Justice Tilakawardane was the first female State Counsel in Sri Lanka in 1978, the first female Judge of the High Court, first woman Admiralty Court Judge, first woman Justice of the Court of Appeal and the first woman President of the Court of Appeal. In 2003, she was appointed to the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka, and served also Acting Chief Justice.

She holds two honorary doctorates in Law from Smith College and William’s College in the USA. She also has a diploma in Forensic Medicine from the University of Sri Lanka. She has received many awards, including the Sakshi of India Award and the International Zonta Award for achievement and contributions to the field of Law. In 2000, she received the Shakti Award from the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), recognizing her contribution to equality rights and law, and was awarded a fellowship in ‘Human Rights, International Law and Intervention’ from Brandeis University, USA. She has also received a Fellowship in Judicial Education and has undergone an Intensive Study Programme for Judicial Educators conducted by the Commonwealth Judicial Education Institute in Halifax, Canada.

Justice Tilakawardane is currently the Consultant to the Sri Lanka Judges Institute, an International and National Arbitrator and an international accredited Mediator to the Singapore International, Mediation Institute. She serves as a consultant to UNDP, UNODC, ILO, and the International Commission of Jurists, and continues to work as a Consultant, Expert Advisor, and Panelist with organizations such as Law Legal Action worldwide and is presently on the Advisory Board of the ASEAN Judicial Integrity Network. She was an International Consultant to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) on ‘Strengthening Transparency and Code of Ethics for Enhanced Public Confidence in the Court of Cassation of Turkey’ Project.

Justice Tilakawardane has served as an Attorney in the District Attorney’s Office of Colorado in Fort Collins and Greeley in the United States. She was an Advisory Board Member for the International Center for Ethics, Justice and Public Life of Brandeis University, U. S.A, and a Member of the International Panel of Jurists of the International Bureau for Child Rights, with UN affiliation. She has helped draft the SAARC protocol on trafficking of men, women and children and the initial guidelines for child witness testimony for adoption in the ICC. She has worked with the Council of Europe on cybercrimes against Children in terms of the Budapest Convention and Lanzarote Conventions.