Tammy L. Bryan, S.C

Mrs. Bryan remained with the firm until she took a leave of absence for three and a half years from 2003 until 2006 and moved to Jamaica. While in Jamaica she served as the in-house counsel for the Coffee Industry Board of Jamaica which regulates the coffee industry of Jamaica. She was responsible for all legal work including the registration and protection of the world-famous trademarks Jamaica Blue Mountain® and Jamaica High Mountain Supreme® in Jamaica, United States of America, Europe, Australia, Canada, parts of Asia and the Caribbean. She played an integral role in the pursuit and prosecution of infringers of the marks globally.

During her tenure with the Coffee Industry Board, she also had oversight of the divestment of the Commercial Division from the Coffee Industry Board making it responsible only for the regulation of the industry.

Mrs. Bryan returned to Barbados and George Walton Payne & Co. in 2006 as partner and resumed her practice in the areas of Contracts, Conveyancing, Mortgages for both borrowers and lenders, Wills, Estates and Succession Law, Employment Law, Family Law, Receivership and Guardianship and Intellectual Property.

Mrs. Bryan’s Conveyancing and Mortgage practice has been wide and varied. She advised on and structured several significant high end real estate development projects including The St. James (formerly Beachcomber hotel), Schooner Bay, Mullins Bay Development, Reeds House and Porters Court. She was the lead attorney on a complex restructuring of the Old Trees Development which involved dismantling a complex company structure and bringing the property under the Condominium Act. She has acted for several buyers and sellers in several luxury developments including Sandy Lane, Royal Westmoreland, Sugar Hill, Apes Hill, and Port St. Charles. She also acts for a local bank in its local and foreign currency loans to high net worth individuals.

Mrs. Bryan has a distinguished career in the practice of Family Law highlights of which include cross border maintenance and applications for return of children absent of the Hague Convention which made the matters more complex. She has not only appeared before the court to have her family matters determined but she has also negotiated settlements in several of her matters thereby helping her clients to avoid the time, anxiety and costs of court hearings.

Mrs. Bryan is a member of the Family Law Council a body established pursuant to the Family Law Act to advise and make recommendations to the Attorney General on the operation of the Act, the provision of legal aid in family proceedings and any other matters related to family law.

Mrs. Bryan has prosecuted several applications for receivership and guardianship under the Mental Health Act. She recently successfully argued an appeal of a High Court decision with the Court of Appeal accepting her submission that persons residing outside of Barbados can be patients under the Act and applicants residing outside of Barbados can be appointed as receivers in Barbados.

In her Employment Law practice, Mrs. Bryan has not only represented several employees in the enforcement of their rights at common law and under the various pieces of employment legislation but she has also guided many employers through the restructuring and termination process.

Mrs. Bryan’s Intellectual Property practice includes the registration of trademarks, patents and industrial designs. She is the first attorney in Barbados to file an application for registration of a Geographical Indication. That application is for the registration of Barbados rum.

Mrs. Bryan has made presentations on Trademarks, Copyright and Geographical Indications in Barbados, Jamaica and Haiti on behalf of the World Intellectual Property Organisation. She has also made presentations on behalf of the Barbados Industrial Development Corporation and Caribbean Export.

Mrs. Bryan was engaged by Caricom on a consultancy to draft the Model Competition Bill for Caricom in 2009.

Mrs. Bryan served as a Commissioner of the Fair Trading Commission, a quasi-judicial body responsible for the regulation of utilities and the enforcement of the Fair Competition and Consumer Protection Acts, from 2006 until 2008. She was appointed the Chair of the Commission in 2018 and chairs the Electricity and Water Panels. She also leads the Commission in the investigation and approval of mergers and the determination of Consumer Protection matters.

Mrs. Bryan was the Barbados contributor to the Study on Misappropriation of Signs published by the World Intellectual Property Organisation in 2012 and was also the Barbados contributor to the Status Report on Protection against Unfair Competition in WIPO member states published by the World Intellectual Property Organisation in 2022.

In addition to her many commitments, Mrs. Bryan has managed to find time to give back by doing pro bono work.