Practice Areas
Mr. Naomal Goonewardena is one of the most established Banking and Capital market lawyers in the country, with over 30 years of experience in the Sri Lankan financial sector, sourcing a strong portfolio of local and international clientele, spanning local corporates to major global investment banks and multinationals. With a proven track record of service and delivery, he has been instrumental in guiding the Firm to achieve a Tier 1 status in the fields of ‘Banking and Finance’ and ‘Tax’.
Mr. Goonewardena has been widely recognized for his multidisciplinary strengths and has been appointed to several prestigious positions in the public and private sector. He was a Legal Advisor to the Board of Review of the Inland Revenue Department of Sri Lanka. He was also appointed by the Monetary Board of the Central Bank as a Director of one of Sri Lanka’s largest commercial banks to oversee its successful rehabilitation after the Asian financial meltdown in 1998. He currently serves as a Member of the Company Law Advisory Commission established under the Companies Act and as a Member of the Sri-Lankan Accounting and Auditing Standards Monitoring Board of Sri-Lanka and the Taxation Committee of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce.
In testament to his legal proficiency in diverse financial law related areas of practice including international bond issues, securitisations, debt syndications, derivatives, taxation and foreign direct investments, he has acted as the local legal counsel on multiple International Bond Issuances and large syndicated loans involving both the Government of Sri Lanka as well as public sector and private sector banks and corporates. Mr. Goonewardena has been ranked continuously as a leading individual in the fields of Banking and Finance and Tax by the Legal 500 Asia Pacific. He has also been ranked by Chambers & Partners as a leading individual in the fields of Banking and Finance and Corporate and M&A. Mr. Goonewardena was admitted as an Attorney at Law by the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka in 1986 and has a Master’s in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Sri Lanka. He is also a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA), an Associate Member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka (ACA) and an Associate Member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants, UK (ACMA). He has also attended numerous professional legal and finance based trainings in the Asian and European regions.
