Functional Equivalency Mastery: Using Evidence and SSRs to Build Stronger Childhood Claims – 2026 Spring National Conference – Track II (Presented by National Organization of Social Security Claimants’ Representatives)

Jennifer is a licensed attorney whose credentials include a Third Circuit Court of Appeals clerkship under Judge Van Antwerpen and private practice experience at Dechert LLP, a large national law firm, before she transitioned to public interest work at Community Legal Services. Her clerkship on the Third Circuit provided appellate training of the highest order, and her Dechert experience gave her exposure to sophisticated federal litigation practice. Both inform her current work as a supervising attorney handling complex SSI matters in administrative and federal court proceedings.

Jennifer's elevation to Divisional Supervising Attorney at Community Legal Services, one of the country's most respected legal aid organizations, reflects her expertise, leadership ability, and commitment to the SSI population she serves. Her prior clerkship with Judge Van Antwerpen on the Third Circuit is a mark of professional distinction, and her decision to bring that appellate pedigree to public interest advocacy at CLS reflects a commitment to access to justice that defines her career. Her national advocacy for systemic SSI reforms further demonstrates a practitioner who engages the disability benefits system at both the individual and policy levels.

In addition to supervising the SSI Unit at CLS, Jennifer engages in national advocacy for systemic reforms affecting individuals with disabilities who rely on Supplemental Security Income. This policy-level engagement complements her direct representation work and reflects a practitioner who understands that durable improvements in the lives of SSI recipients require change both at the individual case level and in the broader legal and regulatory framework. Her career arc, from Third Circuit clerkship to large-firm practice to public interest leadership, brings a distinctive analytical rigor and strategic breadth to her advocacy at CLS.

Jennifer Burdick's legal career moves from the heights of appellate court and large-firm practice to the front lines of public interest advocacy. She clerked for Judge Van Antwerpen on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit before joining Dechert LLP, where she gained experience in federal litigation at one of the country's leading law firms. She subsequently joined Community Legal Services, where she now serves as Divisional Supervising Attorney of the SSI Unit, representing adults and children seeking and maintaining SSI benefits in administrative hearings and federal court, while also advocating at the national level for systemic reforms to the SSI program. Her career reflects the rare practitioner who channels elite legal training into sustained, mission-driven advocacy for some of the most economically vulnerable individuals in the country.