Kate Kempster

CAREER

Kate first joined Vardags in the Manchester office as a Graduate Trainee and was promoted to Associate Partner in March 2026 in recognition of her exceptional work ethic, partner potential and consistent success in demanding HNW cases. 

She is praised for “punching well above her weight”, bringing a level of strategic creativity and meticulous preparation that enables her to outperform far more senior opponents. Clients describe her as “a tenacious champion”, with “an uncanny ability to predict to the last pound the outcome” and someone who “fights her client’s corner all the way”. 

Kate represents a wide variety of high net worth clients including: 

• Highly successful corporate clients 

• Vulnerable or financially weaker spouses who are finding it difficult to access marital wealth. 

• High profile individuals featuring in the public eye 

Kate provides her clients with a holistic service and has been complimented on her ability to support clients with very sensitive issues of physical and emotional abuse, as well as for her attention to detail and precision in dealing with complex financial matters. 

To ensure that she offers the very best service to her clients, Kate ensures a multi-disciplinary and cross-collaborate approach to her cases by working with other departments in the firm to assist in the specific issues arising from their case. For high-profile clients or those with privacy issues, Kate works with our Reputation and Privacy department to pre-empt and manage those concerns and ensure the very best outcome in every case. 

She has particular expertise in high-value financial cases, focusing on those where there are: 

• Substantial property or business assets 

• Hidden or concealed assets, for example revealing a concealed corporate structure following a forensic review of bank statements provided in disclosure 

Her keen eye for detail in these cases is again complemented by her collaboration with the firm’s specialist in-house financial forensics team when dealing with complicated finance issues. This specialist team can offer extra support in relation to sophisticated and intricate financial issues including: 

• Complicated valuations 

• Asset tracing 

• Jurisdictional issues. 

AWARDS AND ACCOLADES 

In March 2026, Kate won Leading Associate of the Year (Private Client) at the Legal 500 Northern Powerhouse Awards. 

Kate is noted as a Leading Family Associate in the Legal 500 for the Northwest. 

EDUCATION 

Kate read Law at Cardiff University. 

She achieved a distinction within her Legal Practice Course. 

PRESS & PUBLICATIONS 

• Inflexibility and justice’ (marriage), Family Law Journal, [March 2020] 

PERSONAL 

In her spare time Kate enjoys street food, cocktails and supporting Brighton and Hove Albion.  

TESTIMONIALs

‘Kate Kempster is always incredibly organised and well prepared; nothing is too much trouble. She is very popular with clients.’ - Legal 500

‘Kate Kempster is a tenacious champion for her clients and always ensures her clients feel their case has been robustly argued. Kate is always well prepared, and her paperwork is second-to-none.’ - Legal 500

‘Kate Kempster has an uncanny ability to predict to the last pound the outcome! Shrewd and realistic, but fighting her client’s corner all the way. We have done a couple of short marriage cases together recently with excellent outcomes in both – one by agreement without proceedings and one at a pFDR where the client walked away with three times what she had before a two-year childless marriage. This was almost entirely due to Kate’s clever pitching of the offers (and the decision to make open and WP offers from the outset) and the way she framed the arguments. She is a star.’ - Legal 500

‘Kate Kempster is a rising star. She prepares cases meticulously, but with a smile and incredibly sensible and pragmatic advice.’ - Legal 500

‘Kate Kempster, née Taylor, acted on my behalf. She was an absolute pleasure to deal with and her knowledge of publications and legal documents was fantastic. She had a far more professional approach than the other solicitor working on behalf of my ex-husband. Her communication skills were exemplary, and I had every confidence in her abilities. I felt supported during a very challenging period of my life and greatly valued the services provided by Kate and her team.’ - (Client) Legal 500

‘Kate Kempster is a standout for her pragmatic approach to family law, delivering expert advice tailored to the intricate details of each case. Her ability to achieve favourable outcomes for her clients, paired with her specialised knowledge in high-net-worth divorces positions her favourably among her peers. Clients value her for her clarity, understanding and the personalised attention she brings to every case. I think she’s fab.’ - Legal 500

‘Timely response in all matters and nothing was too much trouble. In particular, Kate Kempster and her team deserve special mention. They kept me strong enough to cope emotionally whilst using the law to protect me. I am now settled, finally able to bring closure to a traumatic experience, and life moves on.’ - (Client) Legal 500

‘I will never forget and always be grateful for Kate Kempster at this time, and will always be happy to recommend her services.’ - (Client) Legal 500

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