Welsh family law silk appointed High Court judge

Ruth Henke KC has been appointed as a High Court judge, assigned to the Family Division.

Her appointment will take effect from 29 September 2023 and she will be known as The Honourable Ms Justice Henke.

Henke was called to the Bar (Inner Temple) in 1987 and took Silk in 2006. She was appointed as a S(9) 4 Deputy High Court Judge in 2018, assigned to the Family Division.

At the Bar, Henke, who grew up in Wales, specialised in the law relating to the protection of vulnerable people and children.

She is author of the Welsh Materials in the Family Court Practice and the chapter on Welsh Family law in Butterworths family law. She is chair of the South East Wales Family Law Bar Association (FLBA), the silk representative on the Family Justice Council and chair of the Welsh Committee for the Five Jurisdictions conference.

Henke practised at 30 Park Place, Cardiff, where she was Head of Chambers, and 1GC, where she was a door tenant.

The appointment was to fill a vacancy in the High Court following elevations to the Court of Appeal and confirmed retirements.