The day-to-day operation of our Law Centres is managed by our Senior Management Team, led by Patrick Marples, our CEO. Patrick is responsible to our trustees for the management of our Law Centre.
Our staff team is supported by our team of dedicated and talented volunteers, to whom we’re all very grateful.
OUR STAFF TEAM
Senior Management Team
Patrick Marples, CEO
Katy Forkah, Head of Legal Service and Housing Solicitor
Rosie Mullender, Communications Manager
Rhiannon Hughes, Community, Campaigns, and Policy Manager
Laura Black, Operations Manager
Bhavna Naik, Finance and Billing Manager
Administration, Volunteer & Pro Bono Team
Armaan Abedin, Receptionist and Triage Worker
Emma Webb, Receptionist and Triage Worker
Money Advice, Benefits, and Economic Justice Team
Roni Marsh, Economic Justice Manager
Diane Sechi, Welfare Benefit and Community Care Solicitor
Yusra Tootabkhan, Economic Justice Administrator
Ashshan Lewis, Crisis Navigator
Ryan Tang, Welfare Paralegal
Kulsoom Mohsini, Welfare Paralegal
Swabra Natabi, Senior Money Adviser
Lana Clarke, Money Adviser
Eunice Ashley-Kesson, Money Adviser
Ariam Sibhat, Trainee Money Adviser
Giulia Basili, Trainee Money Adviser
Finance Team
Andrew Folkes, Billing/ Costs Manager
Housing Team
Janet Bishop, Pro Bono Supervisor (Housing)
Paul McManus, Housing Solicitor Merton
Shanice Danso, Trainee Solicitor Merton
Merran Blackwood, Trainee Housing Solicitor (Secondment)
Immigration Team
Pradeep Kumar, Immigration Team Leader
Paul Keeley, Immigration Solicitor
Rajitha Kumar, Immigration Solicitor
Sabira Kashmiri, Immigration Solicitor
Kerrin Raulefs, Immigration Solicitor
Agathe Artus, Immigration Solicitor
Ellie Sabet, Immigration Caseworker
Our Trustee Team
Susan Field, Chair of Trustees
Susan joined the Board of Trustees in December 2022. She is a Senior Pro Bono Lawyer and Strategic Advisor at Freshfields LLP, with a background in international arbitration and commercial dispute resolution. She has over 15 years’ experience of working with advice units, pro bono schemes and humanitarian organisations in the UK and abroad.
She has lived in South London for ten years and is passionate about helping to design and deliver projects focused on the prevention and alleviation of poverty and on access to justice for marginalised groups, including with SWLLC and other law centres.
Simon Tinkler
Simon joined our Board at the end of 2019. He has worked as a solicitor in private practice in Bristol and London, as well as in industry. In 2000 he became a partner at Clifford Chance, a long-standing supporter of law centres in London, including SWLLC. He was appointed a deputy high court judge in England and Wales in 2021.
Simon also sits as a member of the Solicitor’s Disciplinary Tribunal, ensuring that the regulatory standards of the profession are upheld. In addition, he has held positions in national and regional sports governing bodies, with particular responsibility for governance. Simon has lived in south London for more than 10 years, and believes in ensuring access to justice for everyone.
He came on board with us having witnessed at first-hand the effect of lack of legal representation on people’s rights, and lives. He sees a vital role for SWLLC, and law centres generally, in providing this fundamental protection to everyone in society.
Sarmad Qureshi, Treasurer
Sarmad joined the Board in 2020 and was appointed Treasurer in 2022. He is a qualified Chartered Accountant and has over 25 years of work experience, initially with a Big Four accountancy firm where he advised on delivering government projects and most recently as a regional Finance Director for a multi-national, where he was involved in finance raising and in implementing governance processes.
Sarmad also sits as Chair on the Community Monitoring Group of his local police force undertaking independent oversight of stop and search activities.
Nimmisha Aslam
Nimmisha has been a volunteer adviser in our legal advice clinics for over ten years and prior to that she volunteered as an employment law adviser at the Birmingham TUC centre for the unemployed. She is now a senior associate in the personal injury and clinical negligence team at Russell Cooke LLP where her clients include some of those affected by the Grenfell Tower fire in 2017.
Nimmisha was a founding member of the Law Society LGBT+ Committee, and currently volunteers with both Hidayah LGBT+ and Laamiga, where she mentors black and minority ethnic women from refugee and migrant communities in London to help them find employment.
She joined the Board of Trustees in December 2022 and has a particular interest in ensuring disadvantaged individuals from BAME and LGBT+ backgrounds have access to justice.
Melanie Felten
Melanie Felten brings a diverse set of skills to the Board. Since August 2019, Melanie has been instrumental in setting up workflows and influencing governance within a financial services start-up.
Her commitment to social justice and community service is evident through her roles as Neighbourhood Watch Coordinator in Addiscombe West and and Women’s Officer for the Croydon East CLP.
Melanie’s extensive background in finance, project management, and community activism makes her a valuable addition to SWLLC. She is passionate about improving living conditions, combating discrimination, and enhancing legal education within the community. Melanie’s expertise is further demonstrated by her significant fundraising efforts and her proactive stance in local campaigns, particularly against inadequate housing conditions.
James Waugh
James Waugh is a qualified solicitor and a senior civil servant at the Competition & Markets Authority, bringing a wealth of experience from both the civil service and the charitable sector. His career is marked by significant roles in competition law, consumer enforcement, and regulatory matters across various sectors.
James is deeply committed to social justice, having served as a London regional representative for Amnesty International where he was actively engaged in grassroots activism, and he has previously worked for LawWorks, the pro bono charity.
With over six years as a trustee for Healthwatch Kingston, James has honed his expertise in risk management, legal compliance, including data protection, and strategic funding initiatives. His voluntary sector and leadership experience are assets that he brings to the South West London Law Centres, aiming to leverage his skills to further the Centre’s mission in serving the community.
David Jackson
David joined our board in March 2024. He is a global expert in legal technologies, and provides advisory services to consulting firms, vendors and governments to support innovation and the effective use of technology in justice, public safety and insurance.
For over 10 years, David has been at the forefront of innovation in the justice sector, helping lawyers and courts adopt new cloud technologies and to innovate their business processes. He brings international experience to the Board, having worked with courts, judges, prosecutors and law firms across three continents to reimagine justice systems.
David came on board with SWLLC when, he says, “I reached an age where I wanted to be able to give something back. I believe that without organisations such as SWLLC, the phrase ‘rule of law’ becomes empty and society is weaker as a result.”
He joined us because he believes SWLLC fulfils a vital role in delivering legal support to those who cannot afford representation otherwise, and that his skills and experience can make an effective contribution to the charity’s ongoing success.
Gemma Hyslop
Gemma is a solicitor with more than 17 years’ experience in immigration law and a longstanding commitment to access to justice. She first worked in the legal aid sector advising and representing people in immigration and asylum matters. She chairs her current firm’s UK pro-bono programme, acts as Secretariat to the Global Task Force on Refugee Labour Mobility, and is a Fee Paid Judge of the First Tier Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber).
Gemma has lived in South West London for over ten years and has volunteered with a range of local community organisations. She joined the Board of South West London Law Centres with a particular interest in access to justice for refugees, migrants and others who may struggle to obtain legal advice.
Marie Diron
Marie joined our board in October 2026. She heads Moody’s Ratings teams, which are responsible for rating national, regional and local governments and public sector entities globally. She has 25+ years’ experience in economics and finance, both in the public and private sector. She has also been on the advisory council of a charity serving microbusinesses in Kenya.
Marie brings her experience of working at the junction between economic, social and financial issues to SWLLC. Her keen interest in SWLLC’s mission is based on her understanding and experience of how essential good access to a functioning justice system is for societies and communities.
Annaleen Stephens
Annaleen is a business consultant and non-practising solicitor with decades of senior management experience working with both UK and international law firms, as well as leading chambers. A lifelong learner, she holds an MBA from the Imperial College Business School, and brings her expertise at the intersection of law and business to SWLLC.
Having lived in South West London for more than twenty years, Annaleen has seen first-hand how lack of means can prevent people from accessing essential advice. She is passionate about supporting SWLLC’s mission to remove barriers and ensure that legal advice is accessible to those who need it most.