DL & F De Saram

Managing Partner: Savantha De Saram

Partners: Prabash De Saram, Manjula Sirimane, Jivan Goonetilleke, Aruni Marcelline, Aloka Nandasena, Dasuni Wijayasriwardena, Hansi Abayaratne, Hasanthie Manukulasooriya, Inshira Hanifa

Number of Partners: 13

Number of Lawyers: 40

Languages: English, Sinhala, Tamil, Indonesian and Chinese

Firm Overview:

D. L. & F. De Saram, established in 1898 by Richard Francis De Saram, is among Sri Lanka's oldest and most esteemed law firms. With a legacy spanning over a century, we take pride in our rich heritage and our status as one of the country's largest full-service law firms.

Led by a dynamic team of partners, we continue to uphold our tradition of excellence. Our commitment to staying abreast of evolving global legal landscapes ensures we provide top-notch legal advice and services to a diverse clientele, both local and international.

Recognized as a leading firm by prestigious rankings such as IFLR 1000, Legal 500, Chambers Global, and Chambers Asia Pacific, we offer a comprehensive range of legal services. From M&A, Capital Markets, Infrastructure, Corporate & Commercial Law to Dispute Resolution, Taxation, and Intellectual Property, we cater to the diverse needs of major foreign and domestic companies operating in Sri Lanka.

With expertise in Sri Lankan anti-bribery and anti-corruption laws, we assist clients in compliance and serve as local counsel for investigations under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977. Additionally, we specialize in company incorporations, including BOI-approved setups, and provide comprehensive company secretarial services through our subsidiary, Corporate Advisory Services (Pvt) Ltd., to over 600 domestic companies.

Main Areas of Practice:

Corporate & Commercial Law

The firm has been actively involved in several key cross-border and local corporate matters including M&As, capital market transactions, restructuring and insolvency, taxation and projects and infrastructure across various industry sectors such as technology and telecommunications, insurance, manufacturing and construction, pharmaceuticals and power and energy.

Team: Savantha De Saram (Head of Dept.), Aloka Nandasena (Head of Dept.), Hansi Abayaratne, Inshira Hanifa and Ushara Ratnayake.

Key Clients: China Harbour Engineering Company Limited, Akbar Brothers (Private) Limited, DirectFN Technology (Private) Limited, China Machinery Pipeline Engineering Company Limited, Hospinorm Projects GmbH, WindForce PLC, ZTE Corporation, HPL Properties (West Asia) Pte Ltd, Adani Port and SEZ Limited.

Work Highlights: Advising on the divestment of JF&I Packaging (Private) Limited for a consideration of LKR 4.3Bn, advising WindForce PLC on its offer for subscription amounting to LKR 3.2Bn and listing on CSE, advising Adani Ports and SEZ Limited on the PPP project to develop and operate the East Container Terminal within the Colombo South Harbour at the Port of Colombo.

Banking & Finance

The firm has led complex cross border financing over the years and is regularly mandated by multi-national corporations and banking and financial institutions to advise on a diverse range of transactions, including syndicated lending, trade financing and acquisition financing.

Team: Savantha De Saram (Head of Dept.), Aloka Nandasena (Head of Dept.), Aruni Marcelline, Hansi Abayaratne, Inshira Hanifa, Dilhara Mahbarana, Ushara Ratnayake, Uma Kitulgoda and Avishka Kavishani

Key Clients: Pan Asia Banking Corporation, HSBC Bank PLC, Export-Import Bank of China, Asian Development Bank, Citibank N.A, Standard Chartered Bank

Work Highlights: Advising a banking syndicate on the provision acquisition financing of USD 360Mn. to PGP Glass Private Limited (India) to acquire an Indian entity, with a listed subsidiary in Sri Lanka, advising Pan Asia Banking Corporation and Symbiotics SA on the USD 7.75Mn. Green Bond issuance.

Dispute Resolution

The firm has a varied dispute resolution practice ranging from personal matters of individual clients to high value complex commercial disputes of corporate entities, including maritime litigation and arbitration.

Team: Jivan Goonetilleke (Head of Dept.), Dasuni Wijayasriwardena (Head of Dept.), Hasanthie Manukulasooriya, Sonali Ranagala, Sachitra Abeywardane, Nadine Puvimanasinghe, Shakila Perera, Vishna Liyanage, Yasaswi Silva, Supuni Wijekoon, Menushi Perera and Banusha Ravindran

Key Clients: Prima, Tesco, The North of England P&I, Assuranceforeningen SKULD (Gjensidig), Nestle Lanka PLC, The Absolut Company Aktiebolog, the British Broadcasting Corporation, CMA CGM, OOCL, BTL, Steamship Mutual, The North of England, SKULD and Ship Owners

Work Highlights: Representing the London Club and its member (Owner of MV “X-Press Pearl”) which caught fire in the Outer Port Limits of the Port of Colombo, representing Prima Ceylon (Private) Limited on a writ application against the Consumer Affairs Authority.

Intellectual Property

The Intellectual Property team is mainly engaged in providing legal advice on registration of trademarks, patents and industrial designs across several sectors, advising on trademark infringements and litigation and advising on transactional IP matters, such as due diligence, preparation of licensing/assignment agreements and commercialization. The Department was involved in the first registration of 3D international trademarks in Sri Lanka.

Team: Prabash De Saram (Head of Dept.), Hasanthie Manukulasooriya (Head of Dept.), Manavi Seneviratne Thilini Poornima and Rashini Gunawardena.

Key Clients: Kalbe International Pte Ltd, Mascons (Pvt) Ltd, Perera and Sons Bakers (Pvt) Ltd and Swadeshi Industrial Works.

Work Highlights: Assisting Perera and Sons Bakers (Private) Limited on the protection of its trademarks under the Madrid System and against infringement of its trademarks in Australia and representing Printcare PLC on infringement of its copyrights.