President's Counsel is a professional

Professional

A professional is a person who is paid to undertake a specialised set of tasks and to complete them for a fee. The traditional professions were doctors, lawyers, clergymen, and commissioned military officers. Today, the term is applied to estate agents, surveyors , environmental scientists,...

 rank, as their status is conferred by the president

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...

, recognised by the courts and wear silk gowns of a special design. It is the equivalent of the rank of Queen's Counsel

Queen's Counsel

Queen's Counsel , known as King's Counsel during the reign of a male sovereign, are lawyers appointed by letters patent to be one of Her [or His] Majesty's Counsel learned in the law...

 in the United Kingdom

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

, which was used in Ceylon (Sri Lanka) until 1972 when Sri Lanka became a republic, at which time the position became the senior Attorneys-at-Law but in 1984 the position became the President's Counsel. The holder can use the post-nominal letters

Post-nominal letters

Post-nominal letters, also called post-nominal initials, post-nominal titles or designatory letters, are letters placed after the name of a person to indicate that the individual holds a position, educational degree, accreditation, office, or honour. An individual may use several different sets of...

 PC after his or her name.

By the 8th amendment to the Constitution of 1978 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...

 has the power "to appoint as President's Counsel, Attorneys-at-Law

Attorney at law (Sri Lanka)

Attorneys at law form a legal profession in Sri Lanka. Attorneys at law are the only individuals authorized to represent others in all courts of law and are also authorized to give advice regarding any matter of law. There were two groups of legal practitioners in Sri Lanka before 1974 as advocates...

 who have reached eminence in the profession and have maintained high standards of conduct and professional rectitude"

Notable President's Counsel of Sri Lanka

• Ranjit Abeysuriya
  Ranjit Abeysuriya
  Deshamanya Ranjit Abeysuriya, PC is a Sri Lankan lawyer. He was the Chairmen of the National Police Commission, Director Public Prosecutions of the Attorney General's Department, President of the Bar Association of Sri Lanka and member of the Law Commission of Sri Lanka.Educated at the prestigious...
  
  
• Rienzie. A. F. Arseculeratne
• M. H. M. Ashraff
  M. H. M. Ashraff
  Mohammed Hussain Mohammed Ashraff was a Sri Lankan politician and founder/leader of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress political party.-Early life:...
  
  
• Lalith Athulathmudali
  Lalith Athulathmudali
  Lalith William Samarasekera Athulathmudali , PC was a Sri Lankan politician of the United National Party and former Cabinet Minister of Trade, National Security, Agriculture, Education and deputy minister of defence.-Early life and teaching career:Born to a family of Lawyers, his...
  
  
• Shibly Aziz
  Shibly Aziz
  Shibly Aziz, PC is a Sri Lankan lawyer. He was a former Attorney General, Solicitor General of Sri Lanka and the Chairmen of the Civil Aviation Authority of Sri Lanka....
  
  
• Harsha Cabral
• K. N. Choksy
  K. N. Choksy
  Kairshasp Nariman Choksy, PC, MP is a Sri Lankan lawyer, politician and a former member of the Parliament of Sri Lanka.He was Cabinet Minister of Finance under Prime Minister Ranil Wickremasinghe....
  
  
• N. R. M. Daluwatte
• Dunstan De Alwis
• C. R. De Silva
  C. R. De Silva
  Chitta Ranjan De Silva, PC is a Sri Lankan lawyer. He was a former Attorney General and Solicitor General of Sri Lanka. He is the current Chairmen of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission...
  
  
• H. L. de Silva
• Romesh de Silva
• Ainsley Clive "Bunty" de Zoysa
• T. B. Dissanayake
• B. J. Fernando
• Mark Fernando
  Mark Fernando
  Justice Mark Damien Hugh Fernando was a jurist and former judge of the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka. He died after a long bout with cancer on 20 January 2009.-Education and early career:...
  
  
• Palitha Fernando
  Palitha Fernando
  Rear Admiral Palitha Fernando, PC, VNF is a Sri Lankan lawyer. He is the current Judge Advocate of the Sri Lanka Navy and Additional Solicitor General in the Attorney-General's Department....
  
  
• Tyronne Fernando
  Tyronne Fernando
  Tyronne Fernando , PC was a Sri Lankan politician who served as Foreign Minister from 2001 until 2004.-Early life and education:...
  
  
• Jayantha Gunasekera
• Visty.C.Gunathilake
  Visty.C.Gunathilake
  Visty.C.Gunathilake PC was Sri Lanka's Solicitor General from 1977 to 1981.He received his education at Nalanda College Colombo.-References:* Attorney Generals Department Sri Lanka...
  
  
• Hettiarachchige Edwin Neville Joseph /eminent and much respected Advocate of the Supreme Court specializing in Industrial Law.
• Lakshman Kadirgamar
  Lakshman Kadirgamar
  Sri Lankabhimanya Lakshman Kadirgamar PC was a Sri Lankan diplomat, politician and a lawyer. He served as Minister of Foreign Affairs of Sri Lanka from 1994 to 2001 and again from April 2004 until his assassination in August 2005...
  
  
• K. C. Kamalasabeson
• K. Kanag-Ishwaran
• Palitha Kumarasinghe
• A. A. M. Marleen
• Saleem Marsoof
  Saleem Marsoof
  Justice Saleem Marsoof, PC is a Sri Lankan judge and lawyer. He is a judge of the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka and former President of the Court of Appeal.He is also a non-resident Justice of Appeal of the Supreme Court of the Fiji Islands.-Education:...
  
  
• Ikram Mohamed
• Faiz Mustapha
• Mohomed Sally Mohomed Nazeem
• R. I. Obeysekera
• Mohan Peiris
  Mohan Peiris
  Mohan Peiris, PC is a Sri Lankan lawyer. He is the current Attorney General.He was educated at St. Joseph's College, Colombo and the prestigious Royal College Colombo, where he won colours in cricket. Thereafter he entered the Sri Lanka Law College and was called to the Bar in 1975, starting his...
  
  
• Daya Perera
  Daya Perera
  Lt. Colonel Daya Perera, PC is a Sri Lankan diplomat and lawyer, who was the former Sri Lankan High Commissioner to Canada and former Ambassador to the United Nations in New York.-Education:...
  
  
• Eardley Perera
• A. K. Premadasa
• P. A. D. Samarasekera
• G. F. Sethukavaler
• L. C. Seneviratne
• Edward Francis Junius Silva
• Sarath N. Silva
  Sarath N. Silva
  Sarath Nanda Silva PC is a former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka.He obtained his Primary and Secondary school education at Trinity College Kandy and continued to Sri Lanka Law College. Prior to civil service, his achievements included work obtaining a Master of Laws degree Magna...
  
  
• Harsha A. J. Soza
• C. V. Vigneswaran
• Senaka C. B. Walgampaya
• Hemantha Warnakulasuriya
  Hemantha Warnakulasuriya
  Hemantha Warnakulasuriya, PC is a Sri Lankan lawyer and diplomat. He was the ex Sri Lankan Ambassador to Italy.-Early life and education:Born to W. P. Arnolis Appu of Tangalle, Hemantha, a businessman who owned a large transport business, Warnakulasuriya was educated at the prestigious Royal...
  
  
• Ananda Wijesekera
• D. S. Wijesinghe
• Upawansa Yapa
  Upawansa Yapa
  Upawansa Yapa PC entered the University of Ceylon, Peradeniya in 1960 and obtained Bachelor of Arts degree.In 1965, he joined the Ceylon Law College and was admitted as an advocate of Your Lordship's Court in February, 1969....
  
  
• Razik Zarook