Newcastle Office

Silk Family Law was established in Newcastle in 2010. The firm now serves clients across the UK and operates from three offices in Newcastle, North Yorkshire and Leeds, as well as consulting rooms in London and York.

Silk’s Newcastle based family law partners include highly regarded in-house barrister Ian Kennerley, former chair of Resolution’s Child Support Committee Kim Fellowes, and Wayne Lynn, highlighted in independent legal guides as a ‘Next Generation partner’.

Our Northern based family law specialist team is described by independent legal guide Chambers UK as a “pre-eminent team at the forefront of the market in family law, with notable strength in dealing with high-value separation cases involving inheritance, tax, pension or trust issues” and as “experienced advising on wealth protection and the negotiation of nuptial agreements, as well as challenges to such arrangements”.

One client describes Silk Family Law as “a heavyweight firm which operates impeccably,” adding: “All aspects of their operation are unfailingly efficient and effective, and everyone in the firm still manages to maintain a delightfully human touch with clients.” Another client describes Silk as “professional throughout, knowledgeable in their field and very proactive”.

As the only specialist family law firm in the North with an in-house barrister (Newcastle-based Ian Kennerley), Silk is able to achieve more cost effective and expedient outcomes for clients through his involvement in cases from the outset.

The Silk Family Law Newcastle team advises on all areas of family law, including:
• Divorce and separation
• Financial issues
• Children issues (residence, contact, adoption, abduction)
• Child support
• Pre- and post-nuptial agreements
• Cohabitation agreements and disputes
• Civil partnerships
• Inheritance tax claims
• Injunctive and emergency relief.

Here’s what independent legal guide Legal 500 (2022) has to say about our Newcastle family law team:

“The ‘seamless team‘ at boutique firm Silk Family Law is regularly sought out by high-net-worth business owners, landowners and farmers to handle complex finance cases arising from divorce and separation. The practice benefits greatly from the presence of experienced in-house barrister Ian Kennerley, and was recently further strengthened by the arrival of solicitor Eleanor Lowes from the London office of Mills & Reeve LLP. Other recommended group members include founding partner Kim Fellowes, ‘class act‘ Margaret Simpson and Wayne Lynn, who specialises in the growing areas of cohabitation agreements and pre- and post-nuptial arrangements. Several practitioners at the firm also have notable expertise in children law issues.”

Client feedback (Legal 500, 2022):

“They have experience and knowledge, combined with teamwork and the will to win. It’s all about very capable people understanding your case and being in the trenches with you. Kim Fellowes and her team exemplified this approach and Ian Kennerley put my case forward with passion and intelligence.”

“Their team act like a family. There is always someone available for advice and support. I have recommended Silk to friends all of whom have had the same positive experience.”

“My solicitor at the firm is Wayne Lynn. He has guided and supported me through an extremely toxic divorce. He has helped me with a great deal of compassion and understanding, sometimes contacting me after hours and at weekends if he has felt it necessary. I have also been lucky to have Ian Kennerley as my Barrister. With Ian being an in-house Barrister this has meant that he has been fully involved in my case every step of the way.”