John Eardley Russel Perera PC (20 October 1925 - 31 December 2004) was a

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...

n lawyer and the 2nd president of the Bar Association of Sri Lanka (1977–78). He was a member of the Law Commission and the Council of Legal Education. Mr. Perera was in the first batch of President's Counsel appointed in 1981, having refused silk as a Queen's Counsel in 1967.

Early life and education

Born on 20 October 1925, in Moratuwa, he was the third son, of Mr. and Mrs. C.S.A. Perera. Perera received his initial education at St. Bridget’s Convent in Colombo and subsequently attended St. Sebastian’s College for the latter. His father was a Proctor of the Supreme Court and Notary Public, his elder brother Herman J.C. Perera was a proctor and was also a subsequent BASL President (being the only Proctor to do so), and President of the Incorporated Law Society of Ceylon, and his uncles Shelton de Silva and Andrew de Silva were leading lawyers as well. Eardley and Herman are only two brothers to ever become BASL Presidents history.

Legal career

Source: In 1944, Perera enrolled in the Ceylon Law College. Then after passing his Advocates’ Examinations, he was admitted to the Bar on 24 August 1948, after doing his apprenticeship in the Chambers of Mr. Nihal Gunasekera. In 1977, he was elected as the 2nd President of the

Bar Association of Sri Lanka The Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) is the Bar Association in Sri Lanka, established in 1974. The institute amalgamated the ''Bar Council of Sri Lanka'' which represented the Advocates and ''Law Society of Sri Lanka'' which represented the P ...

(BASL) and at the time was the senior most Past President of the BASL following the death of Dr. Hector Wilfred Jayewardene Q.C. In 1967, Perera was offered the honour of being appointed Queen’s Counsel but declined it. However, he was appointed as a

President's Counsel A president's counsel ( postnominal PC) is an eminent lawyer who is appointed by the President of Sri Lanka as an individual "learned in the law". The term is an honorific that replaced the Queen's Counsel (QC), which Sri Lanka ceased appointing ...

in 1978 when the practice was re-commenced under the new Constitution.

Family

Perera had 5 children, Charith, Surith, Ravith, Preemali and Vijiththree. 3 Perera's children Ravith, Preemali and Vijith are also lawyers.

Death and legacy

Perera died on 31 December 2005, in his memory a bust of Perera was unveiled by Chief Justice Asoka de Silva at the Colombo Law Library.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Perera, Eardley 1925 births 2004 deaths Sinhalese people Sri Lankan lawyers President's Counsels (Sri Lanka) Ceylonese advocates People from British Ceylon