Law & Society Trust

What Law & Society Trust does

Law & Society Trust (LST) is a Sri Lankan not-for-profit organization engaged in legal research, advocacy, and human rights documentation, headquartered at 102/3 Barns Place, Colombo 07. Founded in 1982 and operating with 31 employees, LST runs three programmatic pillars — Law & Society (social harmony and human rights), Law & Governance (constitutionalism and rule of law), and Law & Economy (economic justice, land rights, and food sovereignty) — supporting civil society organizations, grassroots activists, human rights defenders, and marginalized communities such as farmers, fisher communities, plantation workers, women, youth, and minorities.

The organization's core offerings are knowledge products rather than commercial services. These include the LST Review periodical, the annual State of Human Rights report, books, policy briefs, collaborative publications, a case law compilation, annual reports, instructional materials, the LST Monthly Law Tracker newsletter, and a digital library, supplemented by press releases, articles, and video content. Distribution is free of charge via the website, email subscription, and social media (Facebook, LinkedIn, X, Instagram, YouTube), with on-the-ground engagement through workshops, round-table discussions, and community events.

LST is funded by international development donors and operates eight concurrent projects with Diakonia (core support), the European Union, CAFOD, We Effect, the National Endowment for Development, PACT/USAID, the Open Society Foundation, and Bread for the World. There is no disclosed revenue, no fee-for-service offering, and no technology product; revenue is received as project-based grants and core operational support. The organization does not have a parent company, investors, or commercial ownership structure.

Name

Law & Society Trust

Legal name

Law & Society Trust

Website

https://lstlanka.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Law & Society Trust is a Sri Lankan non-profit founded in 1982 that conducts legal research, advocacy, and human rights documentation across three program areas (Law & Society, Law & Governance, Law & Economy), serving civil society organizations, activists, and marginalized communities through publications, capacity building, and direct engagement.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Legal Research and Human Rights Advocacy

NAICS

All Other Legal Services (541199), Other Legal Services (54119)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Human Rights Monitoring, Documentation & Advocacy (BPADAGAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Legal & Regulatory Publishing (Case Law, Statutes, Treatises) (MPAJACAA), Law & Legal Studies Scholarly Publishing (EDAGAFAG)

Keywords

• Legal research services
• Human rights advocacy
• Constitutional reform
• Civil society capacity building
• Policy publications

Headquarters

HQ city

Colombo

HQ country

Sri Lanka

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Donor Funding and Grants: LST operates as a non-profit organization funded primarily through grants and donations from international development organizations, foreign governments, and charitable foundations. Revenue is received as project-based funding for specific programs and core operational support.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Law & Society Trust is a not-for-profit legal research and human rights organisation that produces publications (LST Review, State of Human Rights, Books, Reports and Policy Briefs, Case Law, Monthly Law Tracker, Annual Reports, Instructional Materials) and delivers three programme areas — Law & Society, Law & Governance, and Law & Economy — focused on constitutional reform, human rights documentation, economic justice, and capacity building for civil society in Sri Lanka. All offerings are provided free of charge to beneficiaries.

Product overview

Law & Society Trust (LST) is a not-for-profit legal research and human rights organization that operates a portfolio of knowledge products and publications rather than a traditional software product. The organization's offerings consist primarily of written publications including LST Review (periodical), State of Human Rights reports, Books, Reports and Policy Briefs, Collaborative Publications, Case Law compilations, Annual Reports, Instructional Materials, and the LST Monthly Law Tracker newsletter. Additionally, LST provides multimedia content through Videos, maintains a digital Library for accessing archived materials, and disseminates news via Press Releases and Articles. These products collectively serve the organization's mission of legal research, advocacy, and human rights documentation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• LST Review

Quantifiable outcome

• Coverage across Sri Lanka with multiple ongoing projects

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• International Crisis Group: International organization producing field-based analysis and policy recommendations on conflict and governance, with active Sri Lanka coverage — adjacent to LST's governance and crisis-response work, though more analytical than advocacy-driven.

Direct peers

• Verité Research: Sri Lankan think tank conducting policy research, including governance, media freedom, and human rights analysis — shares LST's research-and-advocacy model and operates in the same domestic policy ecosystem with similar donor base.
• Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL): National human rights institution investigating violations and promoting rights awareness in Sri Lanka — directly comparable mandate to LST's human rights documentation and protection work, though statutory rather than civil-society-led.
• Inform Human Rights Documentation Centre: Sri Lankan civil society organization that documents human rights violations and provides legal support — closely comparable to LST's documentation, advocacy, and case-law-tracking activities in the same operating geography.
• Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA): Sri Lankan civil society organization focused on constitutional reform, democratic governance, and rule of law — directly comparable to LST's mandate, operating in the same country with overlapping thematic programs in constitutionalism, human rights, and policy advocacy.

Others

• ARTICLE 19: Global freedom of expression organization with South Asia presence — comparable in advocacy for fundamental freedoms and protection of civic space, themes that overlap with LST's civic-watch and freedom-of-assembly work.

Broad incumbents

• Human Rights Watch: Global human rights organization producing country reports and advocacy on Sri Lanka — comparable in human rights documentation, advocacy, and publication-based influence, though far larger and operating globally.
• Amnesty International Sri Lanka: Global human rights organization with Sri Lanka-focused research, campaigning, and advocacy — overlapping mission in human rights documentation and constitutional reform advocacy, but operating as a much broader international incumbent.
• The Asia Foundation: International development organization working across Asia on governance, civil society, and rule of law — comparable thematic scope to LST's programs, with overlapping donor networks and similar grant-funded project model.
• International Commission of Jurists (ICJ): Global network of judges and lawyers promoting rule of law and human rights — closely comparable to LST's legal research and constitutionalism work, with a broader international footprint and longer-standing institutional mandate.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/lstlanka
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC1DBKzl7oxsndqGg6NKs_aQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/lstlanka
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/law-and-society-trust
• Instagraminstagram.com/lstsrilanka

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Law & Society Trust