Indonesia

Makarim & Taira S is a prominent full-service Indonesian law firm widely recognised for its dispute resolution expertise. Backed by over 40 years of practice, the firm’s litigation team handles a broad spectrum of contentious matters, from high-stakes commercial litigation and international arbitration to complex restructuring and insolvency cases, employment disputes and white-collar crime investigations. As part of a corporate law powerhouse, the disputes practice benefits from the firm’s deep commercial understanding of clients’ industries. Its clients include major multinational companies and leading state-owned enterprises. The firm’s deep local litigation experience with international outreach has ensured that the firm remains a go-to advisor for both domestic and international clients involved in challenging disputes in Indonesia. 

Key individuals in the firm’s dispute practice include Rahayu Ningsih Hoed and Rudy Andreas Sitorus, both seasoned partners who jointly lead the team and are highly regarded across multiple dispute disciplines. They are supported by specialised partners such as Norma Mutalib, a veteran practitioner in employment and industrial relations conflicts. The firm also boasts a strong pipeline of emerging talent: senior disputes lawyers like Hendrik Alfian Pasaribu and Made Susanti are active across employment, insolvency and general litigation matters. 

International reach is a key hallmark of the firm’s dispute practice. Makarim & Taira S extends its services across borders through strategic alliances and networks. It is a member of the Drew Network Asia and is part of the World Law Group and World Services Group, which collectively enable seamless coordination on cross-border cases throughout Southeast Asia and beyond. These relationships have positioned the firm to advise foreign clients and collaborate with international counsel on multi-jurisdictional disputes. In one example, the team represented a major Singaporean resort operator in pursuing claims against Indonesian customers in Jakarta, a case involving cross-border recovery of unpaid obligations for high-value hospitality and gaming services.  

Over the past year, the firm has been active in several notable disputes across its key practice areas. In the restructuring and insolvency arena, the firm served as lead counsel to the Shangri-La Hotel in the court-supervised debt restructuring of a Bali hotel developer following a suspension of debt payment (PKPU) proceeding initiated by the developer’s creditors. In labour and employment, the firm regularly advises multinational employers on complex workforce issues such as mass redundancies, executive terminations, labour union negotiations, and compliance with Indonesia’s evolving employment laws. For instance, the firm is currently assisting a global logistics and warehousing company in an ongoing termination dispute with a former employee, including delicate negotiations under the client’s collective labour agreement and related union matters.  

In the white-collar crime and investigations space, the team has been handling sensitive internal investigations and anti-corruption matters. In one matter, it is working alongside US counsel in an extensive internal probe into alleged misconduct by senior officers of a leading Indonesian mining company, a case that involves potential violations of the US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. The firm’s ability to coordinate with international law firms in such investigations and navigate Indonesia’s regulatory environment demonstrates its strength in high-level regulatory and compliance disputes.

Client feedback 

“They are strong in lawsuit preparation, dealing with local legal issues and international arbitration.” – Commercial and transactions