Susan is admitted as a barrister and solicitor of the High Court of New Zealand and also as a solicitor of the Supreme Court of Judicature of England & Wales.

Over the last 37 years Susan has maintained a civil litigation practice with a focus on resolving claims made against professionals, initially in London and since 1989 in New Zealand. She has historically acted on behalf of both insureds and insurers including where there are disputes between those parties.

In 1996 Susan together with the late David Heaney Q.C. founded the law firm, Heaney & Co. In 2015 after retiring as Managing Partner of Heaney & Partners she set up her own legal practice in Queenstown. Susan continues to act for clients throughout New Zealand.

Susan strives to ensure that matters are always managed in a collaborative manner with her clients. She approaches each matter with an emphasis on the early identification of both the legal and commercial issues to enable the path to resolution to be identified early on. This can then ensure the matter is guided towards resolution quickly and cost effectively. In addition, Susan assists her professional clients in managing their risks and insurance relationships.

Susan appears in court at all levels and is a well-respected litigator and negotiator.

Since 2018 she has been engaged as an educator with Engineering New Zealand.

Outside of her work Susan keeps herself busy as a mother and grandmother, travels and reads extensively and enjoys the outdoors in beautiful Queenstown.