A diligent legal professional, Cecil Perera has over 35 years of experience in corporate advisory, venture capital investments and the capital market. Before starting Legalinc, Cecil served many esteemed organizations and judicial forums, including the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka as an attorney-at-law and the Merchant Bank of Sri Lanka as its legal head. He also holds the Chairmanship of a listed non-banking financial entity, a regulated corporate advisory service provider and two five-star tourist hotels. He has also secured a diploma in modern banking from the Sri Jayewardenapura Postgraduate Institute of Management, Sri Lanka.
Deemed a multifaceted field, corporate legal consultancy has emerged as a powerful platform for enabling businesses to navigate the complex legal systems without losing their competitive edge. The role of an efficient consultant is much more critical, especially in a country like Sri Lanka, which is characterized by an evolving regulatory framework and rapidly shifting towards a digital upheaval. But what sets the great legal consultants head and shoulders above others in such a dynamic industry? Of all the ideal factors, their major strength lies in their extensive knowledge and expertise and most importantly, their capability to utilize this wealth effectively to deliver unparalleled legal solutions to the varying demands of their customers. Embodying such competence and distinction is Cecil Perera, a legal luminary and the founding partner at Legalinc, Attorneys-at-Law & Notaries Public, a prominent firm in Sri Lanka, distinguished for providing comprehensive yet customized services to all legal needs of its clients.
Glimpse into the Success Saga
“The Legalinc, Attorneys-at-Law and Notaries Public, was started by me as a partnership to provide legal services in all facets of corporate and business law,” asserts Cecil. While its initial focus was to offer legal services to Messrs. Ernst & Young Sri Lanka (E&Y) and its local and foreign clients, Legalinc gradually diversified its service bracket to facilitate corporate legal, notarial, secretarial, and trustee services to different companies. “There being no limits in the spheres of legal services of a corporate law firm, offerings like corporate advisory and capital, money market and business development are also provided as specialized services at Legalinc," Cecil explains. Serving as a one-stop-shop, the company operates on a model, in which its cost-effective services are
offered through partnerships with E & Y and other regulated corporate advisory service providers. Today, the firm has also grown to dominate the charts of the legal service providers of drafting and finalizing secularization instruments in the debt market.
The inception of Legalinc is the epitome of Cecil’s illustrious professional journey of over 35 years, which laid the foundation for his professional development and visionary leadership. Initially, he worked at a law firm, instructing attorneys, where he was able to unravel the underlying causes of corporate and commercial litigation and other loopholes. Subsequently, he progressed to serve as a legal advisor in the non-banking finance sector, which strengthened his knowledge of various financial instruments and transactions. These unique amalgam of experiences equipped him further in his business position at the Merchant Bank of Sri Lanka & Finance (MBSL), engaged in merchant, investment and development banking spheres, owned by the Bank of Ceylon, the second largest state bank. “During my time, capital market activities expanded heavily in Sri Lanka, ranking Sri Lanka as a leading emerging market in the region,” Cecil adds. As a leader, Cecil has always been proactive in disseminating his experience with his team & others to accomplish results & he intends to continue the same in the future
As the Head of the Legal Division at MBSL, Cecil was exposed to the complete business and corporate legal spheres of Sri Lanka and was responsible for leveraging his legal acumen, advice, guidance, and required documentation to support major assignments in corporate advisory, capital and money markets, business development, privatization and other allied departments. The motivation to accomplish such efficiency, according to Cecil, was drawn from aligning his personal interest with that of the organization, introducing innovative market instruments and collaborating with other non legal professionals to set up a one-stop-shop model - methods that are still mirrored in the operations of his venture, Legalinc.
The Distinctive Modus Operandi
Run under the aegis of Cecil and Madhuwanthi Siriwardana, a senior partner and Sri Lanka’s leading securitization expert, Legalinc comprises legal veterans who are highly acknowledged for their promptness and professionalism, among others. Cecil plays a pivotal role in leading his team to cater precisely to the individual corporate, investment and business needs of the clients, which, as he says, is often challenging as no two clients and their priorities are alike. He mines the wealth of his theoretical, technical, and practical knowledge and his business connections to empower his in-house team to brainstorm strategies and solutions and draft necessary documentation to achieve the desired results while inducing organizational growth. In addition, Cecil also believes in collaboration and collective expertise that enhance overall performance. “Providing legal services for corporate advisory and capital, money market, business development services, and others requires expert knowledge of professions in other associated fields. This gives the opportunity to work with different professionals and access to fundamental and specialized knowledge. This knowledge, combined with my expertise in the financial sector, helps me to create an accurate consultancy service portfolio, which sets me apart,” explains Cecil.
As a leader, Cecil has always been proactive in disseminating his experience with his team and others to accomplish results and he intends to continue the same in the future. He looks forward to incorporating his knowledge and experience in a vibrant economic and business environment in which corporate advisory, capital, money market and business development services will thrive. “Over the next five years and beyond, I will provide legal services on a one-stop-shop model to closely associated organizations and others actively engaged in private and listed debt and equity markets, corporate restructuring, due diligence, and joint ventures,” asserts Cecil. He also seeks to expand these efforts in alignment with the advancement of the country’s economy.
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