Rajaratnam Selvaskandan

Practice Areas

Corporate & Commercial

Construction & Project Development

Banking & Finance

Career

Rajaratnam Selvaskandan is a Senior Partner at Varners. Raj, as he is known in the industry, was called to the

Bar as an Attorney-at-Law of the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka in 1982. After a brief stint in private practice, he

was invited to join the prestigious Attorney General's Department of Sri Lanka as a State Counsel. Raj is one of

Sri Lanka's leading M&A lawyers with a wealth of experience and industry insight, and is highly regarded for

strategic vision and multidimensional expertise.

Raj advises and assists both corporate and private clients alike in relation to a wide variety of corporate and

commercial transactions, restructuring of corporate entities, mergers & acquisitions, corporate due diligence,

corporate takeovers, investment structuring, banking & finance, large-scale project finance and construction.

He draws on his extensive experience in multiple jurisdictions to provide practical solutions to the intricate

technical and legal issues, which arise at various stages of a transaction. In providing strategic advice on project

development and management, his approach is focused on assisting clients in circumventing risks in a cost-effective manner. Where disputes are unavoidable, Raj has also been involved in the conduct of formal and

informal dispute resolution proceedings.

Raj is acclaimed in the Sri Lankan business sector for his knack of bringing divisive business entities together,

and uses his negotiation skills for getting the best deals for his clients. He brings value to any transaction and

strongly believes that for a transaction to be successful it should be equitable to all parties.

He provides legal advice to numerous large-scale developments and construction projects in Sri Lanka. Raj is

currently engaged in advising and assisting in the development of a major Public Private Partnership land

reclamation and development project adjacent to the Central Business District of Colombo.

He is also currently a key legal advisor to one of the largest foreign banks in the country, and has substantial

experience in a variety of financing including syndicated loans, leveraged finance, and acquisition finance.

Professional Memberships

Bar Association of Sri Lanka

Expert in these Jurisdictions

Attorney-at-Law, Sri Lanka

Solicitor, Hong Kong, England and Wales

Barrister, High Court of Australia

Experience

Raj previously served as a Partner in an established law firm in Hong Kong for over 20 years.

His main areas of practice were mergers & acquisitions, large- scale project development, project finance, and real estate / construction, with a particular focus on large-scale residential, commercial and mixed development projects.

While in Hong Kong, Raj worked closely with numerous tier-one banks and conglomerates in the South East

Asian region. In addition, he served as Legal Consultant to a major hotel cum casino development project in

Macau. He has also advised and assisted numerous clients in relation to major loan transactions, project finance,

and on the drafting and execution of financial security documents.

He has also served as a nominated member of The Incorporated Council of Legal Education, which is the

governing body for legal education in Sri Lanka.