She was a co-founder and the first Executive Director of the Socio-Economic Rights Institute of South Africa (SERI), where she is currently Chair of the Board of Directors. With a background in social science and law, Jackie is a human rights activist and scholar, and has published widely on the role of law and courts in affecting social change, as well as on socio-economic rights, access to courts, protest and social movements. Jackie has recently co-edited, with Malcolm Langford, Ben Cousins and Tshepo Madlingozi, the book Symbols or Substance? Socio-Economic Rights in South Africa (2014, Cambridge University Press). She is also on the editorial committee of the South African Journal on Human Rights.