Kusumsiri Balapatabendi , PC

President's Counsel (Sri Lanka)

President's Counsel is a professional rank, as their status is conferred by the president, recognised by the courts and wear silk gowns of a special design...

 (known as K. Balapatabendi) is a Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...

n lawyer

Lawyer

A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...

 and diplomat

Diplomat

A diplomat is a person appointed by a state to conduct diplomacy with another state or international organization. The main functions of diplomats revolve around the representation and protection of the interests and nationals of the sending state, as well as the promotion of information and...

, He was the Permanent Secretary

Permanent Secretary

The Permanent secretary, in most departments officially titled the permanent under-secretary of state , is the most senior civil servant of a British Government ministry, charged with running the department on a day-to-day basis...

 to the President of Sri Lanka

President of Sri Lanka

The President of Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is the elected head of state and the head of government. The President is a dominant political figure in Sri Lanka. The office was created in 1978 but has grown so powerful there have been calls to restrict or even eliminate its power...

 (also known as the President's Secretary). Prior to the appointment he was the Secretary to the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka

Prime Minister of Sri Lanka

The Prime Minister of Sri Lanka is the functional head of the Cabinet of Sri Lanka. However, the President is both head of state and head of government in Sri Lanka...

. Balapatabendi had also served as Chairman, SriLankan Airlines

SriLankan Airlines

SriLankan Airlines Limited is the flag carrier airline of Sri Lanka. It operates to destinations in Asia and Europe from its base and hub at Bandaranaike International Airport . The airline's trademark phrase is 'You're Our World', and the company's logo features a stylized peacock...

, Senior Legal Adviser to President and Sri Lankan High Commissioner

High Commissioner

High Commissioner is the title of various high-ranking, special executive positions held by a commission of appointment.The English term is also used to render various equivalent titles in other languages.-Bilateral diplomacy:...

 to Australia and New Zealand. He was educated at Rahula College

Rahula college

Rahula College is a boys' school in Sri Lanka, located in Matara district - . Though it was originally a Buddhist school,now it is run by the Government of Sri Lanka as a National School. It was one of the first schools which was converted to a National School...

 Matara.

Legal career

Balapatabendi was a lawyer for several years in the appellate Courts and District Courts and was appointed a President's Counsel in 1995. He was also the President of the Law Society, Colombo in the 1980s. He holds a degree and a Masters in Law of the University of Colombo

University of Colombo

The University of Colombo is a public research university located primarily in Colombo, Sri Lanka...

.

Diplomatic career

From 2004 to 2008 he severed as Sri Lanka's Lankan High Commissioner to Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

 and New Zealand

New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

.