Founded in 1898,
DL&F de Saram is one of the oldest and best-known full-service law firms in Sri Lanka. The firm
maintains an office in Colombo and is a member of Lex Mundi.
The firm provides project finance and project development advice and has strong banking, capital markets and corporate and M&A practices. It frequently acts alongside major international law firms and is experienced in advising on a range of matters including mergers, acquisitions, restructurings, regulatory
compliance and project finance. The
projects team is often active in the energy, transport, oil and gas, social
infrastructure and utilities sectors.
The banking team was active for lenders on cross-border lending work.
The team
also advised on financial services regulatory matters during the research period.
In M&A, the firm
advised
Deloitte Shared Services India in admitting PricewaterhouseCoopers’ Sri Lankan and Maldives firms to the Deloitte network. This was one of the largest combination deals in the region during the review period.
In project development, the firm
advised
China Duty Free Group on the establishment of a duty-free business within the Colombo Port City.
Due to the novelty of the laws and the ongoing formulation of regulations, delivering precise advice on the intricate
facets of the registration process as an offshore company as well as licensing as an Authorized Person to do business within the Colombo Pot City and ongoing compliance requirements proved to be a complex undertaking.
HSBC, JP Morgan Chase Bank, British International Investment, CG Capital Partners Global, Bharti Airtel, Kanrich Finance, Bharti Airtel, GlaxoSmithKline, Adani Green Energy, China Duty Free Group
Financial services regulatory
“I got the right advice and the drafts of required documentation in good time, enabling us to execute those in a timely and professional manner.”
“DL&F De Saram have been extremely professional and prompt in their legal advisory services. They have shown a high level of
proficiency to
analyse complex legal issues arising out of the sale or purchase of shares of a listed company under Sri Lankan laws.”
“They provide highly professional services and do more than expected at all times.”
“DL&F have excellent and detailed knowledge of the relevant laws in Sri Lanka and were able to provide comprehensive responses to our queries.”
“They are well connected to the outside/international legal firms and well acquainted with the capabilities of such law firms. They went out of their way to send the RFPs,
summarise data, and were with us until
selection.”
“They provide punctual response and precise advice.”
“Hansi always provides the support,
advice and solutions we ask for, and on time. Her in-depth knowledge and commitment are commendable. She never hesitates to do or say the right thing. If she is busy, she always assigns someone to attend to our requests or, alternatively, gets very senior partners involved to provide the right solution to our requests/needs.”
“Very committed and knowledgeable in banking law.”
“He provides precise advice and has the knowledge for the requested scope of work.”
“Ms. Aloka
Nandasena has been a thoroughly proficient and astute lawyer to have worked with. Along with
great communication skills, she is extremely skilled in breaking down complex legal issues and has a great commercial sense of the needs of the client. She also has sound knowledge of Sri Lankan stock exchange laws.”
“She is very knowledgeable and helpful at all times.”
“Ramesh provided clear and concise advice addressing our queries and demonstrated a good knowledge of relevant Sri Lankan law.”
