In early 2016, after completing the final year Law College examinations, I walked into Mr. Uditha Egalahewa’s chamber seeking an opportunity to apprentice under him. I was a complete stranger who sought an appointment via a telephone call and now waiting for meeting him at his chamber. He was kind. His chamber was visibly full; there was no space for another person. Nevertheless, he didn’t strike me off. He asked me to come to courts, and I happily obliged. Few weeks rolled. Everyday after courts, I had a few moments with him to talk about the day’s cases. He will then ask me to research on something, which I would dutifully do. Then we would briefly discuss that. He was so kind to entertain even some of the aberrant ideas I might come up with, and patiently explain why it might not be prudent to argue that. Like him, was his juniors, always kind and supportive. One fine day, I was asked to come to the chamber after courts, since then I am a part of his chamber, then as an apprentice, and now as a junior counsel.
Working with Mr. Uditha Egalahewa is nothing but a pleasant and enriching experience. He has a remarkable work ethic, and expects the same from his juniors. He impresses on the importance of not only updating our knowledge and developing skills, but also on upholding the highest values, and professionalism at all time. He is very composed man but with quite a sense of humour. Never has a day passed without everyone having a good laugh at the chamber. One common thing we share is the love for books, and reading. His love for books is well known among his friends. One famous Silk who is a friend of his once told us “Uditha gets excited seeing a bookshop, like us getting excited seeing a Pub”. He insists his juniors to start building their own library, and always reiterates Jefferson “a lawyer without books would be like a workman without tools”. Despite his broad erudition, he insists on keeping matters simple and precise. It is exceptionally challenging to keep things simple in the complexed world of law. Nonetheless, he endures. This quality of him is evident in his submissions. He can untie a complex matter and present it in uncomplicated layers without distorting the substance or diluting the content.
Mr. Uditha Egalahewa had a fascinating beginning to his career. After completing his schooling at Wesley College, and Royal College, Colombo, he chose the hospitality industry, and trained at the Hotel school and became a qualified chef. After successful stints at star class hotels for several years, he decided to quit hospitality industry altogether, and pursue law. Almost all his juniors, and myself several times have curiously questioned as to what motivated him to make this career shift. His answer was always simple. He said, “I loved the hospitality field, but that wasn’t challenging enough”. It is his quest for a more challenging career, and the encouragement of his father, who is also an Attorney-at-Law, and a beloved lecturer law, led him to successfully sit for the Law College entrance examination at the age of 27, and pursue his legal education at the Sri Lanka Law College. On November 1st, 1990, at the age of 30, Mr. Uditha Egalahewa was called to the Bar. He is a living example of the famous saying “it is never too late to be what you might have been”.
He began his career at the Attorney General’s Department as a Counsel attached to the Corporations Divisions and then a State Counsel. During this period, he also successfully completed his LL.M. at the Colombo University, and another LL.M. with Distinction at the International Maritime Law Institute in Malta. In the 15 years he served for there, he made his mark not only as an ingenious counsel in the Appellate and Apex Courts, but also as a legal virtuoso in the multifarious advisory roles he carried out which includes advising the Public Enterprises Reform Commission on the privatisation of Sri Lankan Airlines; serving as a member of the drafting committee of the “Constitution of the Republic of Sri Lanka Bill”, which was presented to the Parliament in 2000; and advising the Public Enterprises Reform Commission on the Privatisation of Sri Lanka Telecom Ltd. Mrs. Kamalasabayson, the wife of former Attorney General K.C.Kamalasabayson P.C. once told me that when Mr. Uditha Egalahewa left the AG’s Department in 2005, Mr.Kamalsabayson, the then AG, had told her that “he felt like he had lost his right hand”. This stands out as a testament to Mr. Uditha Egalahewa’s solemn service to the AG’s Department.
Upon leaving the official Bar and joining the unofficial Bar, he established his own chamber. Him and his first set of juniors always reminisce the tough start they endured in the private bar. One of Mr. Egalahewa’s senior junior, Mr. Amaranath Fernando, never misses a day to tell us – the younger juniors, how lucky we the younger juniors are. He has all praise for what he would in different words call as the “grit” of Mr. Uditha Egalahewa, who withstood the early blues in establishing his private practice, and built it sheerly with his knowledge, skill, and impeccable work ethic. Mr. Uditha Egalahewa made his mark as an ingenious Civil, Commercial, and Public lawyer, and became a especially renown name in labour law. After a colourful 15 years in the official bar, and a successful 7 years in the private bar, Mr. Uditha Egalahewa was conferred silk in 2012.
Today Mr. Uditha Egalahewa is an active practitioner in Civil, Commercial, Labour, and Public Law; an Arbitrator; a Commissioner of the Sri Lanka Legal Aid Commission; serves in different committees of the Bar Association; and the President of the Buddhist Lawyers’ Association. Despite all these remarkable achievements, and thirty years of seniority in the Bar, Mr. Uditha Egalahewa remains a humble soul, who is all ears to the suggestions of even a junior with less than a year’s experience. If you make a valid point, he will always take it. If he disagrees, he will explain you why he disagrees. There is always space for discussion and debate in his chamber. This makes him an exceptional teacher, a wise guide, a fine mentor, and above all a beloved Senior.
On this occasion where Mr.Uditha Egalahewa completes thirty years in the Bar, I take this opportunity to wish him many more colourful and successful years. May the triple gem he profoundly believes in bless him!
This article was published in the Daily Mirror Newspaper on the 23rd of November, 2020. http://www.dailymirror.lk/news-features/A-profoundly-beloved-Senior/131-200393
