David F. Chermol, Esq.

David F. Chermol is a Founding and Lead Partner at the Social Security 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 reviewability of subsidy determinations for the new Medicare Part D prescription drug program. He currently serves by appointment of the court as Social Security Disability Pro Se Appeals Coordinator in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

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. Sign up here right now!

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.