Research interests

• Matrimonial property law
• Maintenance law
• Parental responsibilities and rights

• Family Law
• Law of Persons
• Child Law

• Heaton J and Roos A Family and Succession Law in South Africa (2012) Wolters Kluwer Law & Business, Alphen aan den Rijn (revised: 2016)
• Heaton J The South African Law of Persons 4 ed (2012) LexisNexis Durban
• Heaton J Casebook on the South African Law of Persons 4 ed (2012) LexisNexis Durban
• Heaton J and Kruger H South African Family Law 4 ed (2015) LexisNexis Durban
• Heaton J  and Kruger H Casebook on South African Family Law 4 ed (2015) LexisNexis Durban

Book chapters

• Heaton J "Family Law and the Bill of Rights" in Bill of Rights Compendium (1998) LexisNexis Butterworths, Durban (loose-leaf) (revised 2005)
• Heaton J "Parental responsibilities and rights" in Davel CJ and Skelton AM (eds) Commentary on the Children's Act (2007) Juta & Co, Kenwyn (loose-leaf) (revised 2012)
• Heaton J "The right to same-sex marriage in South Africa" in Gerber P and Sifris A (eds) Current Trends in the Regulation of Same-Sex Relationships (2010) Federation Press, Sydney
• Heaton J "South Africa: Changing the contours of Child and Family Law" in Sutherland EE (ed) The Future of Child and Family Law: International Predictions (2012) Cambridge University Press, Cambridge
• Heaton J "The Proprietary Consequences of Divorce" in Heaton J (ed) The Law of Divorce and Dissolution of Life Partnerships in South Africa (2014) Juta, Kenwyn
• De Jong M and Heaton J "Post-divorce Maintenance for a Spouse or Civil Union Partner" in Heaton J (ed) The Law of Divorce and Dissolution of Life Partnerships in South Africa (2014) Juta, Kenwyn
• Heaton J "The Extension of Mediation, and Piercing the Trust Veneer on Divorce in South Africa" in Atkin B (ed) The International Survey of Family Law 2015 (2015) Family Law, Bristol
• Heaton J "Parental responsibilities and rights" in Boezaart CJ (ed) Child Law in South Africa 2 ed (2017) Juta, Kenwyn

• Heaton J "An overview of the current legal position regarding heterosexual life partnerships" (2005) 68 Journal for Contemporary Roman-Dutch Law 662-670
• Heaton J "Striving for substantive gender equality in family law: Selected issues" (2005) 21 South African Journal on Human Rights 547-574
• Heaton J and Pretorius JT "Minors as the payees of cheques" (2007) 124 South African Law Journal 112-127
• Heaton J "Termination of post-divorce maintenance for a spouse or civil union partner in terms of a settlement agreement" (2007) 70 Journal for Contemporary Roman-Dutch Law 641-652
• Heaton J "The Law of Persons and Family Law" 2007 Annual Survey of South African Law 885-960 (published in 2008)
• Heaton J "The Marriage Act 25 of 1961, the Divorce Act 70 of 1979, and the dissolution of a Hindu marriage [Discussion of Singh v Ramparsad and Others 2007 3 SA 445 (D)]" (2008) 19 Stellenbosch Law Review 452-465
• Heaton J "The Law of Persons and Family Law" 2008 Annual Survey of South African Law 908-964 (published in 2009)
• Heaton J "An individualised, contextualised and child-centred determination of the child’s best interests, and the implications of such an approach in the South African context" (2009) 34 Journal for Juridical Science 1-18
• Heaton J "Family Law" 2009 Annual Survey of South African Law 440-486 (published in 2010)
• Heaton J "The Law of Persons" 2009 Annual Survey of South African Law 883-896 (published in 2010)
• De Jong M and Heaton J "A missed opportunity to achieve justice in respect of maintenance for divorced spouses whose former spouses die: Kruger NO V Goss" (2011) 128 South African Law Journal 211-223
• Heaton J "Family Law" 2010 Annual Survey of South African Law 435-496 (published in 2011)
• Heaton J "The Law of Persons" 2010 Annual Survey of South African Law 990-1000 (published in 2011)
• Bakker P and Heaton J ‘The co-existence of customary and civil marriages under the Black Administration Act 38 of 1927 and the Recognition of Customary Marriages Act 120 of 1998 — The Supreme Court of Appeal introduces polygyny into Some Civil Marriages: Netshituka v Netshituka 2011 5 SA 453 (SCA)’ 2012 Journal of South African Law 586-593
• Smith B and Heaton J "Extension of the dependant’s action to heterosexual life partners after Volks NO v Robinson and the coming into operation of the Civil Union Act – Thus far and no further?" (2012) 75 Journal for Contemporary Roman-Dutch Law 472-484
• Heaton J "Family Law" 2011 Annual Survey of South African Law 414-482 (published in 2013)
• Heaton J "The Law of Persons" 2011 Annual Survey of South African Law 876-889 (published in 2013)
• Heaton J "Family Law" 2012 Annual Survey of South African Law 328-374 (published 2014)
• Heaton J "The Law of Persons" 2012 Annual Survey of South African Law 703-716 (published 2014)
• Heaton J "The pitfalls of international surrogacy: A South African family law perspective" (2015) 78 Journal for Contemporary Roman-Dutch Law 24-46
• Heaton J "Family Law" 2013 Annual Survey of South African Law 425-467 (published 2015)
• Heaton J "The Law of Persons" 2013 Annual Survey of South African Law 871-878 (published 2015)
• Heaton J "The Law of Persons" 2014 Annual Survey of South African Law 827-842 (published 2016)
• Heaton J "Family Law" 2014 Annual Survey of South African Law 391-430 (published 2016)

• C1 NRF rating
• Editor: Annual Survey of South African Law: 2010-2012
• Referee Editor: South African Law Journal: 2012-present
• Editor: The Law of Divorce and Dissolution of Life Partnerships in South Africa (2014) Juta, Kenwyn
• Rapporteur: Family Law Committee: International Law Association: 2007-2013
• Member of Advisory Committee of South African Law Reform Commission for  Project 25 Statutory Law Revision: Revision of Legislation administered by  Department of Home Affairs: 2008-present
• Member of Research Assessment Committee: Utrecht Law School: 2016
• University of South Africa Award for Excellence in Tuition (awarded for Law of Persons (PVL101-Q); team members: J Heaton, JM Kruger, S Ferreira and DT Mailula): 2005
• Vereniging Hugo de Groot Prize for Best Contribution to Journal of Contemporary Roman-Dutch Law in 2015: Heaton J "The pitfalls of international surrogacy: A South African family law perspective" (2015) 78 Journal of Contemporary Roman-Dutch Law 24-46