Since joining the Law Center in 2006, Jennifer Clarke has led the organization in a renewed focus on legal strategies to reduce poverty and discrimination and on increasing the organization’s capacity through strengthened pro bono partnerships, a vibrant board of directors and vigorous recruitment of staff. Ms. Clarke has been involved in major Law Center litigation, including a successful challenge to Pennsylvania’s photo identification law, an ongoing lawsuit alleging state constitutional violations in the system of public education funding and a systemic challenge to the delivery of Extended School Year to children with disabilities by the School District of Philadelphia.

Prior to joining the Law Center, Ms. Clarke was a partner at Dechert LLP, an associate at Dechert and an associate at White & Case. Ms. Clarke is a founding member of Take Action Philly, a citywide coalition of lawyers from the City of Philadelphia, Bar Association, and private and non profit law firms which convenes to address pressing legal challenges threatening residents of Philadelphia.  She was a founder and officer of the Caring Center, a not-for-profit child care center serving 200 children in West Philadelphia. She has served as a trustee of the Women’s Law Project, a director of the Pennsylvania Innocence Project, a steering committee member and chair of The Spring Gardens; and a co-chair of the Civil Legal Justice Coalition, a statewide coalition to increase availability of free legal services for low income Pennsylvanians in civil matters involving basic human needs, such as housing, custody and safety.

She graduated magna cum laude from Dartmouth College and earned her J.D. at Columbia University School of Law where she was a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar and an editor of the Columbia Law Review.