Deshan Hewavithana

Deshan is a Partner and Head of Criminal Defense at the firm. He is also a Director of Confidential Investigations Lanka (Pvt) Limited.

Background & Expertise

He specialises in corporate criminal litigation, focusing on food and consumer laws, intellectual property law, white-collar crimes, fraudulent activities, prosecutions under special laws, and anti-counterfeit and piracy efforts. He has extensive experience handling complex legal matters, including intellectual property litigation and defending major global brands against counterfeiting activities.

With over 25 years of legal experience, Deshan is recognized for his expertise in criminal law and corporate litigation. He was one of the founding members of Sudath Perera Associates at the firm’s inception in 2002.

He has achieved significant milestones in his career, including representing numerous international brands and successfully executing over 400 anti-counterfeit raids under the Intellectual Property Act No. 36 of 2003. Additionally, he has appeared in more than 95% of original courts across Sri Lanka.

Deshan was enrolled as an Attorney-at-Law of the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka in 1999 and holds a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) degree from the Faculty of Law, University of Colombo.

Academic & Professional Qualifications, Memberships, Associations, and Accreditations

Deshan is a life member of the Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) and the Colombo Law Society (CLS). He is also a member of LAWASIA, a regional association of lawyers in the Asia-Pacific region. Additionally, he is a founding member of the Centre for Monitoring Election Violence (CMEV) and has been a member of Lions International, the largest volunteer organization in the world, since 2011.

Publications

• Co Author, “Bribery and Corruption in Sri Lanka” – Global Legal Insights 2015