How did you start down this career path?

I came to Australia in 2014 as an international student to pursue my LLB at Monash Law School. During my second year, I began working as a paralegal at MJ Legal, a solo practice that did a mix of Property and Migration law. It was led by Jayantha Wijethilake, a senior solicitor who became both my mentor and guide. As an international student myself, I naturally gravitated towards

migration law and began assisting with cases involving student visas and skilled migration, often helping friends and peers who needed legal support.

After graduating in 2018, securing employment with Australian law firms proved challenging due to my two-year 485 visa. Many firms were hesitant to invest, especially as my Practical Legal Training (PLT) took over six months to complete. Fortunately, my mentor, Jayantha, offered me the opportunity to undertake supervised legal training at his practice and continue to work with him.

Initially, I focused heavily on property law. At the same time, I actively promoted the firm’s migration services and began receiving a steady flow of referrals from international students. I also established relationships with education agents and accountants within the community, who began referring clients to MJ Legal for assistance with Immigration and property law matters.

When COVID-19 struck and the property market slowed, I made a deliberate decision to pivot MJ Legal into a dedicated Immigration practice. During this period, temporary migrants faced significant challenges due to rapidly changing border policies and limited opportunities to relocate for work or secure permanent residency. As a result, there was a strong demand for accurate, high-quality migration advice, and I dedicated my efforts to supporting clients through these complex and uncertain circumstances.

During this time, I also established a Global capability centre in Colombo, Sri Lanka, to better support clients seeking immigration assistance from abroad. Now, nearly six years into my legal practice, I lead a well-established migration law practice. My work spans skilled migration, employer-sponsored visas, parent and partner visas, as well as complex migration litigation before the Administrative Appeals Tribunal and the Federal Court.

What inspires you in your role/industry? Why?

As the Principal Solicitor of MJ Legal, I wear two hats—one as a practitioner of Immigration law, and the other as the Director overseeing the firm’s operations and strategic direction.

In my capacity as an Immigration solicitor, I draw deeply from my own migrant journey. Having arrived in Australia as an international student and eventually becoming a citizen, I’ve experienced firsthand the challenges and uncertainties my clients face. This experience has allowed me to empathize with them and offer guidance that is both practical and compassionate.

I have a strong appreciation for how quickly Immigration law evolves and the profound impact these changes have on individuals who are striving to build a future in Australia. Many of my clients are skilled professionals who have travelled from across the globe to contribute to the Australian economy. Yet, just as they approach the opportunity to apply for permanent residency, the goalposts often shift. Their resilience in the face of such uncertainty inspires me. My role is to help them navigate these complexities by developing not just a single pathway to permanent residency, but multiple fallback strategies that account for shifting government policies.

As Director of MJ Legal, I am equally inspired by my team and our valued business partners. Their dedication to developing innovative services and continuously improving our processes motivates me to keep pushing forward, even during challenging times. Their passion ensures that we deliver a consistently high-quality experience to our clients, and it fuels my own drive to grow and evolve as a leader.

What's your approach to customer service that separates you from the rest?

At MJ Legal, we are a tech-focused firm committed to delivering client-centered legal services. One of the first initiatives I implemented as a principal was the integration of a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system alongside our existing Practice Management System (PMS). While a PMS is designed to manage individual cases, a CRM enables us to maintain long term relationships with our clients across the entire span of their Immigration journey.

In the field of migration law, client engagement often extends over a period of two or more years—as individuals progress from student visas to graduate visas, and eventually to skilled or employer-sponsored permanent residency pathways. Our CRM allows us to categorize clients by key factors such as visa expiry dates, age (which is a critical factor in points-tested visas), and occupation. This system ensures we can quickly identify and reach out to clients when policy changes arise that may impact their migration strategy, allowing us to provide timely and strategic advice.

We've also transitioned to a predominantly Zoom-based consultation model. This shift has significantly improved accessibility and convenience for our clients, enabling them to receive legal advice promptly and from anywhere.

Over the years, we have gained significant experience in employer-sponsored visas, allowing us to develop a deep understanding of the regulatory framework and practical challenges businesses face when sponsoring skilled labour. This expertise has enabled us to effectively assist Australian employers in securing work visas for their skilled workforce—ensuring compliance, minimising delays and helping them meet their workforce needs with confidence.

Finally, a core part of our practice involves ongoing analysis of government data at both the federal and state levels. This enables us to offer up-to-date, evidence-based advice on the

prospects of securing permanent residency, ensuring our clients have a realistic and informed understanding of their pathways forward.

How do you innovate and stay ahead of industry trends?

If building a modern legal practice has taught me anything, it’s the value of rethinking traditional models to support growth without compromising quality. This perspective led to the creation of our Global Capability Centre (GCC) in Sri Lanka—a carefully structured offshore operation that

integrates seamlessly with our Australian office. Designed for efficiency and resilience, the GCC has not only enhanced our own operations but has also supported other Australian law firms in streamlining their legal processes and maintaining the high standards their clients expect.

We are also currently making significant investments in AI and automation to enhance both client experience and internal efficiency.

To support this transformation, we’ve brought on several IT contractors who are helping us in key areas. First, we’re upgrading our website to include interactive tools that allow prospective clients to self-assess their eligibility for permanent residency (PR) pathways.

Second, we’re leveraging data analytics by using public datasets, such as those from data.gov.au, to map realistic migration strategies. By analyzing trends across states—including skill shortages, employer demand, and industry needs—we help clients not only understand their chances of obtaining Permanent residency but also guide them in acquiring relevant skills or relocating to regions where their occupation is in high demand.

Third, we're actively developing automation and AI solutions to streamline our internal workflows. This includes automating repetitive administrative tasks and using AI tools to assist in drafting initial submissions for Immigration matters. The goal is to reduce turnaround times and focus our human expertise where it matters most—on adding real value for our clients.

Lastly, we maintain a close watch on both Australian and global political trends. With most high-income countries facing low population growth, skilled migration is essential to sustaining tax bases and economic productivity. Understanding how Australia compares to other major destinations such as the US, UK, Canada, and New Zealand allows us to better position our clients—and our firm—for long-term success in an increasingly competitive global migration landscape.

What is the toughest challenge you've faced in your role? How did you overcome it?

Stepping into the role of Principal Solicitor and Director of MJ Legal has been the most challenging yet rewarding experience of my career. I had to quickly adapt to the dual responsibility of not only practising law but also managing the firm’s operations and administrative priorities. My days are devoted to advising clients, understanding their needs, and staying up to date with developments in immigration law. My evenings are often spent meeting with potential referral partners, building relationships, and actively seeking new opportunities to ensure a steady pipeline of work for the firm.

What are some of your goals for the next five years?

Over the next five years, my goal is to future-proof MJ Legal by embracing innovation and expanding our reach. We’re investing in AI to improve how we handle file work and plan to build data science driven webtools on our website.

With AI-generated overviews, we’re seeing a significant drop in website click-through rates across the board. This trend suggests that static websites are becoming less effective. That’s why we’re focused on building interactive web tools that allow clients to assess their visa eligibility directly on our site and connect with the services we offer. Additionally, we hope to continue to build our Global Capability Centre in Sri Lanka and make its offering available to more Australian law firms.

Finally, I plan to expand the firm to at least one other state to better support our growing client base across Australia and respond to various demands across the state nomination visa programs that frequently change.

Learn more: Family & Immigration Lawyers in Melbourne | MJ Legal

About Company: MJ Legal

Our dedicated team at MJ Legal brings years of experience in Australian immigration law. We specialise in skilled migration, employer-sponsored visas, family and partner visas, visitor visas, student visas and post study work visas. From strategic visa planning to complex tribunal matters, we work closely with our clients to deliver high-quality legal services tailored to their individual needs. Our goal is to guide our clients every step of the way toward securing permanent residency in Australia.