Meet the team: Introducing Tiggy Clifford

Our “meet the team’ series kicks off by introducing Tiggy, our co-founder and partner.

Introduce yourself to us? 

I’m a specialist employment lawyer and Partner at Torque Law which I founded, alongside the fabulous Emma Whiting, in 2016. We’re now a team of eight providing down to earth advice to our valued clients of respected regional businesses and senior executives.

Who/what inspired you to pursue the career you have today?

My Mum & Dad have never put any pressure on me, but have always been supportive of me following a path which I find interesting and enjoy.

I became interested in law whilst I was slightly bored during my geography degree and decided that I would stand as a Student Union officer at Leeds University. Just a few weeks after I started, a major fraud by a staff member was uncovered and, as nominal head of the Student Union, I became involved in the criminal and civil legal processes. It was an eye-opening insight into court processes, the work of solicitors and the ongoing concerns of the client and individuals involved.

What energises you at work?

Two things, our clients and our team. Both are great and I want to be the best that I can for both.

I suppose there’s one other thing: I find that there’s nothing like a deadline to focus the mind. I’ve not made any secret of the fact that the mix of working from home and home schooling doesn’t suit me. I enjoy the compartmentalisation of my day. Knowing that I can work efficiently and effectively during school hours and then be free for some family time is generally how I function best. That said, in all honesty, that rosy vision of ‘being free for family time’ actually involves me racing to pick up from school in the nick of time, then nagging the kids to do music practice, school projects and pick their stuff up off the floor whilst cobbling together an unconventional meal from a random collection of ingredients in the fridge. I don’t think I’ll change though so there’s not too much point in worrying about it!

What would we most likely find you doing on the weekend? Pre-lockdown and during lockdown.

For me, weekends are family time. I’m happy to work evenings, but I do try to keep my weekends free. Before lockdown, this involved ferrying my children to climbing, swimming and seeing their friends. Since lockdown, there’s been a lot more time in the garden, planning my new garden office, family film nights and our newly introduced cooking night where each of us cook.

Do you have a favourite quote?

“Just do what works for you, because there will always be someone who thinks differently” – Michelle Obama.

I really enjoyed her book Becoming and think that this quote is a great balance between having confidence in forging your own way, whilst having respect for the views and paths of others.

Stay tuned next week as we introduce another member of Team Torque!