Bird & Bird has signed strategic cooperation agreements with two Indonesian law firms, intellectual property specialists K&K Advocates and business law firm Nurjadin Sumono Mulyadi & Partners (NSMP).
The agreements, which were signed yesterday (24 June) in Jakarta, come as the top 20 firm, which already has a presence in Shanghai, Beijing, Hong Kong and Singapore, attests to experiencing a period of rapid growth in the Asia Pacific region over the past 18 months.
Most recently, Bird & Bird announced in February a tie-up with one of Korea’s top 10 law firms, Seoul-based Hwang Mok & Park, which follows similar associations with Lawjay Partners in Beijing for Mainland China IP litigation support and Tay & Partners in Malaysia. A further cooperation agreement in the Middle East is said by the firm to be close to completion.
Justin Walkey, chairman of Bird & Bird’s Asia-Pacific practice, said: ‘The introduction of the ASEAN Economic Community has accelerated client expectations and in turn created a strong demand for Bird & Bird’s services within the participating countries and in particular within Indonesia. The combination of these cooperation agreements with K&K and NSMP in Indonesia together with our existing Singapore and Malaysian service hubs will allow us to better support new and existing clients in South East Asia and the ASEAN region.’
NSMP, which was founded in 2006, is a five-partner firm with 24 lawyers covering sectors focussed on by Bird & Bird such as aviation, media and telecommunications.
K&K, recognised as a third-tier IP firm by The Legal 500, is a three-partner firm with seven lawyers and has been actively involved in government outreach programmes, advising companies with new IP laws and regulations. The Indonesian directorate general of intellectual property rights, which received 62,813 trademark applications in 2013 to place the country in the top ten ASEAN nations for filings, is currently revising current trademark law and is implementing regulations to provide greater legal certainty.
Bird & Bird CEO David Kerr said: ‘The Indonesian economy is fast moving into a new consumer led development phase which has resulted in a growing demand for high-quality, international advice in areas where technology and regulation are driving change.’
Iwan Nurjadin, founding partner of NSMP, added: ‘With an increasing number of cross-border transactions requiring common law concepts and terminology, businesses need advisors with an international mind-set. We believe these associations will make it easier for our clients to realise their potential in the global markets.’
Tom.moore@legalease.co.uk
