Shevanthi is a Partner of the firm carrying over 15 years’ of experience in corporate and commercial law advising predominantly in areas of foreign direct investment and market entry, employment, regulatory and compliance matters, consumer affairs, substantive advisory work on intellectual property matters and general corporate legal advisory work.
She graduated from the University of Colombo with a Bachelor of Laws degree.
Shevanthi regularly provides market entry advise to foreign investors interested in investing in or doing business in Sri Lanka. Clients she has advised include clients in a variety of business sectors including manufacturing, services and wholesale and/or retail business sectors including in bunkering business, education, health, pharma, petroleum storage, telecommunication and digital industry, IT services, financial sector and travel/hospitality businesses.
She also regularly advises and assists INGOs who wish to establish offices in Sri Lanka for the purpose of carrying out development projects including projects funded by international funding agencies, to register as registered overseas companies in Sri Lanka and continues to provide legal services including for employment law related matters and general corporate law advise, once the said registration is completed.
Shevanthi has considerable experience in advising local, international and multinational entities, including research institutions and universities on regulatory and compliance matters. Clients she has advised directly or through international law firms include clients in the fields of education, mass media, infant nutrition & infant formula, food and beverages, confectionery, pharma sector, optical systems, agro-chemicals, research and clinical trials.
As a member of the employment practice group, Shevanthi frequently advises on employment law related queries, drafts and reviews employment contracts, consultancy contracts and all contracts connected and/or incidental thereto such as non-disclosure agreements and non-compete agreements; reviews rules, regulations and policies of employers such as on remote working, disciplinary matters; provides employment law compliances for many foreign clients; and advises and provides legal documentation to implement voluntary retirement schemes for employees which are initiated by employers who either wish to re-structure their businesses or close down their businesses in Sri Lanka. She also advises and assists companies with reviewing/drafting/updating employment provident fund rules of approved provident funds or of pension funds. She has also advised and assisted with establishing employee share option schemes.
As a member of the substantive intellectual property law practice group, Shevanthi has advised on matters under the Intellectual Property Act including on copyright, licensing arrangements, trademarks in relation to various matters including matters relating to websites, mobile aps, films, performers, recordings. Her clients include, manufactures of international brands, a prominent university in Sri Lanka, an internationally reputed concert pianist and commercial and professional bodies.
She also regularly advises and assists with setting up companies limited by guarantee, for members in identified industries in the manufacturing or service sectors, for member companies to create a platform to meet, set standards in such industry, make representations as an industry to the government, etc. for the growth of the industry and/or to protect the rights of the members of the industry and or for businesses to set up charitable foundations.
As a corporate lawyers in practice for more than 15 years, Shevanthi has vast experience in drafting and/or reviewing various types of legal documentation and agreements under the Companies Act and other laws and regulations in Sri Lanka, including franchise agreements, distributor agreements, non-disclosure agreements and various commercial agreements for local, international and multinational clients in various fields including fast food, pharmaceutical, apparel, tea, IT, wholesale and/or retails of equipment, after sales services and advising on matters relating thereto.