The two firms announced the move in the aftermath of last month's presidential elections and the expectation of a boom in merger activity. Indonesia is WongPartnership’s seventh regional country in its network that spans the Middle East to China.  'With the great investor interest in Indonesia’s dynamic market, WongPartnership has been acting in an increasing number of cross-border deals and we are excited to collaborate with a high quality, like-minded firm on these complex matters,’ said Senior Counsel Alvin Yeo, Senior Partner at WongPartnership. 'Our lawyers have worked alongside Makes & Partners on transactions, including Aberdeen Asset Management Asia Limited's proposed acquisition of a stake in PT NISP Asset Management. We found a shared ethos of delivering unstinting high quality service to our clients.  Our alliance with Makes & Partners will enable us to leverage on their Indonesian law capability to serve our clients in the ASEAN region, whilst allowing their clients access to our regional expertise in China, the Middle East and the rest of ASEAN.'

Cross-border trade

'With ever increasing cross-border trade, Makes & Partners is excited to share and tap on the expertise that our alliance with WongPartnership will bring,' Yozua Makes, managing partner at Makes & Partners, said. 'Many investors are interested in Indonesia and likewise, many Indonesian corporates are also interested in expanding into the region, especially with the advent of the Asean Economic Community in 2015. We look forward to building on our close working relationships to tap on the flourishing business environment.'

Southeast Asia coverage

WongPartnership has over 270 lawyers with offices in Singapore, Abu Dhabi, Beijing, Shanghai, Yangon, and an associate firm in Kuala Lumpur, as well as an active practice in the ASEAN region. The firm specialises in advisory/transactional work in the areas of finance, corporate and capital markets. Based in Jakarta, Makes & Partners has over 30 lawyers. Makes & Partners was legal advisor in the first initial public offering of an Indonesian real estate investment trust on the Singapore Exchange, the first privatisation of an Indonesian state-owned company, the first voluntary tender offer and the first non-cash settlement rights issue, amongst others.