Avindra heads the Litigation and Dispute Resolution practice group of the firm.

He has over 20 years of experience in advising and appearing on behalf of local and international clients in Commercial and Corporate litigation and arbitration including Banking and Finance, Insurance and Reinsurance, Company Liquidations, Reductions of Capital, Mergers, Acquisitions and Amalgamations, Minority Protection and Derivative Actions, Intellectual Property, Admiralty and Shipping, Administrative Law, Product Liability, Labour Law, Franchising, Agency and Regulatory Investigations.

He has also advised and represented clients in pre-arbitral negotiations, dispute adjudication board hearings and domestic and international arbitrations including in relation to disputes pertaining to the construction of hydro power project, wastewater management plants, luxury hotels, luxury apartment  complexes, communication facilities and leisure facilities; construction and maintenance of roadways and expressways; dredging, offshore mining  and land reclamation; development of petroleum infrastructure including tankages and allied facilities; security systems and infrastructure; mixed development projects; and licensing.  He has appeared in hearing held under the rules of the Singapore International Arbitration Centre, the International Court of Arbitration of the International Chamber of Commerce, the London Court of International Arbitration and ad hoc tribunals. Avindra has successfully enforced foreign and local arbitral awards before Courts of Sri Lanka.

Avindra holds a Bachelor of Laws (Hons) Degree from the University of Warwick and is a Barrister of Gray’s Inn. He was appointed as a President’s Counsel in 2019.

He has authored several publications including the Chapters on Sri Lanka in respect of Litigation and Arbitration published online by Lexology, Getting the Deal Through from 2019 to 2023; “Sri Lanka’s evolution as a ‘safe seat’ for international arbitration” published by Law Business Research Ltd and reproduced in the The Asia – Pacific Arbitration Review 2022; the Chapter on Sri Lanka in the Chambers latest Global Practice Guide on Litigation in 2019, edited by Gary Born and John McMillan; Co – authored the Chapter in respect of Sri Lanka in “Asia Arbitration Handbook” edited by Michael J. Moser and John Choong, first published in 2011 by the Oxford University Press.

Avindra has sat as a Member of the Disciplinary Committee for Attorneys-at-Law under the Judicature Act. He has prepared course material for the LLB Program, Open University of Sri Lanka and has conducted Practical Training Courses at Sri Lanka Law College. Avindra assisted in the setting up of the Institute for the Development of Commercial Law and Practice (“ICLP”) and the ICLP Arbitration Centre on a pro bono basis.

Work highlights

• Successfully representing a Swiss security solutions provider against an executive branch of the Government of Sri Lanka pertaining to the non-performance of a secure track and trace system implementation agreement in ICC Arbitration proceedings.
• Successfully representing an Italian fit-out contractor in ICC arbitral proceedings against an entity owned by the Government of Sri Lanka, pertaining to the construction of a five-star hotel in Colombo, Sri Lanka.
• Successfully representing a luxury hotel group having its head office in New Delhi, India, in arbitral proceedings against the Sri Lankan owning company of the hotel property regarding a large-scale refurbishment of the company in Sri Lanka.
• Successfully acting for an international construction company in a dispute with the Road Development Authority of Sri Lanka for the recovery of sums due on account of, inter alia, prolongation claims and damages arising from a concluded contract for the construction of a major highway.
• Representing an international sports media company to enforce a foreign arbitral award against Sri Lanka Cricket, the governing Body of Cricket in Sri Lanka.
• Acting for a foreign petroleum refineries and distribution company in a dispute against the Board of Investment of Sri Lanka relating to the development of facilities for petroleum storage and distribution within Sri Lanka
• Avindra defended the first action for the alleged breach of duty of secrecy instituted by a customer of a state-owned commercial bank against officers of the bank.
• Successfully acting for a foreign investor in obtaining control of a television and media company, cancelling al allotment of shares made by a local collaborator.
• Appearing for a leading cable television operator in Sri Lanka and successfully resisted the withdrawal of the spectrum allocated to it by the Telecommunication Regulatory Commission.
• Representing an American multinational information technology company in defending a claim made by a former local agent relating to the distribution of grey market goods (parallel importation).
• Appearing for a leading local warehousing and tea brokering company in a claim made under a fire insurance policy against a leading insurance company.
• Appearing for an American coffee and baked goods claim in an action filed against a local baker for trademark infringement.
• Instituting proceedings for the liquidation of the national air carrier of Sri Lanka and successfully obtaining a court negotiated settlement on behalf of a foreign company providing management consultancy services in the aviation industry.
• Representing a foreign national airline in actions for damages filed by passengers relating to flight delays and damage to baggage.
• Successfully acting for several foreign and local companies in minority suits and derivative actions including successfully acting for Sri Lanka’s oldest mercantile establishment and preventing a group of shareholders from maintaining an action for oppression and mismanagement based on allegations of past conduct of the affairs of the company.

He is very proactive and commercially aware