FJ&G de Saram
FJ&G de Saram is one of Sri Lanka's oldest law firms, founded in 1841, providing comprehensive corporate and commercial legal advisory across 16 practice areas to enterprises, conglomerates, financial institutions, and multilaterals, with affiliated company secretarial and legal process outsourcing businesses serving approximately 500 corporate clients.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1841
- HeadquartersColombo, Sri Lanka
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What FJ&G de Saram does
FJ&G de Saram is one of Sri Lanka's oldest law firms, founded in 1841 and headquartered at 216 de Saram Place, Colombo 10. The firm provides full-service legal advisory across 16 corporate and commercial practice areas including banking and finance, capital markets, mergers and acquisitions, dispute resolution, intellectual property, tax, real property, employment law, data protection and privacy, and technology/media/telecom. It serves a diverse enterprise client base spanning Sri Lankan conglomerates (Hayleys PLC, John Keells Hotels PLC), domestic and international financial institutions (Commercial Bank of Ceylon, NDB, DFCC Bank, Standard Chartered Sri Lanka), multilateral organisations (IFC), state-owned enterprises, and growth-stage companies, with documented mandates including a LKR 7 billion debenture issuance for Hayleys, a LKR 2.77 billion hotel acquisition for Dedigama Group, an $18 million IFC solar financing for WindForce PLC, an $80 million IFC risk-sharing facility with Commercial Bank and NDB, and a USD 40 million Maldives Airports Company syndicated loan.
The firm's service architecture combines partner-led advisory with two wholly-owned affiliated companies: Corporate Services (Private) Limited, which has provided company secretarial, registrar, and trustee services to approximately 500 corporate clients for over 40 years, and Legal Source (Private) Limited, which offers legal process outsourcing including legal research, contract management, legal support, and IP documentation to local and international clients. Revenue is generated on a per-engagement professional services basis with no public pricing disclosure. The firm holds top-tier rankings across all major international legal directories (Chambers Asia Pacific Band 1/Band 2, IFLR1000 Tier 1 in all practice areas, Asialaw Outstanding, Legal500 Band 1/Band 2, Russel Bedford Top Tier Firm 2024) and has pioneered numerous first-of-kind transactions in Sri Lanka, including advising on the establishment of the Colombo Stock Exchange, first cellular telephone regulations, first offshore company, first securitisation of receivables, first unit trusts, and the first mandatory offer under the Takeovers and Mergers Code.
The firm's 75 employees include partners with 10-35+ years of post-qualification experience, President's Counsel appointments, Chartered Institute of Arbitrators memberships, and international credentials from institutions including University of Warwick, UCL, University of Wales, and Gray's Inn. The firm operates exclusively as a Sri Lankan partnership under Sri Lankan law, with no external institutional ownership, public listing, or app/digital platform. Geographic scope is primarily Sri Lanka, with selective cross-border mandates into India (with Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas) and the Maldives (with SHC Law & Tax LLP).
FJ&G de Saram firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- FJ&G de Saram
- Legal name
- FJ&G de Saram, Attorneys-at-Law
- Website
- https://fjgdesaram.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1841
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- FJ&G de Saram is one of Sri Lanka's oldest law firms, founded in 1841, providing comprehensive corporate and commercial legal advisory across 16 practice areas to enterprises, conglomerates, financial institutions, and multilaterals, with affiliated company secretarial and legal process outsourcing businesses serving approximately 500 corporate clients.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
FJ&G de Saram industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Legal Services
- NAICS
- Legal Services (5411)
- SIC
- Services-Legal Services (8111)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A) & Securities Law (BPAHAAAI)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Cross-Border M&A Advisory (FSAEAGAH), M&A Advisory (Buy-side/Sell-side) (BPAHADAC), Private Sector & Blended Finance Arms (IFC-type) (BPADACAJ)
Keywords
Where FJ&G de Saram is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Colombo
- HQ country
- Sri Lanka
- HQ region
- Asia
Offices1 record
Markets served
FJ&G de Saram business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Legal Advisory and Representation Services: The firm generates revenue through professional legal fees charged for advisory, transactional, and litigation services across its full spectrum of corporate and commercial practice areas. Services span Banking and Finance, Capital Markets, M&A, Dispute Resolution, Intellectual Property, Tax, Real Property, and more.
- Company Secretarial and Registrar Services: Through its affiliated company Corporate Services (Private) Limited, the firm provides company secretarial, registrar, and trustee services to nearly 500 corporate clients, generating recurring revenue from ongoing compliance and administrative mandates.
- Legal Process Outsourcing: Through its affiliated company Legal Source (Private) Limited, the firm offers legal research, contract management, legal support services, and IP documentation services to local and international clients.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels4 records
FJ&G de Saram product offering
Product offeringCore offering
FJ&G de Saram is a Sri Lankan full-service law firm providing legal counsel and advisory services across corporate and commercial practice areas. Its core offering covers banking and finance, capital markets, mergers and acquisitions, and dispute resolution work for corporate, financial, and institutional clients, complemented by affiliated corporate services and legal research entities.
Product overview
FJ&G de Saram operates as a single unified law firm offering comprehensive legal services rather than a platform-with-modules architecture. The firm's core offering is legal counsel spanning the full spectrum of corporate and commercial practice areas in Sri Lanka. Two affiliated companies extend the firm's reach: Corporate Services (Private) Limited provides company secretarial, registrar, and trustee services, while Legal Source (Private) Limited offers legal process outsourcing solutions including legal research, contract management, and IP documentation services.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Corporate and Commercial Legal Services
Quantifiable outcome
- Ranked Band 1/Band 2 in Chambers Asia Pacific 2023 across the majority of practice areas
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use FJ&G de Saram
Customer profileNamed customers13 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
FJ&G de Saram technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
FJ&G de Saram partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Cyril Amarchand MangaldascoreFJ&G de Saram acted together with Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas in advising the International Finance Corporation (IFC) on the execution of a loan agreement with WindForce PLC for a $18 million local currency loan supporting Sri Lanka's first utility-scale 100MW solar power project. This cross-border collaboration combined FJ&G's Sri Lankan law expertise with Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas' Indian law capabilities for the cross-border financing.
- Corporate Services (Private) LimitedcoreCorporate Services (Private) Limited is an affiliated company of FJ&G de Saram providing company secretarial, registrar, and trustee services. With over 40 years of experience, CSL services nearly 500 corporate clients spanning listed companies, public companies, private companies, branches and liaison offices of overseas companies, and trusts. CSL also acts as registrars to several public listed companies.
- Legal Source (Private) LimitedcoreLegal Source (Private) Limited is a legal process outsourcing company affiliated with FJ&G de Saram, offering legal research services, contract management services, legal support services, and IP documentation services, as well as other customised solutions to both local and international clients.
- SHC Law & Tax LLP (Maldives)minorSHC Law & Tax LLP in the Maldives contributed to the successful completion of the USD 40 million syndicated term loan facility for Maldives Airports Company Limited, acting alongside FJ&G de Saram as Transaction Counsel.
Scale indicators10 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
FJ&G de Saram competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Julius & Creasy: One of the oldest and most established full-service law firms in Sri Lanka, with a similar broad corporate and commercial practice spanning banking, M&A, capital markets, and dispute resolution. Directly competes with FJ&G for top-tier domestic mandates and shares a similar legacy positioning in the Sri Lankan legal market.
- Tiruchelvam Associates: A well-established Sri Lankan law firm with a strong corporate and commercial practice serving both domestic and international clients. Comparable to FJ&G in practice breadth and client base, and similarly positioned in the top-tier Sri Lankan law firm market.
- D.L. & F. De Saram: One of Sri Lanka's oldest and most established law firms with a similar heritage positioning, providing full-service corporate and commercial legal advice. Competes with FJ&G for legacy and traditional enterprise clients and shares distinction as one of the country's most recognised law firms.
- Nithya Partners: A prominent Sri Lankan law firm with a strong corporate and commercial practice covering banking, finance, M&A, and dispute resolution. Comparable to FJ&G in serving enterprise clients and competing for Sri Lankan top-tier mandates across similar practice areas.
- John Wilson Partners: A leading Sri Lankan full-service commercial law firm that similarly serves multinational corporates, financial institutions, and high-net-worth clients on M&A, banking, and capital markets matters. Competes directly with FJ&G for top-tier mandates and is similarly ranked in major legal directories.
- Colombo Law Alliance: A leading Sri Lankan law firm offering services across corporate and commercial practice areas, frequently appearing in same major legal directory rankings as FJ&G (Chambers, IFLR1000, Legal500). Direct competitor for top-tier Sri Lankan corporate and banking mandates.
Broad incumbents
- Allen & Gledhill: A leading pan-Asian law firm with offices across South and Southeast Asia, often handling Sri Lanka-related cross-border transactions from regional hubs. Competes for similar banking, finance, and capital markets mandates involving Sri Lankan clients and counterparties.
- Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas: India's largest full-service law firm, which has collaborated with FJ&G on cross-border matters (e.g., the IFC $18M WindForce financing). Represents the type of international full-service firm that competes for Sri Lanka-related cross-border M&A and financing mandates from regional offices.
Others
- ICLP (Institute for the Development of Commercial Law and Practice): Sri Lankan institute that FJ&G co-founded to develop commercial law practice. Represents an ecosystem-level peer relationship rather than a direct competitor, but is comparable in the Sri Lankan legal advisory space and has strong institutional ties to FJ&G partners.
Emerging players
- Neelakandan & Neelakandan (N&N): A growing Sri Lankan law firm with a strong corporate and commercial practice, particularly in banking, finance, and M&A. Represents an emerging competitor in Sri Lanka's top-tier corporate law space, occasionally competing for mandates that have historically gone to FJ&G.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
FJ&G de Saram social profiles
Digital presenceFJ&G de Saram compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
FJ&G de Saram financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
FJ&G de Saram leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
FJ&G de Saram subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries2 records
FJ&G de Saram funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
FJ&G de Saram M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about FJ&G de Saram
What does FJ&G de Saram do?
FJ&G de Saram is a Sri Lankan full-service law firm providing legal counsel and advisory services across corporate and commercial practice areas. Its core offering covers banking and finance, capital markets, mergers and acquisitions, and dispute resolution work for corporate, financial, and institutional clients, complemented by affiliated corporate services and legal research entities.
Is FJ&G de Saram a public or private company?
FJ&G de Saram is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was FJ&G de Saram founded?
FJ&G de Saram was founded in 1841. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is FJ&G de Saram based?
FJ&G de Saram is headquartered in Colombo, Sri Lanka, in the Asia region.
How does FJ&G de Saram make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Legal Advisory and Representation Services are the primary driver. The others are company Secretarial and Registrar Services and legal Process Outsourcing.
Who are FJ&G de Saram's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Julius & Creasy, Tiruchelvam Associates, D.L. & F. De Saram, Nithya Partners, John Wilson Partners and Colombo Law Alliance. Broad incumbents are Allen & Gledhill and Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas. ICLP (Institute for the Development of Commercial Law and Practice) is listed as an others. Neelakandan & Neelakandan (N&N) is listed as an emerging player.
Does FJ&G de Saram have an API?
No public API is recorded for FJ&G de Saram.
What industry is FJ&G de Saram in?
FJ&G de Saram's product category is Legal Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAHAAAI, Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A) & Securities Law, with a secondary code of FSAEAGAH, Cross-Border M&A Advisory. Its NAICS code is 5411 and its SIC code is 8111.