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

Stacey Edgar, Deputy CEO

Katy Forkah, Head of Legal Service and Housing Solicitor

Administration Team

Aksaa Naveed, Legal Administrator

Shivani Clancy, Receptionist and Triage Worker

Kajathiri Kamalakumar, Receptionist and Triage Worker

Elisabeth Heyndrickx, Receptionist and Triage Worker

Benefits Team

Diane Sechi, Welfare Benefit and Community Care Solicitor

Communications Team

Chofian Abobakr, Communications Manager

Community Engagement Team

Rhiannon Hughes, Community Engagement Manager (South West London)

Cost of Living Team

Roni Marsh, Cost of Living Project Manager

Asia Triolo, Crisis Navigator (Merton)

Rhoda Anokye, Welfare Rights Paralegal

Karolina Rybak, Crisis Navigator

Ashshan Lewis, Crisis Navigator

Bridgit Tai, Welfare Rights Paralegal

Rabbiya Haq, Cost of Living Project Administrator

Saoirse Akhtar-Farren, Welfare Rights Paralegal (Merton)

Employment Team

Sarah Forsyth, Employment Caseworker

Finance Team

Andrew Folkes, Billing/ Costs Manager

Nada Aboushama, Finance Assistant

Housing Team

Katy Forkah, Head of Legal Service and Housing Solicitor

Janet Bishop, Pro Bono Supervisor (Housing)

Jeinsen Lam, Housing Team Leader Croydon             

Paul Wallace, Housing Team Leader Wandsworth

Paul McManus, Housing Solicitor Merton

Hajra Jafri, Housing Paralegal Wandsworth

Shanice Danso, Trainee Solicitor Merton

Gabriela Mihaylova, Housing and Welfare Benefits Paralegal Merton

Tim Cutter, Housing and Welfare Benefits Paralegal Wandsworth

Florence Manders, Apprentice Solicitor

Immigration Team

Pradeep Kumar, Immigration Team Leader

Paul Keeley, Immigration Solicitor

Rajitha Kumar, Asylum & Immigration Solicitor

Sabira Kashmiri, Immigration Solicitor

Joanna Sherman, Immigration Solicitor

Money Advice Team

Roni Marsh, Money Advice Team Leader

Eva van der Spek, Senior Money Adviser

Ariam Sibhat, Trainee Money Adviser

Lana Kaminskiene, Money Adviser

Eunice Ashley-Kesson, Money Adviser

Andrew Boba, Money Adviser

Volunteer & Pro Bono Team

Nicoletta Crivellaro, Volunteers and Pro Bono coordinator

Our Trustee Team

Allan Blake, Chair

Allan was HR Director, Managing Director and Chair of UK, Australian and Russian aviation companies. He transitioned into the private sector after an academic career lecturing in Law and as a Business School Dean.  Allan’s other non-executive roles have included: Independent Director/ Company Secretary of the Family Mediation Council, Founder Member of the Legal Aid Board, Chair of Preston Free Legal Information Service and Management Committee of the Legal Action Group.

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. 

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. 

Ben Halschka

Ben is the joint interim CEO and head of social prescribing at Merton Connected (Merton Voluntary Service Council). He is passionate about social justice and community engagement and has over 20 years’ experience working in the areas of education, health and social care. He also has significant experience at a senior level of developing and delivering services to people recovering from mental ill-health which promotes inclusion, equal opportunities, and diversity. A Board member since December 2022, Ben is particularly interested in helping the Law Centre to grow its campaigning and community activism.

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.

Sarah Bergstrom

Sarah had a background in finance before qualifying as a barrister, initially undertaking her legal training in civil commercial law before going on to practise in crime. She currently works as a Senior Legal Manager in the Court of Appeal Criminal Division and has led many projects seeking to remove barriers to justice by improving access to the Court for litigants in person. She sits part time as a Judge in the Crown Court and has lived in the local area for over 20 years. Sarah has previously volunteered in the community as a Magistrate sitting in South West London and as a trustee for a charity in Wandsworth, supporting and housing women and children fleeing domestic violence. She is passionate about access to justice for all and joined the Board in December 2022.

Susan Field

Susan joined the Board of Trustees in December 2022. She is Senior Pro Bono Associate at Charles Russell Speechlys LLP, with a background in international arbitration and 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 8 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.