Susan J. Sacchetta grew up in a military family, so she got to see more of the world and enjoy more life experiences than most people her age. Having met many people in all of her travels, she recognized early on that she wanted to help people.
“My goal in life, even from an early age, was to make a difference in people’s lives,” she says. “I wanted to be a lawyer since the second grade, but it’s not that I just wanted to be a lawyer; I wanted to help people. Compassion is one of the most important aspects of what I do. Compassion, however, cannot replace tenacity. If a client is looking to fight for something that is important to them, I will steadfastly fight for what they want.”
Sacchetta began college at the University of Delaware at age 16 and earned her Juris Doctor from Delaware Law School of Widener University in 1986. She began her career in Philadelphia and shortly thereafter settled her practice in Paoli where she has been for the past 25 years. Sacchetta has rooted her practice in family law, particularly divorce and custody, as well as workers’ compensation, Social Security disability and personal injury.
“My clients are going through very challenging times in their lives, and I want them to emerge from those situations feeling empowered and stronger and better equipped to handle the challenges that they face,” says Sacchetta, who is licensed to practice throughout Pennsylvania and New Jersey, working primarily in Chester, Delaware and Montgomery counties. “In workers’ compensation and Social Security disability cases, these are people who are out of work and need to be able to make ends meet, so it’s important for me to do what I can to get them good results.
“Regardless of the case, I am there for the long haul,” she continues. “I have had clients whose cases have gone on for years because of the complexity involved, and I’m not going to turn my back on them. I finish what I start. I tell all my clients, ‘I’m your mouthpiece. It’s your decision to determine what is important, and it’s my job to fight for it.’”
Jennifer K., who has requested anonymity, can attest to that. Sacchetta represented Ms. K.’s family for more than 15 years, including helping them through protracted domestic relations and custody disputes between her family and the mother of her husband’s children.
“Susan was dedicated to our family, and she always kept our children’s best interests in mind,” she says. “Our case was not an easy one for any attorney, and we were happy with the representation Susan provided across the board. … She was very compassionate, she kept things calm, and she always had a plan. She was very confident in the courtroom, and she gave us true insight of what to expect throughout. When we were up against any hurdles, she was very creative and always thinking ahead.
“She believed in our family, and she invested in our family,” she continues. “Our case ended four or five years ago, but I still consider Susan part of our family. Our kids are adults now, and they’re very productive members of society. She always kept us focused on being parents, even through the most difficult times. She represented us fully for 15 years, and I always felt that she cared and she knew exactly what she was doing. … Without Susan, I don’t think our outcome would have been the same.”
Although Sacchetta is considered one of the region’s premier attorneys, she has continued to build upon her expertise. For example, she has expanded her family law side of her practice to include not only litigated divorce but also mediation services for clients interested in taking a less adversarial approach to dissolving a marriage. In 2013, she completed 40 hours of mediation training through the Montgomery Conflict Mediation Center in Norristown, and she has been steadily building the mediation side of her practice in the time since.
“Mediation is a cost-effective way to bring your divorce case to closure without having to go through litigation,” she says. “It can not only save money but it also empowers each of the individuals involved to make their own destiny. … In mediation, you’re trying to get [both sides] to have a place to communicate and let them realize they can speak to one another and make decisions on their own. If you give that up, especially in a custody situation, some other person will make the decision of where your child will be, but they don’t know your child and don’t have to live with the decision.
“That being said, my passion in the courtroom is there,” she continues. “If a client wants me to fight over something, I will. I think it’s important to educate clients on what their options are and how their decisions can affect their outcomes.”
An attorney named Gregory P., who has asked that his identity not be revealed, remembers needing the right person to help him navigate the waters of a “highly contested divorce,” as he calls it. Family law was outside his realm of expertise, so he asked some fellow attorneys for a recommendation. Their unanimous choice: Susan J. Sacchetta.
“The people I respect respected her, and I quickly learned she had a good balance of legal skills and personal skills,” he says. “Susan was very helpful in several facets of the case. She was able to handle the legal aspects, like the division of property, and there were custody issues surrounding our child. She always reinforced that what was most important was how my decisions would affect our child.”
Also, when his ex-wife wanted to move out of the area—and take their child with her—Sacchetta was able to get a court order on the grounds that his ex-wife was attempting to remove their child without a hearing. Sacchetta then succeeded in convincing the judge that keeping the child in the same school district would be better for the child in the long run because doing so would provide a superior education.
“I’m a father who got primary custody of his child, and that doesn’t happen too often,” he says. “I’m very happy to have had Susan as my lawyer. I’m not sure I would have had the same result otherwise. She was there for me for the long haul. No one is happy about getting a divorce, but thanks to Susan, things worked out as well as they could have.”
Susan J. Sacchetta
Platt, DiGiorgio & DiFabio
1800 E. Lancaster Ave.
Paoli, PA 19301
610-647-7500 | www.pddlaw.net
Photograph by Jody Robinson
