Hemashantini Satiavanan is a founding partner of Lalith & Shantini. A courtroom advocate by disposition and by training, her principal areas of practice are civil and commercial litigation, construction and strata disputes, family law & DEI.

She is regularly instructed by developers, joint management bodies, management corporations and property managers in the more difficult end of strata and construction work: latent and building defects, liquidated ascertained damages for delayed delivery of vacant possession, the recovery of maintenance charges and sinking fund contributions, service and consultancy disputes, and the scope of the statutory duties imposed on developers under the Strata Management Act 2013. Much of this litigation is evidentially technical, and she is well versed in the identification, appointment and examination of independent expert witnesses in engineering, construction and information technology matters, an aspect of preparation she regards as decisive, holding that the greater part of any trial is won before counsel rises.

Alongside her commercial practice she maintains a carefully kept family law portfolio on divorce, child custody and maintenance. Hemashantini advises organisations on diversity, equity and inclusion, and is an advocate for equitable access to competent representation. She acts for clients from the LGBTQ+ community in family, employment and personal matters, holding to the view that dignified representation is a question of equal protection. 

PRACTICE AREAS

• Civil and Commercial Litigation

• Construction disputes, Arbitration and Adjudication

• Strata Management

• Family law & Estate Planning 

• Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Advisory