Tiggy Clifford

Partner

Tiggy Clifford is co-founder and partner at Torque Law and a highly trusted employment adviser, recognised for combining technical excellence with a genuinely human approach. With over 20 years’ experience in employment law and 16 years’ at partner level, Tiggy has built a strong market reputation grounded in long-term client relationships, sound judgment and an unwavering commitment to doing the right thing for her clients.

Employers value Tiggy for her ability to guide them through high-stakes, sensitive situations with clarity, reassurance and commercial realism. Calm and perceptive under pressure, she is increasingly sought out for complex Employment Tribunal litigation and regularly acts for global organisations and household-name employers, alongside her regional client base. Clients frequently instruct Tiggy on the strength of personal recommendation, reflecting the deep trust placed in her by both clients and fellow legal professionals.

Tiggy is also widely recognised for her work advising senior executives and other high-profile individuals on negotiated exits. Her empathetic handling of matters, particularly when clients are firmly in the “eye of the storm”, is consistently praised, alongside her ability to secure strong outcomes while protecting reputation and relationships.

Beyond her client work, Tiggy is a sought-after speaker and trainer, working closely with organisations across the UK to design and deliver practical, engaging and impactful training sessions. She plays a central role in shaping Torque Law’s client insight and client experience programmes, ensuring the firm’s client-centric ethos is lived in practice, not just stated.

Alongside Emma Whiting, Tiggy leads Torque Law’s initiatives supporting women returners to the profession, championing flexible and agile working in a way that is both progressive and commercially credible. Her approach reflects Torque Law’s culture at its best: technically rigorous, thoughtful, collaborative and refreshingly human.

Tiggy is ranked as a Band 1 leading lawyer by Chambers & Partners 2026

Emma Whiting

Partner

Emma Whiting is co-founder and partner at Torque Law and one of the UK’s most respected employment lawyers. With 25 years’ experience, including 16 years as a partner, Emma is consistently trusted with the most sensitive, high-risk and reputationally critical employment matters. She is regularly instructed by boards, General Counsel and senior leadership teams, and frequently attracts clients who previously retained global and national heavyweight firms.

Calm, commercially astute and unflappable under pressure, Emma is known for her ability to cut through complexity and deliver advice that is both technically rigorous and genuinely practical. Clients value her tenacity and creative problem-solving, particularly where legal risk, strategy and commercial objectives intersect. She is especially sought out for complex litigation, strategic workforce issues and situations where discretion and judgment are paramount.

Emma has led and supervised some of Torque Law’s most high-profile work in recent years, including acting as lead partner on urgent High Court injunctive proceedings relating to restrictive covenants, as well as defending complex discrimination and whistleblowing claims at Tribunal and appellate level. She is also widely regarded as a “go-to” adviser for senior executives, locally and nationally, negotiating exits from high-profile plc employers and securing the best possible outcomes.

Her standing in the market is reflected in the volume of referrals she receives from global law firms and highly ranked peers, who entrust Emma with matters of the utmost importance. Clients consistently describe her as “amazingly knowledgeable and experienced” and “outstanding, proactive and quick to respond”.

Outside the law, Emma brings the same energy and commitment to Team Torque - alongside an encyclopaedic knowledge of Strictly Come Dancing, when not at work, she is an avid tennis player and can often be found on a tennis court whatever the weather - reinforcing Torque Law’s belief that technical excellence, tenacity and humanity go hand in hand.

Emma is ranked as a Band 1 Leading Lawyer in Chambers & Partners 2026.

Tom Watkins

Consultant Solicitor

Admitted as a Solicitor: 2000

Tom Watkins is a highly experienced employment law solicitor with over 25 years of specialist experience advising employers across the private and public sectors. He works closely with clients on strategic HR challenges, helping them navigate complex workforce issues including restructuring, outsourcing, disciplinary and grievance procedures, variation of terms and conditions, management of absenteeism and settlement agreements.

Tom has particular expertise in discrimination matters, especially age and disability discrimination, as well as the defence of multi-party claims. His practical, no-nonsense approach ensures that clients receive clear, commercially-focused advice tailored to their operational needs.

Tom acts for a diverse range of employer clients, with notable strength in the independent school sector. He has supported numerous education providers with complex employment law issues, advising boards, senior leadership teams and HR professionals on risk management, compliance and people strategy.

Before joining Torque Law, Tom held Partnership roles at high calibre firms and is named by Legal500 as a "Next Generation Partner" having built a reputation for insightful guidance and strong client relationships across many sectors. His depth of experience and commitment to client service make him a trusted adviser to organisations facing sensitive or high-stakes employment matters.

Emma Cousins

Legal Director

Admitted as a Solicitor: September 2011

Memberships: Employment Lawyers Association (UK), Immigration Law Practitioners’ Association.

Emma is experienced in providing pragmatic and commercial employment and business immigration advice to employers, executives and employees.

Her knowledge and experience cover a wide range of employment related matters and business immigration matters, including:

Employment: advising employers in unfair dismissal and complex discrimination claims, the negotiation of exit packages and settlement agreements, redundancy situations, disciplinary matters, the drafting of contracts of employment / service agreements and policy documents, and other general HR matters. Emma is also skilled at advising clients in relation to TUPE issues, and the employment aspects of commercial property and corporate matters.

Business Immigration: guiding companies through the process of becoming a licenced sponsor and issuing certificates of sponsorship to migrant workers sponsors, advice and training about the duties of licensed sponsors and the requirements of compliant HR systems, audits of HR systems and ‘key personnel’ practices to ensure compliance, including mock UKVI audits, and advice regarding business visitors and other immigration routes. Emma is also experienced in advising employers about the prevention of illegal working in the UK including in relation to the right to work check regime, the provision of right to work check audits, and lawful dismissals by reason of illegal working.

Clients describe Emma as a "highly recommendable" employment law solicitor who is “the consummate professional” and who "acts thoroughly and efficiently" with "extensive knowledge and understanding".

Discover what inspired Emma to pursue a career in law and why she is known as 'Bob' within the team here.

Rosie Cowling

Associate Solicitor

Rosie Cowling is an Associate at Torque Law and a trusted adviser to employers, in-house legal teams and HR professionals across a wide range of sectors. Known for her natural warmth and professionalism, Rosie combines legal precision with genuine human support - ensuring that, whatever the complexity of the issue, clients feel both reassured and firmly guided.

Rosie provides clear, structured and pragmatic advice on the full spectrum of employment law issues and has led on broad range of Employment Tribunal claims for some of the firms most high-profile clients, including complex whistleblowing, discrimination and unfair dismissal matters - robustly defending or achieving strategic settlements as appropriate.

Beyond litigation, Rosie regularly supports clients through sensitive capability and conduct processes, carefully balancing legal risk, commercial priorities and the impact on wider teams. She is often described in client insight interviews as feeling like “part of the team” and an extension of the organisation rather than an external adviser, with one client saying she “is worth her weight in gold”.

Rosie also leads Torque Law’s Prevention of Sexual Harassment initiative, delivering engaging in-person and virtual training to senior leadership teams. She has developed practical training materials and supported clients with robust policies and risk assessments, ensuring compliance translates into meaningful cultural change.

For Directors and senior executives, Rosie negotiates exit arrangements that put them in the best possible position, both personally and professionally, providing clear direction and tactical advice throughout the Settlement Agreement process. Recognising that clients are often navigating periods of uncertainty, she combines technical expertise with calm, pragmatic judgement and is regularly praised for her empathy and steadfast support.

Calm under pressure and deeply collaborative, Rosie reflects Torque Law’s ethos: exceptional legal advice, delivered with clarity, care and commercial focus.

Laura Gillhespy

Associate Solicitor

Admitted as a Solicitor: September 2020

Laura is an approachable and strategic solicitor, advising organisations and senior executives on all aspects of employment law.

Laura has a wealth of experience in defending complex employment tribunal claims for employer clients. Providing step by step, pragmatic and commercially sensitive advice, Laura makes the tribunal process as pain free as possible for her clients.

Having a special interest in areas of discrimination, Laura is passionate about supporting employers to navigate a more inclusive and diverse workforce, safely and proactively.

Find out more about Laura’s interests and what inspired her to become an employment solicitor here.

Sally Vasey

Associate Solicitor

Admitted as a solicitor: November 2019

Sally has extensive experience handling high-volume litigated work, with her previous case load made up almost entirely of tribunal matters. She is highly skilled in managing complex discrimination and whistleblowing claims and in negotiating exit packages and settlement agreements that best protect her clients’ interests. Sally also advises on a wide range of general HR matters and is experienced in representing clients in judicial mediation. In addition, she has developed excellent working relationships with trade union representatives and often works collaboratively with them on employee relations issues.

Tori Jackson

Consultant Solicitor

Admitted as a Solicitor: September 2010

Tori is a knowledgeable solicitor in both contentious and non-contentious employment matters with experience of working for both larger corporates and SME businesses.

Tori advises employers on grievance and disciplinary matters, employment disputes and Employment Tribunal claims and the termination of employment, including the negotiation and drafting of settlement agreements. Tori also drafts effective employment contracts and service agreements, policies and handbooks for employers.

Her clients say that "she does a fantastic job" is "clear and supportive" and that they "would recommend her".

Find out who inspired Tori to pursue a career in Law and how her role allows for work/life balance here.

Tabitha Graddon

Paralegal

Tabitha works closely with our specialist employment law solicitors to deliver the best possible service to our clients. She assists in preparing for Employment Tribunals, compiling evidence, drafting documentation, and conducting thorough legal research. Her efficiency and keen eye for detail are highly valued by both the team and our clients. Tabitha joined Torque Law as a Legal Practice Assistant while pursuing her legal studies at York St. John University and quickly progressed to Paralegal after completing her Legal Practice Course.

To find out more about Tabitha please click here.

Emma Egerton-Jones

Development Lead (Consultant)

Emma works closely with our team to ensure our services continue to exceed client expectations. Having been a specialist employment law solicitor for many years before qualifying as a coach and client experience professional, Emma offers a unique perspective perfectly suited to Torque Law's people-centric culture.

Regularly conducting client listening and insight exercises, Emma ensures we continue to build our firm around our client's wants and needs.

As a consultant, Emma offers the perfect blend of independence, to be objective, and integration to drive our team forwards. Through coaching, Emma is able to support our solicitors to achieve the best possible results, for themselves and their clients, in a way that suits their own unique skill set and work-life balance.

Laura Harvey

Practice Manager

Laura plays a central role in the day-to-day operations of the firm. With a strong focus on efficiency and client satisfaction, Laura is responsible for overseeing the business and administrative functions, managing firm resources, and ensuring smooth workflow across our team.

Susan Burnett

Practice Coordinator

Susan helps the team with day-to-day administration and support. Susan’s background in law provides her with a hugely useful understanding of compliance and client matters.

Find out about Susan's journey north via Cambridge University here.

Alison Hodgson

Finance Manager

Alison handles all of our invoicing, accounts and credit control matters and keeps our books balanced.