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Emma is Executive Partner for our Leeds office and Joint National Partner of our commercial litigation department.

Emma has been a litigator for over 20 years and has a loyal following due to the impressive real-world commercial approach she takes to her cases. Emma is proactive, effective and approachable. She has a very loyal following of clients and professional referrers who insist that she is the ‘go to’ disputes resolution lawyer of choice.

Emma has been involved in law firm management since 2007 and ran her own niche commercial litigation practice until 2015. Alongside her legal career, Emma was also a director of a manufacturing and import business for 16 years. Her hands on experience in running businesses gives her a 360 degree perspective when dealing with cases. This real life experience, shrewd tactics and a tremendous work ethic helps Emma to consistently deliver for her clients.

Emma has conducted a wide variety of commercial dispute cases over the years. She has a particular specialism in manufacturing disputes, complex contractual matters and boardroom challenges. This work has led to her dealing with rogue directors, injunctions, freezing orders and detailed and complex expert reports. In the finance sectors she often advises on the enforcement of personal guarantees and also deals with statutory demands, the winding up of companies and the ancillary applications that are needed to protect businesses and individuals who find themselves embroiled in insolvency cases.

Emma splits her time between fee earning, colleague development and driving growth, collaboration and support in the Leeds office of this top 100 law firm. A champion of the Yorkshire Business Community she loves nothing more than celebrating the business successes  in the region and helping others navigate the choppy political and economic challenges faced by businesses today.

Inspired by the tenacity and agility of business owners in Yorkshire Emma attends many events  discussing the future of the region.  She sits on the regional Board of the Confederation of Business and Industry (CBI) where she strives to provide a voice to those who often feel unheard.

Considered by many peers as an inspiring leader, she demonstrates a genuine entrepreneurial flare. Her down to earth and straight talking approach is effective and her genuine warmth and empathy sees her as a popular mentor for clients and colleagues alike.

Experience

Examples of Emma’s commercial experience include:

  • Dealing with metallurgy and expert reports to determine the tolerance of metal and the quality of fabrication of manufactured components.
  • Settling a dispute regarding the reconfiguration of a lubrication pipe within a printing machine and establishing whether this was the cause of a catastrophic failure of the machine.
  • Restraining a senior employee who was working within the aerospace industry who gained alternative employment with a competitor in breach of restrictions within his contract of employment.
  • Negotiating a deed of variation concerning the User Requirement Specifications of a commercial weighing machine.
  • Settling a shareholders dispute where a rogue director was diverting lucrative contracts from her client company.
  • Pursuing a client’s former solicitors for negligence after wrongful advice left her client owing hundreds of thousands of pounds and facing bankruptcy.
  • Pursuing a director and shareholder who had unlawfully transferred shares from her client and was refusing to pay for shares or return them. The shareholders were brothers.
  • Advising a client in the recovery of approximately £1 million following a fraudulent transaction relating to the supply of Goods. Pursuit of assets out of jurisdiction.
  • Advising in respect of a business interruption claim against a household insurer.
  • Representing a client in extremely acrimonious court proceedings between two feuding shareholders/directors. Complex arguments and cross allegations of breaching directors fiduciary duties and contravening the company’s constitution.
  • Advising a charity after they discovered land documents had been fraudulently signed on their behalf. Achieving a swift resolution and providing regulatory advice regarding their obligations to the Charity Commission.
  • Advising a public body in respect of a non-disclosure agreement so that negotiations could be advanced for a multimillion pound development.
  • Advising a shareholder in respect of a breach of shareholders agreement following the loss of an investment in a land development project due to poor project management, loss of financial control and excessive delays.

What people say

  • Emma Digby is a force amongst litigators in the region; she is dedicated, deeply knowledgeable and pragmatic, providing unparalleled legal s!upport for her commercial clients at times of greatest uncertainty for them. She brings her expertise to life by offering practical and effective solutions to complex problems. It is a privilege to be able to work with her – highly recommended

    Legal 500, Client quote

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