Bryan J Heaney

Bryan J Heaney became an Advocate in 1999. He provides clear, practical advice in a broad range of subject areas.

Bryan has a special interest in property, trust and succession cases. He is a former Chairman of Trustbar, the Faculty of Advocates’ Trusts, Fiduciaries and Executries Group. He has pursued and defended actions to have wills and dispositions set aside. He has advised on issues of executry practice and drafted numerous applications to the sheriff. He has dealt with the removal of trustees and executors, as well as Inner House trust variation proceedings under the Trusts (Scotland) Act 1961.

Since 2005, Bryan J. Heaney has been a member of the panel of Standing Junior Counsel to the Scottish Ministers and has appeared on their behalf in various courts and tribunals, including the Lands Tribunal and the Land Court. He has dealt with everything from land valuation to agricultural subsidies.

As a standing junior, Bryan has appeared in some of the most difficult and high-profile civil recovery cases brought under Part 5 of the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002. He has served as an advocate depute (ad hoc). He has prosecuted serious crimes, including firearms offences and attempted murder.

As a standing junior, he stays informed about public law and human rights issues and enjoys working on judicial reviews. Bryan is the author of the updated judicial review chapter in Macfadyen’s Court of Session Practice (Tottel). He accepts instructions for petitioners and respondents.

From 2010 to 2017, Bryan served as a part-time Legal Assessor to the Disciplinary Sub-Committee of the General Teaching Council for Scotland. From 2017 to 2024, Bryan served as a part-time convenor of the Scottish Social Services Council’s Fitness to Practise panels. Accordingly, he is well-versed in professional discipline law. He accepts instructions in professional discipline cases.

Bryan is experienced in all kinds of reparation cases (for pursuers and defenders).

He is an instructor on the Faculty of Advocates Foundation Course and a law reporter for The Times Law Reports and Lloyd’s Law Reports (Financial Crime). He is the author of the Court of Session cases column in Green’s Civil Practice Bulletin.