Susan J. Sacchetta knew early in life—as a second grader, in fact—that she would pursue a career in law. “I think I was watching Perry Mason,” she recollects with a laugh.
Perhaps unsurprising of someone so determined at such a young age, Sacchetta skipped her senior year of high school and began college at age 16. She graduated from the University of Delaware with a B.S. in criminal justice in 1982 and then went on to earn her J.D. from Delaware Law School of Widener University in 1986. She received her license to practice law that very year and has been winning over clients and courtrooms ever since.
“I hear my clients say to [prospective] clients, ‘If you want somebody that will fight for your rights, this is who you want,’” she says.
Sacchetta began her legal career in Philadelphia and worked on landmark cases such as the 1983 action cases regarding police brutality. Not too long after, however, she left the city to explore new opportunities. From there Sacchetta went on to become highly skilled in the areas including family law and divorce, workers’ compensation, Social Security disability, accidents/injuries and liability.
“When I moved out to the [suburbs], I started in general practice then I got a little niche in specific areas where I liked what I did; I liked walking out feeling like I’ve helped somebody,” she says. “In family law, workers’ compensation and Social Security disability, you have people that are in a situation where they don’t know what to do, and they need someone to help guide them.”
She also works on custody cases and says she finds it rewarding to walk out of a courtroom knowing she’s done all she can to assure the best interests of a child are being met. She adds, “It’s rewarding to me when someone says to me, ‘Thank you so much.’”
Although she is licensed to practice throughout Pennsylvania and New Jersey, Sacchetta works primarily in Chester, Delaware and Montgomery counties and is associated with the firm of Platt, DiGiorgio & DiFabio, which is based in Paoli. Over the course of the nearly 25 years she’s been with the firm, she has become an expert on local county rules, thereby enabling her to effectively represent and maximize results for a highly diverse client base.
“I’m pretty passionate when someone’s in need,” says Sacchetta, who notes that she got into law because she “wanted to help the little guy.”
“I’m here to help people,” says Sacchetta, who estimates that roughly 80 percent of her current workload consists of family law. “I hope that I’m offering compassion. I try to treat my clients the way that I would want to be treated going through what they’re going through.
“What I feel to be most important is making sure I’m there for the clients,” she continues. “I tell clients, ‘I am your mouthpiece.’ It’s your case and it’s your decision to determine what’s important to you. … I do my job, and my job is to represent what you believe you want to fight for.”
One such client, who will be referred to only as “Ms. G.,” hired Sacchetta to help her through a divorce.
“Divorce, it’s the worst world you want to be in,” Ms. G. says. “But when you’re in an awful situation you want to be surrounded by someone who’s smart, who will listen and who gets to the heart of the matter. … She has a personal touch that just sets her apart. I am blessed to have [Sacchetta] in this nightmare.”
Ms. G., whose father and brother are both lawyers, says her family also met with Sacchetta, giving their full support and demonstrating faith in her abilities as an attorney. She says, “When [my family] came to meet her, they said, ‘You’re in great hands.’”
It’s not just clients and their family members who lavish Sacchetta with praise. Vincent P. DiFabio, one of the partners in Platt, DiGiorgio & DiFabio, says she “contributes greatly to the overall success of the firm. She’s always been a competent attorney, a dedicated attorney, and she’s always shown great compassion for her clients. … We view her as a vital member of the firm.”
Sacchetta is even more of an asset now that she has completed 40 hours of mediation training to assist splitting couples who are trying to take a less adversarial approach to divorce. She expects to utilize these skills more frequently in her practice going forward.
“I’m trying to move a little bit into the mediation arena because I think I’d like to help people [going through a divorce] before it’s an all-out battle in court,” she says. “To do mediation, you’re not advocating one person’s position. You’re trying to get people to one position … and hopefully getting them to open up a dialogue.”
While she does enjoy litigating cases, Sacchetta says of mediation, “I think that will also help people see the forest for the trees, allowing them to see the bigger picture.”
Sacchetta is a member of the bar associations for Chester County, Delaware County and Montgomery County, as well as Pennsylvania and New Jersey State. She is also a member of the Pennsylvania Association for Justice. Outside of her work at the firm, Sacchetta also works hard as a wife and mother. She has three sons with her husband, who is also an attorney.
Susan J. Sacchetta
Platt, DiGiorgio & DiFabio
1800 East Lancaster Avenue
Paoli, PA 19301
610-647-7500 | www.pddlaw.net
Photograph by Jody Robinson
