Rajaratnam Selvaskandan is a Senior Partner at Varners. Raj, as he is known in the industry, was called to the Bar as an Attorney-at-Law of the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka in 1982. After a brief stint in private practice, he was invited to join the prestigious Attorney General's Department of Sri Lanka as a State Counsel. Raj is one of Sri Lanka's leading M&A lawyers with a wealth of experience and industry insight, and is highly regarded for his strategic vision and multidimensional expertise.

Current Practice

Raj advises and assists both corporate and private clients alike in relation to a wide variety of corporate and commercial transactions, restructuring of corporate entities, mergers & acquisitions, corporate due diligence, corporate takeovers, investment structuring, banking & finance, large-scale project finance and construction.

He draws on his extensive experience in multiple jurisdictions to provide practical solutions to the intricate technical and legal issues, which arise at various stages of a transaction. In providing strategic advice on project development and management, his approach is focused on assisting clients in circumventing risks in a cost-effective manner. Where disputes are unavoidable, Raj has also been involved in the conduct of formal and informal dispute resolution proceedings.

Raj is acclaimed in the Sri Lankan business sector for his knack of bringing divisive business entities together, and uses his negotiation skills for getting the best deals for his clients. He brings value to any transaction and strongly believes that for a transaction to be successful it should be equitable to all parties.

He provides legal advice to numerous large-scale developments and construction projects in Sri Lanka. Raj is currently engaged in advising and assisting in the development of a major Public Private Partnership land reclamation and development project adjacent to the Central Business District of Colombo.

He is also currently a key legal advisor to one of the largest foreign banks in the country, and has substantial experience in a variety of financing including syndicated loans, leveraged finance, and acquisition finance.

Other Relevant Experience

Raj previously served as a Partner in an established law firm in Hong Kong for over 20 years. His main areas of practice were mergers & acquisitions, large- scale project development, project finance, and real estate / construction, with a particular focus on large-scale residential, commercial and mixed development projects.

While in Hong Kong, Raj worked closely with numerous tier-one banks and conglomerates in the South East Asian region. In addition, he served as Legal Consultant to a major hotel cum casino development project in Macau. He has also advised and assisted numerous clients in relation to major loan transactions, project finance, and on the drafting and execution of financial security documents.

He has also served as a nominated member of The Incorporated Council of Legal Education, which is the governing body for legal education in Sri Lanka.