Hadiputranto Hadinoto & Partners

“Hadiputranto Hadinoto & Partners was selected in light of their reputation for reliable advice as well as their international network via Baker McKenzie,” says a client. Market-leading lawyer Erwandi Hendarta, the practice leader, Indah Respati and Mahardikha Sardjana acted for HSBC in one of the first cases of an international bank acquiring a local one. The team handled a complex web of liability transfers involving HSBC Indonesia. Team members “quickly grasp the situation and provide practical advice [while providing] wide experience and knowledge that gives a different perspective on how to approach an issue”.

A capital markets client praises Hadiputranto Hadinoto & Partners as a “well reputable law firm, great team and services”. Iqbal Darmawan, the team leader, advised bank dealer DBS Bank on Ciputra Property’s effort to buy back its S$65 million ($48.2 million) 5.625% notes due in 2018 from the note holders. The work was complex because it was part of Ciputra Property’s broader goal to merge three publicly-traded companies of the Ciputra Group into Ciputra Development. Noted for “in-depth knowledge”, Indah Respati advised Prodia Widyahusada, an Indonesian clinical laboratory provider, on its IDR1.2 trillion IPO. Rambun Tjajo and name partner Tuti Hadiputranto have left the firm.

Hadiputranto Hadinoto & Partners shows strong performance in merger and joint venture clearances, and audits and compliance. For instance, Mochamad Fachri, the practice head, is representing Mitsubishi and Mitsubishi Motor before the Komisi Pengawas Persaingan Usaha (KPPU), Indonesia’s competition commission, during the clients’ application to acquire Krama Yudha Tiga Berlian, a distributor of Mitsubishi products. Fachri is also reviewing whether the practices and policies of a large multinational dairy producer are aligned with Indonesia’s competition law.

Hadiputranto Hadinoto & Partners shows keen capabilities in structuring special purpose vehicles through joint ventures of development projects. Mita Djajadiredja, for example, acted for Astra International’s Menara Astra on Astra Land Indonesia, its joint venture with Hongkong Land, to develop residential properties. The team has also assisted financial backers. Practice head Mark Innis, a foreign legal consultant, advised the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, an institutional investor with $327 billion assets under management, on its logistics property investments with Ivanhoé Cambridge and Logos, a logistics specialist.

Hadiputranto Hadinoto & Partners “is considered the best in Indonesia”, according to a client. Another adds: “A very strong law firm especially for M&A practices with dedicated team, insightful thoughts and sharing knowledge.” Erwandi Hendarta, a banking and finance market-leading lawyer, Indah Respati and Mahardikha Sardjana, and an affiliate partner in Taipei, advised Cathay Financial, a Taiwanese bank, on its acquisition of 15.1% of Bank Mayapada International. A client commends Daniel Pardede for being “good at leading the legal team, very helpful and understand[s] how to solve the problem”. Pardede has an “excellent understanding [of] our business and issues and he is able to provide feasible and practical solution”, adds another. “It is considered the best law firm in Indonesia.”

“Hadiputranto Hadinoto & Partners has a deep understanding of the multi-faceted legal culture of Indonesia,” says a peer, “making them effective in resolving conflicts whether involving large multinational companies interlocking horns over shareholder disputes in Jakarta, or settling land issues with indigenous peoples in Kalimantan.” Timur Sukirno’s team is highly capable in telecommunications infrastructure project disputes, contractual disputes in the luxury brands industry and white-collar crime. “Andi Kadir goes for the jugular of litigation issues. Even when dealing with complex litigation scenarios, he can identify straightforward approaches which make sense even for clients with little or no legal background,” says another peer.

The team at Hadiputranto Hadinoto & Partners has impressive capabilities in renewable energy including wind, geothermal and hydropower. For example, practice leader Luke Devine, a foreign legal consultant, continues to be a trusted adviser in wind energy. He assisted Equis’s Redaya Energi on its 60MW Tolo wind farm in South Sulawesi, one of Indonesia’s largest wind farms. The team structured the power purchase agreement and negotiated with PLN, Indonesian’s monopoly electricity provider. Devine, Mita Guritno and Kirana Sastrawijaya advised Supreme Energy on the Muara Laboh geothermal project, one of the first internationally-financed projects with PLN and the Indonesian government under the second fast-track 10GW independent power producer plan.

The tight-knit team at Hadiputranto Hadinoto & Partners consistently delivers stellar advice to a range of domestic and foreign clients. Leading lawyer Daru Lukiantono, practice head, Primastuti Purnamasari and Wiku Anindito worked with a US technology hardware, storage and peripherals company to monitor the National Police’s follow-up after raids against suspected counterfeiters. The team subsequently secured a favourable out-of-court settlement. Lukiantono is also managing the patent portfolio of a diversified chemicals company. Lukiantono and Anindito are advising a life and health insurer on copyright matters, including reviewing agreements with third parties to determine the impact on IP rights.

Hadiputranto Hadinoto & Partners’s practice, led by Mark Innis and Iqbal Darmawan, “has a great understanding of the IT and social networking service industry”, says a client. “They are able to understand the service structure and provide useful advice for the business in Indonesia.” The versatile team has assisted a large Indonesian telecommunications service provider on two bond shelf registrations totalling nearly IDR3.5 trillion. Innis advised Vice Media, a North American digital media company, on entering the local market, which included communicating with the government’s Capital Investment Coordinating Board about the client’s business model. “HHP is always our first choice simply because they are the best law firm in Indonesia,” adds another client.

Clients note Hadiputranto Hadinoto & Partners’s affiliation with Baker McKenzie as a big positive. “Firm came highly recommended because of its connection with Baker McKenzie,” says a client, “and I use them because of the high quality and efficiency of the advice received.” Susie Beaumont’s team shows reliable capabilities in alternative dispute resolution, discrimination and harassment, and executive compensation and employee benefits. Another client adds: “I have worked mainly with Susie Beaumont and have found her to be very responsive, competent and efficient with her advice.”

Hadiputranto Hadinoto & Partners’s Muhammad Karnova assisted Saratoga Investama Sedaya, Interra Indo Resources, Saratoga Capital and OCBC Capital Investment I on the sale of their stakes in Lintas Marga Sedaya, Cikopo-to-Palimanan toll road’s operator, to Astra Internasional’s Astratel Nusantara, an Indonesian toll road, water and port infrastructure company. The transaction was one of Indonesia’s largest M&A deals in the toll road industry in the past 12 months. Norman Bissett, a foreign legal consultant, has an “excellent grasp of the law and regulations”, says a client.

Hadiputranto Hadinoto & Partners’s practice, led by Timur Sukirno, is a stellar practice across specialities including prearranged and pre-packaged restructurings, and debtor-in-possession financings. Commended for “his well thought and practical advice”, Andi Kadir is assisting a group of global banks as creditor representative in Indonesian mobile phone retailer Trikomsel Oke’s court-sanctioned debt restructuring. The team faces challenges as the administrator has sided against the group about Trikomsel’s guarantees of two Singapore dollar bonds. “We retained Andi Kadir in one of our matters,” says a client, “because we understand that he is one of Indonesian experts in insolvency.”