Jonathan Deans

Year of Call
2022
Devil Masters
Tony Lenehan KC
Martin Crawford
David Anderson
Stephen Winter

Contact

jonathandeans@amadvocates.co.uk 07749 264154

Practice Profile

Jonathan has a wide and varied practice and can be instructed in many areas of law. His main areas of law are personal injury, consumer rights, and crime. Jonathan has been ranked as a 'Rising Star' by the Legal 500 in both personal injury and crime.

He is regularly instructed by pursuers and defenders for personal injury and clinical negligence actions in the Sheriff Courts and the Court of Session. He has particular expertise in cases involving sexual abuse, industrial disease, and allegations of fraud.

His consumer rights practice ranges from disputes about defective products to mis-selling of agreements such as Green Energy Plans and motor finance.
In terms of crime, Jonathan regularly appears in front of the criminal appeals courts but is also involved in criminal trials focusing on sexual offences, organised crime, and drugs offences.

Jonathan has a particular interest in public law litigation and judicial review, appearing in environmental disputes, planning disputes, and litigation involving mental health law.

Jonathan's practice also frequently involves succession and executory disputes, commercial instructions, and housing law. Jonathan can also be instructed for cases involving family law, pensions, discrimination, professional regulation, and immigration.

Education & Professional Career to Date

Postgraduate Diploma in Professional Legal Practice with Distinction (University of Aberdeen 2018)
Bachelor of Laws with First Class Honours (University of Aberdeen 2017)

Solicitor - NewLaw Scotland LLP (2021)
Trainee Solicitor - NewLaw Scotland LLP (2019 - 2021)
Case Manager - NewLaw Scotland LLP (2018 - 2019)
Legal Assistant - NHS Tayside (2016 - 2018)

Appointments

  • Judge of the Sir Alexander Stone Scottish Intervarsity Moot Court Competition (2025)
  • Associate Writer to the Signet
  • Member of the Stair Society
  • Lord Reid Scholar - Faculty of Advocates (2021–2022)
  • Tutor - University of Edinburgh Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Mooting Team (2021–2022)

Selected Cases

  • Personal Injury
  • SL v. RL [2023] CSOH 91

    Junior counsel for the pursuer (with senior) in a successful debate regarding whether a Minute of Agreement in a divorce action precluded the pursuer from raising proceedings for damages under the Protection from Harassment Act 1997.

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  • Consumer Rights
  • Portman Motors v Christie [2024] SAC (Civ) 10

    Appeared for the respondent in successfully resisting a Sheriff Appeal Court appeal against a Sheriff's decision to award expenses to a pursuer who had obtained a settlement in respect of one crave and abandoned the remainder of the action.

  • Herron v Motonovo Finance Limited (January 2023)

    Appeared for the pursuer in a successful proof relating to rejection of a nine-year-old vehicle. The case involved conflicting expert evidence regarding whether a fault with the vehicle was present at the point of sale or developed afterwards.

  • Adam v. Moneybarn No. 1 Limited [2025] SC DUM 6

    Appeared for the pursuer in a proof relating to rejection of a car. The case concerned the impartiality of an expert witness.

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  • Crime
  • Procurator Fiscal, Airdrie v. Rea [2025] SAC (Crim 2)

    Appeared for the respondent in a crown appeal against sentence. The Sheriff Appeal Court used this case to provide guidance to Sheriffs on the proper approach to sentencing when the offender had been subject to electronic monitoring on bail.

  • Samba Saye v. His Majesty's Advocate [2025] HCJAC 8

    Appeared as junior counsel for the appellant in an appeal from a preliminary hearing concerning an appellant who sought to argue special defences of both consent and incrimination.

  • Gardiner & Anderson v. His Majesty's Advocate [2024] HCJAC 44

    Appeared as junior counsel for the first appellant in this 7-judge decision clarifying the distinction between murder and culpable homicide in art and part liability.

  • Smith, Petitioner [2024] HCJAC 34

    Appeared for the petitioner in a petition to the nobile officium seeking suspension of a warrant which had not been executed.

  • Moffat v. His Majesty's Advocate [2024] HCJAC 24

    Drafted the note of appeal and written submissions in a successful High Court appeal on the basis that the Sheriff had erred by not identifying which elements of a cumulo sentence were in respect of sexual offences.

  • HMA v Paterson & Sweeney (March 2023)

    Crown Junior in the successful 7-week prosecution of two accused for being concerned in the supply of cocaine and heroin as part of serious organised crime. The first accused was sentenced to 14 years imprisonment. The second accused was sentenced to 5 years imprisonment.

  • HMA v Hood (October 2022)

    Crown Junior in a 5-day trial for abduction, assault and rape to injury and danger of life. The accused was sentenced to an extended sentence of 25 years.

  • HMA v Harley (July 2022)

    Crown Junior in the prosecution of historical sex abuse committed against multiple residents of Merkland Children's Home in the late 1970s to early 1980s.

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  • Administrative Law
  • GDFC Assets Limited v. Heaney [2024] UKUT 345 (AAC)

    Appeared pro bono as junior counsel for the respondent in the Upper Tribunal. This was a test case and the first case in the Upper Tribunal relating to mis-selling of green deal plans.

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  • Public Law
  • Brown, Petitioner [2025] CSOH 4

    Appeared for the petitioner on a pro bono basis as junior counsel in a judicial review action against a grant of a certificate of lawfulness for a fence restricting access to a public park.

  • Brown, Petitioner [2024] CSOH 76

    Appeared for the petitioner on a pro bono basis as leading junior counsel in a judicial review action against a grant of planning permission for a fence restricting access to a public park . It was successfully argued that the local authority had failed to have regard to their duty to uphold access rights.

  • Rae, Petitioner [2025] CSIH 1

    Junior counsel for the petitioner in a further judicial review action in both the Outer House and Inner House of the Court of Session challenging a decision by a local authority that an environmental impact assessment was not required for the demolition of a housing estate.

  • Rae, Petitioner (September 2023)

    Junior counsel for the petitioner in the a successful judicial review action relating to a decision by a local authority that an environmental impact assessment was not required for the demolition of a housing estate.

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  • Executry
  • Barclay v. Thorntons Trustees Limited [2024] CSOH 18

    Appeared for the pursuer in a 6-day proof in the Court of Session for reduction of a will on the basis of forgery.

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  • Housing
  • Horne v. Slash Property Ltd [2024] UT 36

    Appeared for the appellants in an Upper Tribunal appeal relating to the fairness of a rent review clause. The Upper Tribunal provided guidance in relation to section 71 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 regarding the duty of a court to consider the fairness of a contractual term.

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  • Family
  • Hafthorsdottir v. Eyvindsson [2025] CSOH 6

    Appeared for the pursuer in a successful action for reduction of a decree of divorce. The decree had been granted in absence. The defender unsuccessfully argued that the pursuer had an alternative remedy in a negligence claim against her solicitors.

Publications & Seminars

Immigration appeals: a case apart, Journal of the Law Society of Scotland, 17 October 2022

The Duty of Candour in Matters of Law - Talk for the Law Society of Scotland, 5 October 2022

Better The Devil You Know: Ex Turpi Causa - Talk for Arnot Manderson Advocates, 21 June 2022

The New States of Abortion Politics Book Review, Aberdeen Student Law Review Volume 8 (2018), 81-87

A v NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde Health Board, Juridical Review 2018 2, 115-121

Smoking Bans in Psychiatric Hospitals: A Matter for the Scottish Government? - University of Aberdeen School of Law (Online Blog) <abdn.ac.uk/law/blog/smoking-bans-in-psychiatric-hospitals-a-matter-for-the-scottish-government>

'Child Spies': Juvenile Covert Human Intelligence Sources and Public Scrutiny, Juridical Review 2019 2, 198-206

Compensation for Breach of Data Protection, Independent Federation of Nursing in Scotland (Online Blog) <ifonscotland.org/?page_id=8>

Comprehending Competence, Juridical Review 2020 2, 87-95

The Internal Market Bill: a specific and limited controversy?, Juridical Review 2021 1, 48-58

Civil court hearings: seeking common ground, Journal of the Law Society of Scotland, 16 August 2021

Duthie v HMA: Clarification on Corroboration, Edinburgh Law Review, 2021 (Volume 25), 377-385

Parachute Regiment Charity v Hay, Juridical Review 2022 2, 106-114.

Directories

Awarded "Rising Star" status in Legal 500 2025 in the categories personal injury & medical negligence and crime.

Additional Information

Jonathan has been appointed as a Board Member of the Faculty of Advocate's Free Legal Services Unit.

Jonathan has been appointed standing "junior junior" counsel to the Office of the Advocate General for Scotland and regularly appears as a Nominated Presenting Officer for the Home Office.

Jonathan has been appointed as a Case Presenter for the Nursing and Midwifery Council.

Jonathan has been appointed as standing junior counsel to the Faculty of Advocates Complaints Committee and Disciplinary Tribunal.

Jonathan has appeared for the Crown as an ad-hoc Advocate Depute in a Proceeds of Crime case. Jonathan is believed to be the youngest person to appear as an Advocate Depute in modern history.