Sri Lanka has one national court system but more than one body of family and property law. Alongside the general law, three personal laws continue to apply to particular communities: Kandyan law, Thesawalamai and Muslim law (NYU GlobaLex, Researching Sri Lankan Law, 2021 update). For anyone dealing with inheritance, marriage or land in the Central Province around Kandy or in the Northern Province around Jaffna, knowing which law applies is often the first question a lawyer will ask. This guide explains the basics and how to find and check an attorney-at-law in those cities.
This article is general information, not legal advice. Whether a personal law applies to a particular person or property is a legal question that depends on the facts.
Sri Lanka's mixed legal system
Sri Lanka's legal system is mixed. Roman-Dutch law is the residual common law, English law has strongly influenced areas such as commercial law, and the three personal laws apply to specific groups (NYU GlobaLex, Researching Sri Lankan Law, 2021 update). In practice, the general law governs most matters, but marriage, divorce, intestate succession and some property questions may be governed by a personal law where it applies.
Kandyan law, Thesawalamai, Muslim law and the general law compared
Kandyan law
- Who it applies to: Kandyan Sinhalese, meaning Sinhalese people whose lineage traces to the former Kandyan kingdom. It does not apply automatically to everyone who lives in Kandy (NYU GlobaLex, Researching Sri Lankan Law, 2021 update).
- Main subjects: marriage, divorce and intestate succession; adoption.
- Key statutes: Kandyan Marriage and Divorce Act; Kandyan Law Declaration and Amendment Ordinance; Kandyan Law Ordinance.
- Choice involved: Kandyan Sinhalese may marry under the Kandyan Marriage and Divorce Act or under the General Marriage Ordinance; marrying under the general ordinance brings the general law into play (NYU GlobaLex, Researching Sri Lankan Law, 2021 update).
Thesawalamai
- Who it applies to: Tamils with inhabitancy in the Northern Province; it also applies territorially to land in the Northern Province (NYU GlobaLex, Researching Sri Lankan Law, 2021 update).
- Main subjects: property and intestate succession arising from marriage; pre-emption rights over land.
- Key statutes: Thesawalamai Regulation of 1806; Jaffna Matrimonial Rights and Inheritance Ordinance No. 1 of 1911; Thesawalamai Pre-emption Ordinance.
- Choice involved: none by election in the usual sense; the Supreme Court has treated it as following Northern Province Tamils wherever they live unless inhabitancy in Jaffna is clearly abandoned (Sivagnanalingam v. Suntheralingam, 1988, as summarised by GlobaLex).
Muslim law
- Who it applies to: Muslims in Sri Lanka (NYU GlobaLex, Researching Sri Lankan Law, 2021 update).
- Main subjects: marriage, divorce, intestate succession and donations.
- Key statutes: Muslim Marriage and Divorce Act No. 13 of 1951; Muslim Intestate Succession Ordinance No. 10 of 1931.
- Choice involved: Muslims cannot marry under the General Marriage Ordinance; matrimonial disputes go to Quazi courts (NYU GlobaLex, Researching Sri Lankan Law, 2021 update).
General law
- Who it applies to: everyone not governed by a personal law on the point in question.
- Main subjects: all areas, including where a personal law is silent (for example alimony and child custody for Kandyan marriages) (NYU GlobaLex, Researching Sri Lankan Law, 2021 update).
- Key statutes: General Marriage Ordinance; Roman-Dutch common law principles; general statutes.
- Choice involved: applies by default.
When you need a lawyer in Kandy
Kandy is the main city of the Central Province and the historic centre of the Kandyan kingdom. Situations where Kandyan law may be relevant include:
- dividing the estate of a person who died without a will, where the deceased may be a Kandyan Sinhalese;
- a divorce where the marriage was registered under the Kandyan Marriage and Divorce Act;
- a title dispute over family land inherited under Kandyan rules;
- an adoption within a Kandyan family.
Because Kandyan law follows the person and the form of marriage, not the address, a lawyer will usually look first at the marriage registration and family history.
When you need a lawyer in Jaffna
Jaffna is the main city of the Northern Province. Thesawalamai is relevant to many land and inheritance questions there, including:
- buying or selling land in the Northern Province, where pre-emption rights under the Thesawalamai Pre-emption Ordinance may need to be considered;
- dividing matrimonial property or inheritance among Northern Province Tamil families, including families now living abroad;
- clarifying title to land held by family members who have emigrated.
Members of the Jaffna Tamil diaspora frequently need a local attorney-at-law to deal with land and succession. Because the Supreme Court has treated Thesawalamai as following the person, living overseas does not by itself end its application (NYU GlobaLex, Researching Sri Lankan Law, 2021 update).
How attorneys-at-law are admitted and regulated
Sri Lankan lawyers are attorneys-at-law. The separate professions of advocate and proctor were merged by the Administration of Justice Law No. 44 of 1973, in force from 1974 (NYU GlobaLex, Researching Sri Lankan Law, 2021 update). Attorneys are admitted and enrolled by the Supreme Court (Constitution, Art. 136; Supreme Court Rules 1978), and the Supreme Court disciplines them under section 42 of the Judicature Act No. 2 of 1978 (Supreme Court of Sri Lanka; Sri Lanka Law Reports). Complaints are often first inquired into by the Professional Purposes Committee of the Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL).
No public online roll of attorneys-at-law was found on official sites at the time of writing. That means a client cannot simply look a name up. Practical checks include:
- Ask for enrolment details. Ask the attorney for the date of their enrolment as an attorney-at-law of the Supreme Court.
- Check with the bar body. Ask BASL, or its relevant branch in Kandy or Jaffna, to confirm membership.
- Confirm the practice. Ask whether the attorney regularly appears in the relevant District Court and handles personal-law matters.
- Get terms in writing. Agree fees, scope and how documents and money will be handled.
Finding lawyers in Kandy and Jaffna
Search demand for "Kandy lawyers list" and "Jaffna lawyers list" reflects the absence of an official public roll. Global Law Lists, an international legal network, publishes a list of law firms in Sri Lanka, along with pages for law firms in Kandy and lawyers in Jaffna. Global Law Lists operates these pages, and listed firms may hold paid memberships; ordering follows its published verification methodology. Contact numbers on any listing should be confirmed directly with the attorney.
Frequently asked questions
Is there an official Kandy lawyers list?
No public online roll of attorneys-at-law was found on official Sri Lankan sites. Attorneys are enrolled by the Supreme Court, and the Bar Association of Sri Lanka can be asked to confirm membership.
Does Kandyan law apply to everyone in Kandy?
No. It applies to Kandyan Sinhalese, and for marriage it depends on whether the marriage was registered under the Kandyan Marriage and Divorce Act.
Does Thesawalamai apply if I live abroad?
It can. The Supreme Court has treated Thesawalamai as personal to Northern Province Tamils wherever they live, unless inhabitancy in Jaffna has clearly been abandoned; this is decided case by case.
How can I find a lawyer's contact number in Kandy or Jaffna?
Use a list such as those published by Global Law Lists or the bar association, then confirm the number and the attorney's enrolment directly before sharing documents.
Who disciplines lawyers in Sri Lanka?
The Supreme Court, under section 42 of the Judicature Act No. 2 of 1978. Complaints are often first examined by BASL's Professional Purposes Committee.
Sources
- Researching Sri Lankan Law, NYU Law GlobaLex, updated 2021
- Constitution of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, Article 136; Supreme Court Rules 1978
- Judicature Act No. 2 of 1978, section 42
- Supreme Court of Sri Lanka, SC Rule 4/2024 judgment, supremecourt.lk
- Wickramaratne v. Chandradeva [1997] 2 Sri LR, LawNet, Ministry of Justice
- Bar Association of Sri Lanka, official website, checked 10 October 2026