The team at CCL specialises with in-house and unparalleled expertise in guiding and advising investments into Sri Lanka; including investments in the Special Economic Zones (SEZ), Colombo Port City and BOI Projects. CCL services include all aspects of legal and regulatory compliance, banking and finance, movement of foreign exchange, structuring investments, registrations and incorporation of companies with customised Articles of Associations, obtaining strategic investment project status. CCL stands ready to co-ordinate transactions with banks, regulators and such others for and on behalf of clients.
The team at CCL specialises with in-house and unparalleled expertise in guiding and advising investments into Sri Lanka; including investments in the Special Economic Zones (SEZ) – such as the Colombo Port City and BOI Projects. Advisory services include all aspects of legal and regulatory compliance, banking and finance and the movement of foreign exchange. Our services also include guidance on structuring investments, registrations and incorporation of companies with customised Articles of Associations, obtaining strategic investment project status, if appropriate, and to liaise with banks, regulators, and others for and on behalf of our clients.
The team is well versed in M&A transaction
services including preparing preliminary documentation such as confidentiality agreements
and exclusivity agreements, carrying out legal due diligence, drafting and finalising Share
Sale and Purchase Agreements, Shareholder Agreements, Consultancy Agreements, Confidentiality
Agreements, Employment Agreements, Independent Contractor Agreements, Construction Agreements,
Joint Venture (JV) Agreements, Public Private Partnership Agreements, Licensing Agreements,
Non-Compete and Non-Disclosure Agreements. Additionally, if a public offering is involved,
our advisory team has the expertise to guide clients through requirements associated with
the Colombo Stock Exchange and Securities and Exchange Commission and listings in foreign stock exchanges
The privatization of SOEs in Sri Lanka, carried out in the 90s and early 2000s included the privatization of Sri Lankan Airlines to Emirates of Dubai and Sri Lanka Telecom to NTT of Japan. The In-House Legal Counsels of Capital City Law command hands-on experience in the privatization process. Mr. Jayawardana was a senior member of the legal advisory team of the Attorney General’s Department that advised on privatizations, whilst Mrs. Gunawardana was the Secretary to the Commission and Director, Legal of the Privatization arm of the Government of Sri Lanka at the time, the Public Enterprises Reform Commission (PERC). They have gained valuable experience having worked alongside local and international Consultants, Financial Advisors and Legal Advisors appointed to assist the transactions.
read more We deliver holistic solutions encompassing expertise of our legal and advisory arms. Together we are able to advise on mergers and acquisitions (M&A), corporate restructuring, public share issues, company listings including public offerings, rights and bonus issues, the re-purchase and splitting of shares and the issue of convertible warrants and related listings. We also provide advise on amalgamation of companies and delisting of public quoted companies.
CCL team, as local legal advisors, is assisting international consultants pioneering the process for Sri Lanka to secure access to green and sustainable finance and hence stands conversant and familiar to assist clients in similar transactions.
The team at CCL can be relied upon to draft deeds,
leases and mortgages, and other agreements for the acquisition,
development, sale and lease of commercial, mixed development or
residential properties. We also specialise in advising foreigners on
the statutory provisions and restrictions applicable in the acquisition
of properties within Sri Lanka. We also command expertise in drafting and
registering Condominium Deeds of Declaration, condominium transfers,
leases and assignments of rights.
Our in-house legal counsel and the litigation team advise and represent clients
in commercial, civil, and corporate litigation.
CCL has a strong dispute resolution team led by the in-house legal counsel in charge of litigation,
that advises and assists on all aspects of dispute resolution including pre-trial negotiation
assistance, preparation of pleadings and claims, involvement in the trial,
interim relief applications, appeals, revision applications and enforcement proceedings.
President’s Counsel
In-House Senior Legal Counsel
Mr. Nihal Jayawardene LL.M. (Lond.), President’s Counsel has years of
experience as the Head of the Corporation Division of the Attorney General’s Department of Sri
Lanka. Mr. Jayawardene has served as a member of legal advisory teams that assisted in the execution
and implementation of large investments in Sri Lankan Airlines, Sri Lanka Telecom, Colombo Port and
in various established insurance institutions and plantation companies among others. He has vast
experience in negotiating international bilateral air-services agreements. He commands extensive
legal knowledge and expertise in Company Law, Aviation Law, Banking and Finance, Corporate Law,
agreement/contract drafting and negotiations, project structuring including PPPs, Arbitration and
Alternate Dispute Resolution along with Civil and Commercial Litigation. He was a member of the
core team that drafted and finalised the Companies Act that was enacted in 2007. His recent notable
contributions include assisting in developing a legal framework for the Special Economic Zone -
Colombo Port City, thus making him a competent and preferred Counsel for advice and assistance on
investments in the Colombo Port City. He is the chairman of the Company Law Advisory Commission.
Having served as a member of the Board of Directors, Mr. Jayawardene assumed duties as the Chairman
of Hatton National Bank PLC with effect from June 2023
nihal@capitalcitylaw.lk
+94 77 307 0682
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Attorney-at-Law
In-House Senior Legal Counsel
Mrs. Shamalie Gunawardana commands extensive expertise inter ala on laws governing public finance,
companies, investment including investments in the Colombo Port City and alienation of property to foreigners. While being
the Director Legal of the privatisation arm of the Government, she has acquired hands on experience in facilitating private
investments in strategic assets and services such as bunkering, insurance, telecommunication, airlines and plantations. She
has undergone numerous knowledge enhancement programs at institutions of global repute. She has served in distinguished Boards
and in several senior positions, including Director General of the Legal Affairs Department of the General Treasury, sphere
headed legal reform initiatives of Sri Lanka facilitated by the World Bank and the fiscal reform initiatives of Sri Lanka
facilitated by the Asian Development Bank. She has served as a Member of the Presidential Expert Working Committee on the
Implementation of Data Protection in Sri Lanka and as a member of the core group that finalised a legal framework for the
Special Economic Zone - Colombo Port City.Key positions held by her include Senior Policy Consultant - UNDP on
sustainable financing, member of the Board Director of DFCC Bank PLC and Haycarb PLC and a member of the Company
Law Advisory Commission of Sri Lanka.
shamalie@capitalcitylaw.lk
+94 77 774 1674
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Attorney-at-Law & Solicitor
Mrs. Priyanthi Pieris, Attorney-at-Law of the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka and
Solicitor of the Supreme Court of England and Wales, commands unparalleled knowledge and hands-on
experience in Capital Market Transactions, including corporate listings on the trading floor of the
Colombo Stock Exchange, take-overs and mergers, amalgamations, re-purchase of shares, splitting of
shares, issue of convertible warrant and listing thereof, de-listing of Public Quoted Companies etc.
She is well versed with the compliance and regulatory requirements of the Colombo Stock Exchange
(CSE), the Securities and Exchange Commission of Sri Lanka (SEC) and the Department of Foreign
Exchange of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka pertaining to foreign investments in Sri Lanka. Mrs.
Pieris has served as a Consultant to the Ministry of Finance and to the CSE, for several years. She
has served as a Member of the Committee of the SEC that finalised amendments to the Company
Takeovers and Mergers Code, the Corporate Governance Committee of the Institute of Chartered
Accountants and the Law Commission of Sri Lanka. She currently serves on several Boards of Listed
and Private companies.
priyanthi@capitalcitylaw.lk
+94 11 461 0476
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A group of external
Senior Consultants with expertise in diverse fields, also assist the firm.