1 April 2022 - Elayne Hill has been appointed chief executive officer of Central England Law Centre.  In her new role, Hill will lead the law centre through a two-year development period focused on rolling out its Rights in the Community strategy and building an effective infrastructure for its implementation. She replaces Sue Bent who retired this month after 18 years in post. 

Having qualified as a solicitor in 2003, Hill joined the law centre in 2004 and has represented clients in the Employment Tribunal and County Court covering all aspects of employment and discrimination law.  She brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to the role having spent 10 years as director of operations with responsibility for the daily management of the organisation, ensuring it complies with its legal and regulatory requirements as well as working closely with the heads of the legal teams to manage the delivery of its services. In 2013 she was appointed as a fee-paid employment judge. 

Hill, said: “I feel enormously privileged to take on the leadership of a community law centre that is committed to using its legal and knowledge and expertise to help build a more equal society.  The Covid-19 pandemic has had a disproportionate effect on people who were already disadvantaged across Coventry and Birmingham following a decade of austerity, cuts to public services and welfare reform.  With thousands having been made redundant, soaring energy bills, a cost-of-living crisis and the creation of a hostile environment, it’s critical that people can understand and access their rights and that rights are embedded in communities.”  

Keith Wilding, chair of Central England Law Centre’s board of trustees, said: “Elayne’s knowledge of social welfare law, her commitment to ensuring the rights of individuals are upheld and her experience managing the law centre make her uniquely qualified to lead the organisation at a time when its services are needed more than ever and to build on the foundations laid by Sue Bent in activating rights in communities to build a fairer, more just society.” 

ENDS