COLOMBO LAW ALLIANCE - Key Persons
Having obtained an LL.B from the University of Colombo and upon completion of a period of legal apprenticeship under Mr. T. Sachithanandan, Mr. Chakrawarthy Yadavan was called to the Bar as an Attorney-at-Law of the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka in 2017.
Mr. Yadavan is also a Graduate Chemist, and an Associate Member of the Institute of Chemistry Ceylon. He also holds an LL.M in International Studies in Intellectual Property Law from the University of West London and a Postgraduate Diploma in Nuclear Science from the University of Colombo.
Prior to joining Colombo Law Alliance, Mr. Yadavan was a State Counsel at the Attorney General's Department of Sri Lanka where he served in the Criminal Division as a prosecutor.
He has also completed a certificate course in Criminal Defence offered by the Bar Association of Sri Lanka. Further, Mr. Yadavan has also completed certificate courses in Introduction to International Nuclear Law, International Nuclear Law: Advanced Concepts, and Nuclear Knowledge Management offered by the National Research Nuclear University MEPhI (Moscow Engineering Physics Institute).
Having obtained an LL.B (Hons) from the University of London, and upon successful completion of a period of legal apprenticeship under Dr. Asanga Gunawansa and Mr. Dilshan Jayasuriya, Ms. Christina Peiris was called to the Bar as an Attorney-at-Law of the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka in 2020.
Ms. Peiris has completed a certificate course in Commercial Arbitration, conducted by the Bar Association of Sri Lanka as well a certificate course on Intellectual Property Law, conducted by the Institute for the Development of Commercial Law and Practice (ICLP). She has also attended an Arbitration Award Writing Workshop conducted by the Commercial Law Development Program, U. S. Department of Commerce and CCC-ICLP ADR Centre, Sri Lanka.
Job Titles:
- Attorney - at - Law
- Legal Consultant to the Asian Development Bank
Dr. Asanga Gunawansa was called to the Bar as an Attorney-at-Law of the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka in 1993 and has over 28 years of experience as a Legal Counsel. He holds a Ph.D. in Law from the National University of Singapore (NUS) and an LL.M in International Economic Law from the University of Warwick, England. He is also a BIARI fellow (Brown International Advance Research Institute, Brown University).
Whilst practicing in all areas of general commercial litigation, Dr. Gunawansa is an expert in contracts, construction law, foreign investments and the legal aspects of project financing, public-private partnerships, arbitration and environmental law. His services are regularly sought by local as well as international clients including multinational institutions.
In addition to being engaged in private legal practice, Dr. Gunawansa is currently a Legal Consultant to the Asian Development Bank on public-private partnerships and he is also a Legal Consultant to the Independent Redress Mechanism of the Green Climate Fund in Songdo, South Korea.
He is also an Honorary Legal Consultant to the Ministry of Justice of Sri Lanka and was instrumental in establishing the Colombo International Arbitration Centre, of which he is the current Chairman. He is also a member of the Panel of Experts on the law relating to arbitration in Sri Lanka appointed by the Justice Sector Reforms Program of the Ministry of Justice in Sri Lanka. Dr. Gunawansa is also an Arbitrator with the Asian International Arbitration Centre (AIA, Malaysia), Thailand Arbitration Centre (THAC), Shenzhen Court of International Arbitration (SCIA) and the SAARC Arbitration Council (SAARCO). He is also a member of the Advisory Board of the Gujarat International Maritime Arbitration Centre.
He is also an Associate Member of the Executive Committee of the Asia Pacific Centre of Environmental Law, NUS, and an International Research Associate of the Institute of Water Policy of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, NUS. He is also an Adjunct Professor of the University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka.
Prior to returning to Sri Lanka in 2012 to establish Colombo Law Alliance, Dr. Gunawansa served the United Nations Organization as a Legal Officer, completing a five-year mission in Geneva, Switzerland for the United Nations Compensation Commission, and a two-year mission in Jerusalem, West Bank and Amman for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency. During the period between 2007 and 2012, Dr. Gunawansa taught Construction Law, Water Law and the legal aspects of Sustainable Development at NUS. During the period between 1993 and 2000, Dr. Gunawansa worked as a State Counsel attached to the Attorney General's Department of Sri Lanka.
Outside his legal practice and academic activities, Dr. Gunawansa is a non-resident Associate of the Asia Society and a member of the Editorial Review Board of the International Journal of Law in the Built Environment and the Journal of Built Environment Project and Asset Management. Dr. Gunawansa has authored several books including the ‘Asia Pacific Construction Law Case Book Series' published by LexisNexis and ‘Water Governance: Evaluation of Alternative Architectures' published by Edward Elgar Publishing House. He has also authored over 25 Articles published in international journals on construction law, environmental law and arbitration.
Having obtained an LL.B (Hons) from the University of London, and upon completion of a period of legal apprenticeship under Dr. Asanga Gunawansa, Mr. Dushinka Nelson was called to the Bar as an Attorney-at -Law of the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka in 2015.
Mr. Nelson holds a Master's Degree in Business Administration from the University of Wales Trinity Saint David. Mr. Nelson has also completed a Diploma in Human Rights with the Institute of Human Rights, Sri Lanka, a Diploma in Journalism with the University of Colombo and a Diploma in International Relations with the Bandaranaike Centre for International Studies.
Prior to taking oaths as an Attorney-at-Law, Mr. Nelson completed an internship at the Ministry of Justice of Sri Lanka. Mr. Nelson also functions in the capacity of an alternate member on behalf of the National Chamber of Commerce of Sri Lanka, to the National Labour Advisory Council 2022.
Having obtained an LL.B (Hons) from the University of London and upon completion of a period of legal apprenticeship at the Attorney General's Department of Sri Lanka, Mr. Hemaka Perera was called to the Bar as an Attorney-at-Law of the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka in 2017.
Mr. Perera holds an LL.M specializing in International Arbitration and Dispute Resolution from the National University of Singapore. Mr. Perera has a Certificate in Shipping Law and Practice from the Institute for the Development of Commercial Law and Practice (ICLP) and the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce. He has also completed an expert training program on Construction Contracts Claims Management and Adjudication conducted by FIDIC.
Apart from his legal practice, he is a trainer for competitive debating at school level. He is also regularly invited to judge several local school and university level debating tournaments in Sri Lanka.
Having obtained a LL.B (Hons) from the University of London and upon completion of a period of legal apprenticeship at the Attorney General's Department of Sri Lanka, Mr. Jithen de Silva was called to the Bar as an Attorney-at-Law of the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka in 2019.
Mr. de Silva has also completed a certificate course in Intellectual Property Law from the Institute for the Development of Commercial Law and Practice, and a certificate course in Commercial Arbitration from the Bar Association of Sri Lanka.
In addition to being a practicing Legal Counsel, with focus in Appellate, Writ and Fundamental Rights matters, Mr. de Silva provides consultancy in Intellectual Property Law, with focus on Innovation, Product Development and Licensing.
Outside of his legal practice, Mr. de Silva serves as a member of the Legal Affairs Committee of the Old Boys' Association of S. Thomas' College, Mount Lavinia. He also volunteers his spare time as a Legal Consultant and Project Lead for the NGO, The Arka Initiative.
Having obtained an LL.B (Hons) from the University of London, and upon completion of a period of legal apprenticeship at D L & F De Saram, Ms. Keshika Kamalaneson was called to the Bar as an Attorney-at-Law of the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka in 2019.
Prior to joining Colombo Law Alliance, Ms. Kamalaneson was involved in active practice pertaining to Family Law and Land Law.
She is currently following a Diploma Course in Diplomacy and World Affairs at the Bandaranaike International Diplomatic Training Institute.
Upon completing his apprenticeship under Dr. Asanga Gunawansa, Mr. Ashan Stanislaus was called to the Bar as an Attorney-at-law of the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka in 2012.
He holds a Bachelor of Laws from the University of London with honours. He started his professional career in the Chambers of the Chief Justice of Sri Lanka in June 2010, as a Judicial Clerk and thereafter as Personal and Legal Research Assistant to the Chief Justice, during which time, he was appointed as the Head of Legal Research for the Commonwealth Judicial Colloquium on Money Laundering and Financing of Terrorism which was participated by over 20 Chief Justices and Justices of Commonwealth States. In 2016, he joined Sri Lanka Cricket as Head of Legal.
He was appointed as a consultant to United States Agency for International Development (USAID) for the Supporting Accelerated Investments in Sri Lanka (SAIL Project). As part of the project, he co-authored two legal assessments titled "A review provisions of the labor code of Sri Lanka" (March 2017), and "Assessment of Case flow process in the Commercial High Court of Colombo" (January 2018), undertaken for the purpose of improving the investment climate in Sri Lanka. He is also a consultant to the Asian Development Bank, implementing a justice sector reforms project in Sri Lanka.
He was appointed as a consultant to United States Agency for International Development (USAID) for the Supporting Accelerated Investments in Sri Lanka (SAIL Project). As part of the project, he co-authored two legal assessments titled "A review provisions of the labor code of Sri Lanka" (March 2017), and "Assessment of Case flow process in the Commercial High Court of Colombo" (January 2018), undertaken for the purpose of improving the investment climate in Sri Lanka. He is also a consultant to the Asian Development Bank, implementing a justice sector reforms project in Sri Lanka.
He is a visiting Lecturer of University of Moratuwa for two faculties namely Faculty of Architecture, Department of Building Economics on Construction Arbitration, Alternative Dispute Resolution Legal Research Methodology and Faculty of Engineering, Department of Civil Engineering, on Industrial and Commercial Law and also of Sri Lanka Institute of Architects on Legal Process, land Law in Sri Lanka, Construction Arbitration, Law of Contracts, Delict, Professional Negligence, and Law relating to Condominium Property.
He has substantial expertise in effective regulation development and litigation with regard to investment, commercial, corporate, and labour law and possesses a thorough understanding of the investment climate and regulatory mechanisms in Sri Lanka regarding contract law, commercial arbitration, banking law, and construction law and arbitration. He has substantive experience in public, private and development sectors.
Job Titles:
- Attorney - at - Law
- Member of the Board of Directors of Litro Gas Ltd
Mr. Chanaka Manawadu was called to the Bar as an Attorney-at-Law of the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka in 1999 and has over 21 years of experience as a legal counsel in areas such as personal law, corporate law and other civil disputes and criminal law. Mr. Manawadu holds an LL.M in Business and Commercial Law from the University of West London.
Mr. Manawadu was appointed as a member of the Board of Directors of Litro Gas Ltd. in 2019.
Having obtained an LL.B (Hons) from the University of London, and upon completion of a period of legal apprenticeship under Mr. Dilshan Jayasuriya, Mr. Devaka Jayasuriya was called to the Bar as an Attorney-at-Law of the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka in 2020.
Mr. Indunil Piyadasa was called to the Bar as an Attorney-at-Law of the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka in 2003.
He holds an LL.M from the University of London specializing in Maritime Law, and a PGDip in International Trade Law from the University of Wales.
He worked as a Lecturer in Law attached to the Faculty of Shari'ah and Law, Maldives National University during the period between 2004 and 2009
Upon returning to Sri Lanka in 2010, Mr. Piyadasa started his legal practice focusing on criminal law, civil law, commercial law, land law, money recovery actions, banking law, insurance law, family law, testamentary actions, labour law and industrial disputes.
Mr. Weerasinghe is an expert in Labour Law, Industrial Relations and all aspects relating to Employment including skills development and migration. Similarly, he is considered as an expert in social dialogue and as a consensus builder.
Job Titles:
- President 's Counsel
- Presidents Counsel / Attorney - at - Law
Mr. Palitha Fernando, President's Counsel, is a former Attorney General of Sri Lanka. He took oaths as an Attorney-at-Law of the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka in 1979 and was appointed as a President's Counsel in the year 2007. He obtained an LL.B and an LL.M in International Law from the University of Colombo. He is a Chevening Scholar and has obtained an LL.M in International Commercial Law from the University of Bristol, United Kingdom.
He joined the Attorney General's Department of Sri Lanka in 1980 as an Acting State Counsel and was appointed as the Attorney General of Sri Lanka in 2012. He was a Rear Admiral of the Volunteer Force of the Sri Lanka Navy and served as the Head of the Legal Division of the Sri Lanka Navy and was the Judge Advocate of the Sri Lanka Navy till 2004. He was appointed as a member of the Law Commission of Sri Lanka in 2011 and is a Past President of the Medico-Legal Society of Sri Lanka and a Past Chairman of the Criminal Justice Sector Coordinating Committee established by the Ministry of Justice of Sri Lanka in collaboration with the Swedish Government.
Having obtained an LL.B (Hons) from the University of London, and upon completion of a period of legal apprenticeship at the Attorney General's Department of Sri Lanka, Ms. Nicola De Zoysa was called to the Bar as an Attorney-at-Law of the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka in 2018. Ms. De Zoysa also holds an LL.M in Commercial and Corporate Law from the University of London.
Ms. De Zoysa is currently residing in the US and is in the process of reading for the California State Bar Examination.
Outside her legal practice, Ms. De Zoysa has 10 years of experience as a news anchor for television and radio and has completed the exams of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) up until the Management Level. She has also obtained her Associate (ATCL) and Licentiate (LLCM) Diplomas in Speech & Drama from Trinity College London and the London College of Music, respectively. She is also a member of Contempo: The Past Pupil's Choir of St. Bridget's Convent.
Having obtained an LL.B from the University of Colombo and upon completion of a period of legal apprenticeship at the Attorney General's Department under the guidance of Mr. Sanjay Rajaratnam (then Acting Solicitor General), Ms. Nikita Gomez was called to the Bar as an Attorney-at-Law of the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka in 2021.
Ms. Gomez has also completed a certificate course in International Relations from BCIS, a Certificate Course in Legal Drafting from the Bar Association of Sri Lanka and a She was also the Directress of Public Relations of the Faculty Rotaract Club and a member of the Law Student's Association of Sri Lanka. Ms. Gomez has also acted as an Assistant Editor of the Colombo Law Review.
Outside her legal practice, she is a content writer for Hi Online and Pulse.lk and has also completed a Certificate Course in German Language at the Goethe Institute.
Job Titles:
- Attorney - at - Law
- Professor
Professor Srilal Perera has an LL.B from the University of Colombo, Sri Lanka and he is an Attorney-at-Law of the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka. He has an MA from the School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) of the Johns Hopkins University and a Ph.D. from Georgetown University in Washington DC.
Professor Perera is a retired Adjunct Professor of Law of the Washington College of Law of the American University (WCL), Washington DC where he taught a course on International Law of Foreign Investment.
He served as Chief Counsel of the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA) of the World Bank Group during the period between 1989 and 2010. Professor Perera has also served as Legal Counsel at the Iran-United States Claims Tribunal in the Hague from 1986 to 1989. He is also on the Panel of Arbitrators and Mediators of the International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) and a member of the Panel of Arbitrators of the Thailand Arbitration Centre (THAC). He has several publications to his credit on subjects directly concerning Investor State Dispute Settlement.
Job Titles:
- Attorney - at - Law
- Junior Editor
Having obtained an LL.B (Hons) from the University of London and upon completion of a period of legal apprenticeship under Mr. Dilshan Jayasuriya, Ms. Shalinie Kulatunga was called to the Bar as an Attorney-at-Law of the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka in 2018.
Ms. Kulatunga joined the Colombo Law Alliance team in 2015 and worked as a Paralegal/Legal Researcher until she took oaths as an Attorney-at-Law in 2018.
Outside her legal practice, Ms. Kulatunga is a Junior Editor of books on law, history, politics, archaeology, children's literature and English literature such as those by Donovan Moldrich, Jean Arasanayagam, including those launched in the Sino-Sri Lankan Publication Co-operation in 2017. Ms. Kulatunga is an ardent women's and children's rights activist and has collaborated with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in 2019 to raise awareness on gender-based violence in Sri Lanka.
Having obtained an LL.B (Hons) from the University of London and upon completion of a period of legal apprenticeship under Dr. Asanga Gunawansa, Ms. Shenella Fonseka was called to the Bar as Attorney-at-Law of the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka in 2019.
Ms. Fonseka also holds a Bachelor of Arts, specializing in English Language and Linguistics from the University of Colombo. She was Captain of the debating team of the Faculty of Arts, University of Colombo and the Directress of Professional Development of the Faculty Rotaract Club.
Ms. Fonseka's practice involves corporate disputes, construction disputes and public law remedies.
Having obtained an LL.B (Hons) from the University of London, and upon completion of a period of legal apprenticeship at the Attorney General's Department of Sri Lanka, Ms. Shenen Perera was called to the Bar as an Attorney-at-Law of the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka in 2020.
Ms. Perera holds a Certificate in Legal Drafting from the Bar Association of Sri Lanka. She has also completed a Certificate Course in Computer Science at the National Institute of Business Management, Colombo. She is currently pursuing a Certificate Course in Capital Markets with the Securities and Exchange Commission of Sri Lanka.
Outside her legal practice, Ms. Perera is an active member of the Lions Club of Sri Lanka.
Having obtained her LL.B (Hons) from the University of London in 2014 and upon completion of her legal apprenticeship at the Attorney General's Department under the guidance of Hon.Justice Arjuna Obeyesekere (then, Senior Deputy Solicitor General), Ms. Swasha Fernando-Aluwihare was called to the Bar as an Attorney-at-Law of the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka in 2018.
Ms. Fernando-Aluwihare is a graduate of the University of Colombo, having obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree specializing in English Language, Linguistics and Cultural Studies while also studying Sociology and International Relations.
Prior to joining Colombo Law Alliance, Ms. Fernando-Aluwihare served as a State Counsel attached to the Attorney General's Department from 2018 to 2022, during which time she obtained her Masters in Human Rights and Democratization.