Dr. Costa appointed President's Counsel

President Mahinda Rajapaksa has appointed Dr. Jayatissa De Costa as a President's Counsel from May 19, 2010.

Dr. De Costa was called to the Bar in early 1971 after completing the LLB degree at the Law Faculty, University of Ceylon. Thereafter, he proceeded to UK for his higher studies, and was awarded the LL.M. degree by the University of London in 1976. During his post graduate studies he functioned as an overseas lawyer attached to Suriya and Company, a reputed law firm in London.

On completion of his Masters degree he returned to Sri Lanka and resumed his legal practice and also functioned as a lecturer and examiner in the Law faculty of the University of Colombo and the Sri Lanka Law College. He registered for his PhD in the Law faculty of University of Colombo. He wrote the thesis for his PhD on the Election Law which emphasise the Sri Lanka Parliamentary Elections System, was supervised by S. Nadeson Q.C. Two Supreme Court judges have supervised the PhD and awarded the doctorate in 1983, which is the first doctorate obtained from a recognized Law faculty by a legal practitioner in this country.

Dr. De Costa started his practice in the original Courts and gradually started appearing in the Appellate Courts. He has appeared in thousands of cases in both Civil and Criminal Matters and has the distinction of appearing in the largest number of election petitions and related writ matters.