Lankan to head top New York law firm

ROHAN S. Weerasinghe has been nominated a senior partner of Sherman & Sterling, a top Capital Markets Group based in New York and one of the largest and most prestigious Wall-Street law firms. Weerasinghe will succeed David W. Heleniak in the leadership role, a release said yesterday.

A dual US and Sri Lankan citizen, Weerasinghe, 54, is the first Asian-American to head a New York firm. He joined Sherman in 1977 after graduating from Harvard Law School and became a partner in 1985.

His practice has focused on representing issues and underwriters in securities offerings, particularly those in the high-yield debt area. He enjoys strong relationships with major banks and financial institutions. His clients have included Bank of America Securities, Credit Suisse First Boston, Merrill Lynch, and Morgan Stanley.

Weerasinghe is the son of Oliver Weerasinghe a former Sri Lanka's Ambassador to the United States.