Diane Sechi

Diane has worked for the Law Centre for around 14 years, with specialisms in social welfare law, welfare benefits and community care law. Having seen how dysfunctional the legal system can be, especially with regards to administrative injustices, Diane is passionate about fighting its social injustices and systemic failings. She works with Simmons & Simmons on their ‘Access to Justice Program’ and also sits on the Administrative Justice Panel.

A case that particularly stands out to Diane is that of an 84-year-old lady whom Diane encountered whilst on court duty. Her private landlord was seeking possession because the client was elderly and he did not want to deal with the possibility of her death on the property. Because the Equalities Act only applies in public domains, he was legally entitled to do this, and for Diane, this was clearly a scenario in which the system was not able to provide justice for this client.

Although it is not always possible to get the outcome a client wants, Diane knows how important it is just to be able to listen to clients and make them feel heard. This is especially important when dealing with bureaucracy, since so many things are automated which can increase a client’s sense of isolation.