Sudath Perera

Sudath Perera was called to the Bar of the Supreme Court of Sri-Lanka in the year 1991 and draws from over 30 years of legal experience. A storied career and exposure to multiple facets of the legal profession led to Sudath giving life to his vision of establishing a trailblazing one-stop shop for commercially focused legal solutions, and in 2002 Sudath Perera Associates was born. As the Founder and Managing Partner, he has established the firm as a benchmark for excellence and innovation in the legal field, with a reputation for providing strategic and pragmatic legal solutions to a diverse clientele.

With a background in hospitality and a steadfast commitment to delivering top notch services to his clients, Sudath’s expertise earned him the coveted International Law Office (ILO) “Client’s Choice Award” in 2016. He has also consistently been recognized as ‘Leading Lawyer’ in legal directories including Asia Law Profiles and IFLR1000.

Dubbed the “counterfeit buster of Sri-Lanka”, Sudath is a pioneer in Sri-Lanka for Brand Protection and Anti-counterfeiting, with many renown brands seeking his services in this area. Sudath’s expertise in the field of intellectual property has been recognized globally, as he was the first Sri Lankan to be called to Legal500’s “Hall of Fame” for Intellectual Property and Dispute Resolution and has been listed consecutively since 2020.

Sudath’s legal acumen and entrepreneurial spirit have been pivotal in shaping Sudath Perera Associates into a premier law firm in Sri Lanka. Specializing in areas such as corporate and commercial law, dispute resolution, intellectual property, and real estate, he is known for his ability to tackle complex legal challenges with precision and foresight. His dedication to nurturing a client-centric approach results in careful assessment of business needs and risks to craft innovative, business-friendly solutions.

Sudath has led numerous landmark cases and high-stakes negotiations throughout his illustrious career, earning recognition from the corporate community as a formidable legal negotiator. He is also considered a specialist on compliance law matters and frequently called upon to assist clients across a wide spectrum of industries on regulatory issues, including assisting on high level negotiations with governmental departments such as the Board of Investment, Customs Department, Exchange Control Department, and Securities and Exchange Commission.

Sudath is an active member of several key legal representative bodies both in Sri-Lanka and internationally and represented Sri Lanka in the INTA Anti-Counterfeiting Committee South Asia Committee (2018-2019), the INTA Unfair Competition Committee (2020-2023), the INTA Enforcement Committee (2024 – 2026), and further severed as Chairperson of the BASL International Relations Committee (2018-2019).

Ever the entrepreneur, Sudath is a Founder and Chairman/Director of several reputed domestic and foreign companies, which provide affiliated services for the firm. He has also served as a Director of Export Development Board and in the Board of Control for Cricket and holds many directorships on boards of multiple corporates in Sri Lanka.

When he is not engaged in his legal work, Sudath enjoys travelling with his family and is also an avid wildlife photographer.

Key Memberships

•Bar Association of Sri-Lanka (BASL)
•International Bar Association (IBA)
•Asian Patent Attorneys Association (APAA)
•International Trademark Association (INTA)
•International Association of Outsourcing Professionals (IAOP)
•American Chamber of Commerce
•Council for Business with Britain
•European Chamber of Commerce
•Sri Lanka-Australia-New Zealand Business Council
•Sri Lanka-China Business Council
•Sri Lanka Thailand Business Council

Accolades & Recognition

•Legal 500 – Intellectual Property & Dispute Resolution, Leading Partner (2009 – 2019) & Hall of Fame (2020 – 2025)
•Chambers & Partners – Band 1, 2020 – 2025
•Award for recognition on exceptional contributions towards raising IPR awareness from World Customs Organisation, 2023
•International Law Office Client’s Choice Awards, 2016

Insights & Contributions

A thought leader in the legal community, Sudath frequently shares his insights through publications, panel discussions, and interviews. His expertise covers topics ranging from intellectual property rights to corporate governance, reflecting his deep understanding of and forward-thinking approach to law.

•Interviewed by Echelon – ‘Medicine Accessibility: The Regulatory Dilemma in Sri Lanka’ (2024) by Nethmi Rajawasam (Link)
•Interviewed by World Trademark Review – ‘Counterfeiting activity in Sri Lanka spikes: how brands are fighting back’ by Joyce Ng (2024) (Link)
•Interviewed by APIIT Sri Lanka – ‘Intellectual Property and its implementation in business’ (2023) (Link)
•Interviewed by EconomyNext in collaboration with the Friedrich Naumaan Foundation for Freedom Sri Lanka – ‘Creating a culture of intellectual property protection’  (2022) (Link)
•Authored, ‘Determined enforcement and reliable information – SL’s need of the hour in IPR protection call’ (2021), Daily Mirror (Link)
•Interviewed by LMD – ‘Law’s Delays and Delights – Sudath Perera takes stock of developments in the local legal profession’ (2019) by Yamini Sequeira (Link)
•Interviewed by Ada Derna Biz 24×7 (2018) (Link)
•Authored, ‘The Right to Information Act No. 12 of 2016 of Sri Lanka’ (2016), LawyerIssue (Link)
•Co-authored Insight Article for IAM IP Value – Sri Lanka Tackling the import of counterfeit products through border measures (2012) (Link)
•Co-authored, ‘Insight Article for IAM IP Value – Sri Lanka Enhanced investment opportunities in the post-conflict era (2011) (Link)
•Co-authored, ‘Sri Lanka: Open for IP off-shoring’ (2007), Managing IP (Link)
•Co-authored, ‘Sri Lanka: Fighting back against the counterfeiters’ (2004), Managing IP (Link)