and Fourth Circuits during his ten years at SSA. He received two Excellence in Service Awards and a General Counsel’s citation in his career at SSA, along with numerous other awards.

Mr. Chermol provided national and regional training to SSA’s administrative law judges with respect to disability law and how to issue legally defensible decisions. In coordination with the Department of Justice, he provided national training to SSA’s attorneys on effective oral and written appellate advocacy.

Mr. Chermol acted as SSA’s lead author, presenter, and editor for the 2006 and 2007 Continuing Legal Education courses in Pennsylvania on disability appeals in the federal courts. He served on a four-member national team to advise the Commissioner of SSA on issues pertaining to the review ability of subsidy determinations for the new Medicare Part D prescription drug program.

Ready to handle your case, no matter where you live.
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Mr. Chermol currently serves by appointment of the court as Social Security Disability Pro Se Appeals Coordinator in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.  He also served for several years as the Co-Chair for the Philadelphia Bar Association’s Social Security Disability Committee. He has also been named the 2013-2014 National Association of Disability Representatives Member of the Year.

Mr. Chermol was the leading appellate disability attorney in the nation pursuing Appointments Clause constitutional challenges in the disability context, litigation which ultimately led to the Supreme Court’s favorable decision in the case of Carr v. Saul, 141 S.Ct. 1352 (2021)

Mr. Chermol was a member of the National Disability Policy Committee for President Barack Obama’s 2008 Campaign and in that capacity served as Regional Co-Director on disability issues in Pennsylvania.

Mr. Chermol won the League of Conservation Voters’ 2004 Grassroots Leadership Award for the state of Pennsylvania due to his exhaustive efforts in raising voter awareness of environmental issues. He was also nominated as one of three finalists for LCV’s national grassroots leadership award for that year.

Since 1998, Mr. Chermol has served on the regional and state wide steering committees for the environmental group Clean Water Action. Prior to attending law school, he worked in a national leadership position for Clean Water Action as a grassroots organizer in various parts of the country.

Mr. Chermol believes that his greatest contribution is serving as a Big Brother to a young man in West Philadelphia as part of the Big Brothers Big Sisters program. If you have ever considered becoming a Big Brother or a Big Sister, don’t wait another day.

Mr. Chermol received his law degree from Temple University and his B.A. in Political Science and Spanish from Boston College. He graduated high school from St. Joseph’s Preparatory School in Philadelphia.

Areas of Practice

• 100% Social Security Disability

Litigation Percentage

• 100% of Practice Devoted to Litigation

Bar Admissions

Below is a list of federal courts to which Mr. Chermol is admitted. However, our firm handles disability matters in all 50 states and every United States territory. We can handle your disability claim wherever you live.

• Supreme Court of Pennsylvania
• Supreme Court of the United States
• First Circuit Court of Appeals
• Third Circuit Court of Appeals
• Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals
• Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals
• Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals
• Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals
• Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals
• Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals
• U.S. Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit
• U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit
• U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit
• U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas
• U.S. District Court for the Western District of Arkansas
• U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado
• U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida
• U.S. District Court for the Central District of Illinois
• U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
• U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Indiana
• U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana
• U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan
• U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan
• U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York
• U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania
• U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania
• U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania
• U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas
• U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas
• U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas
• U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas
• U.S. District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin

• Eastern District of Pennsylvania
• Middle District of Pennsylvania
• Western District of Pennsylvania
• Eastern and Western Districts of Arkansas
• Western District of New York
• District of Colorado
• Northern District of Texas
• Eastern District of Texas
• Western District of Texas
• Southern District of Texas
• Eastern District of Michigan
• Northern District of Michigan
• Western District of Michigan
• Central District of Illinois
• Northern District of Illinois
• Western District of Wisconsin
• Eastern District of Wisconsin
• Southern District of Indiana
• Northern District of Indiana
• Northern District of Florida
• Northern District of Ohio
• Eastern District of Oklahoma
• Western District of Oklahoma

Education

• J.D., Temple University School of Law, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
  • Honors: Barrister Award for Outstanding Oral Advocacy
• B.A., Boston College, Boston, Massachusetts
  • Honors: Dean’s List
  • Major: Political Science & Spanish

Representative Cases

• Matthews v. Apfel, 239F, 3d 589 (3d Cir. 2001)

Classes/Seminars

• Disability Appeals in Federal Court CLE, PBI, 2006
• Disability Appeals in Federal Court CLE, PBI, 2007

Honors and Awards

• 2013-2014 National Association of Disability Representatives Member of the Year
• Co-Chair, Philadelphia Bar Association, Social Security Disability Committee, 2014
• General Counsel’s Citation, 2006
• SSA’s Excellence in Service Award, 2005
• SSA’s Excellence in Service Award, 2006
• League of Conservation Voters’ 2004 Grassroots Leadership Award

Professional Associations and Memberships

• National Organization of Social Security Claimants Representatives, Sustaining Member
• National Association of Disability Representatives (NADR), Member
  • 2013-2014 Member of the Year

Past Employment Positions

• Social Security Administration Office of the General Counsel, Special Assistant United States Attorney & Assistant Regional Counsel, 1997 – 2007

Pro Bono Activities

• Serves by Appointment of the Court as Social Security Disability Pro Se Appeals Coordinator in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania
• Serves on the Regional and State Wide Steering Committees for the Environmental Group Clean Water Action
• Serves as a Big Brother in West Philadelphia as Part of the Big Brothers Big Sisters Program

Languages

• English
• Spanish