Phillip Chalker graduated from the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law. After law school, Mr. Chalker worked for the Social Security Administration (SSA), where he drafted hundreds of decisions related to disability benefits and mentored new attorneys. He left the SSA to participate in the Law Entrepreneurs for Access Program, a program designed to encourage the growth of small law firms and provide legal assistance to under-served communities. Since then, Phillip Chalker has become a Professor at the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law, a board member at both the Baltimore Jewish Counsel (BJC) and Interfaith Partners for the Chesapeake, and a vice-chair of the BJC’s leadership development program. Prior to law school, Mr. Chalker advocated on behalf of the American Association for the Advancement of Science at both the State and Federal level.

In law school, he volunteered to improve access to justice for criminal indigents. Additionally, he interned at various influential firms and a federal administrative agency. He also earned an Environmental Law Certificate and founded the law school's Environmental Law Newsletter. He has been published numerous times and has a Master's in Public Policy from the University of Maryland.