Janaka Siriwardena

Janaka is a dynamic and experienced barrister working with Polit Law Ltd, with a broad practice spanning crime, civil litigation and immigration law. Drawing on a long and eclectic career in education, IT and e‑commerce, gained in countries as diverse as Japan, Siberia and Sri Lanka, he brings deep insight, life experience and cultural sensitivity to his client work. He is known for his tenacity in the most difficult cases and his calm, methodical advocacy style, which consistently delivers outstanding results in both the Magistrates’ Courts and the Crown Court. His criminal practice ranges from driving offences and domestic violence through to serious violence, complex fraud and murder, including a Not Guilty verdict in a two‑month immigration fraud trial with 11 defendants and securing a six‑year sentence for the number 2 defendant in a £50 million cocaine conspiracy. In the civil sphere, Janaka acts for both claimants and defendants in fast‑ and multi‑track trials involving breach of contract, landlord and tenant disputes, bankruptcy and insolvency, employment matters, injunctions, neighbour disputes and non‑molestation orders. He also maintains a thriving immigration practice, regularly appearing in both the First‑tier and Upper Tribunals, with a particular interest in EU law and advising European citizens wishing to remain in the UK post‑Brexit, as well as businesses seeking to maintain effective trading links with the EU. As a qualified Direct/Public Access barrister, Janaka can be instructed directly by members of the public to draft statements of case and witness statements and to represent them in both lower and senior civil courts in England and Wales.