Jane Keir

Jane is Kingsley Napley's senior partner and was previously head of the family law team and former managing partner of the firm’s contentious teams. She has extensive experience of divorce, financial proceedings and children related issues both within the married and the unmarried family.

Jane joined Kingsley Napley in 1989, became a partner in 1992 and the head of family in 1999.

She is an accredited Family Law specialist with Resolution and a trained and practising Collaborative Lawyer. She is also a Fellow of the International Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers.

Jane is included in the Citywealth Leaders List 2012 as a leading Family lawyer in the Honours section. She was Lawyer of the Week in the Times in April 2012. In 2007 she won the Legal Services category of the Women in the City’s Women of Achievement Awards. 

Jane is listed as an expert in her field in the current Legal Experts Guide, the Legal 500 and Chambers UK directories.

Jane speaks conversational French and enjoys travelling. She is passionate about horses and breeds thoroughbreds for the racing world.

Follow Jane on Twitter @jane_keirkn.

Recent cases

• Re Z –v– A [2012] EWHC 467 (Fam) – acting for a wife who brought her substantial financial claims here successfully after an overseas divorce and securing an Order for costs
• Re A –v- B&C [2012] EWCA 285 – acting for a father in the Court of Appeal and securing his contact with his child

Recent and upcoming speaking appearances

• Speaker at two Mercia Conferences in 2011 on Protecting Farming Assets on Divorce
• Speaker at the CLT London Conference on 14 September 2012 on Preserving the Family Business on Divorce
• Speaker at the CLT London Conference on 2 October 2012 on Divorce and the Farm
• LexisNexis webinar presenter on Private Children Law Update on 3 October 2012 - #family_law
• Confirmed speaker at the second International Family Law and Practice Conference 2013 – Parentage, Equality and Gender – 3 – 5 July 2013

What the directories and clients say

"I often recommend her because she has all the ingredients of a fantastic lawyer – she is extremely clever, very client-friendly and takes just the right approach to negotiations" - Chambers UK (ranked band 1): A client's guide the UK's legal profession (2011)

"combines commercial awareness and acuity with extremely good client care skills”  – Chambers UK: A client’s guide to the UK legal profession (2010)

“a likeable and approachable character in an area of law that can easily become confrontational and over-wrought”  – Chambers UK: A client’s guide to the UK legal profession (2009)

“Jane Keir heads the family team at Kingsley Napley with ‘grace, style and a sharp intellect’ with strength across the department in both financial and children work” – Legal 500 (2007)

“you are my security blanket” – A client (2011)

"…worth every penny and thanks again for every little bit of sympathy and patient advice.  I maintain my sanity in no small part because of your efforts on my behalf” – A client (2009)

Professional societies and committees

• Fellow of the International Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (IAML)
• Resolution
• Resolution accredited specialist
• The Law Society
• Fellow of the Society for Advanced Legal Studies
• Reunite
• Member of the City Women’s Network and past chair of its Professional and Personal Development committee