K&K Advocates is a proudly Indonesian law firm with established practices in Intellectual Property (IP), Corporate & Technology, and Dispute Resolution.

Building on a reputation as one of Indonesia’s leading IP firms, the firm has expanded its capabilities across a broader range of practice areas to meet the evolving needs of clients across diverse industries.

The firm’s growing Corporate & Technology practice advises clients on investments, government procurement, and a wide range of commercial transactions, with particular experience in Technology, Media and Telecommunications (TMT). The team supports both domestic and international businesses in navigating Indonesia’s increasingly dynamic regulatory and commercial environment.

Lawyers combine in-depth knowledge of Indonesian law with a practical, commercially focused approach to protecting clients’ interests and achieving effective outcomes.

With a strong understanding of the Indonesian market and an increasingly international client base, K&K Advocates is committed to delivering high-quality legal advice that supports clients’ business objectives and long-term growth.

Justisiari P. Kusumah, Managing Partner of K&K Advocates spoke with Bridges regarding the legal practice, operational streamlining, foreign investment and the evolving business landscape in Indonesia

Bridges: How would you describe the firm’s development over the past 12 months?

Kusumah: K&K Advocates has continued to perform very well despite a challenging economic environment. The slowdown has inevitably affected the legal market, particularly when it comes to pricing, client negotiations and the timing of transactions. The pressure has been significant, but resilience has been one of our key priorities.

At the same time, challenging conditions create opportunities. Over the past year, we have focused on identifying new areas where we can add value to our clients and expand our practice.

One particularly significant opportunity has come from the government’s initiative to streamline state-owned enterprises and their subsidiaries. Indonesia has more than 1,000 state-owned subsidiary companies, and the objective is to reduce that number significantly. This creates substantial activity involving mergers and acquisitions, asset disposals, share transactions, restructuring and other corporate actions.

For us, this represents an opportunity to broaden our corporate practice beyond our traditional strengths in intellectual property, dispute resolution, corporate and technology matters.

The streamlining of state-owned enterprises sounds like a major undertaking. Could it have a broader impact on Indonesia’s economy?

Absolutely. If the streamlining process is implemented successfully, it should make state-owned enterprises more efficient and effective.

The scale is enormous. The assets managed through the state-owned enterprise ecosystem represent a very significant portion of Indonesia’s economy. Consolidating and streamlining these businesses should create greater efficiency, improve asset utilization and potentially generate significant value.

The government’s objective is also to reduce inefficiencies in spending and management. By moving from a very large number of subsidiary companies to a more manageable structure, there should be opportunities for value creation.

Of course, the process needs to be conducted carefully, transparently and with strong governance. The objective should ultimately be to create more efficient businesses and a stronger economic contribution from these assets.

Indonesia has many advantages as an investment destination — natural resources, a large and relatively young population and a strategic location. What is behind the current economic slowdown?

There are several factors. Higher interest rates have affected borrowing costs, while banks have become more prudent in extending credit. This naturally affects consumption and investment.

When purchasing power slows, companies and consumers become more cautious about spending. We have seen this directly in our own practice. Some transactions have been cancelled or postponed, while others have been restructured with smaller scopes or reduced budgets.

For professional services firms, that creates pressure on both volumes and pricing. It means we have to become more flexible and work much more closely with clients to find commercially sustainable solutions.

In such a competitive legal market, how does K&K Advocates differentiate itself and win new clients?

Quality has to come first. Ultimately, clients want results, whether that means successfully resolving a dispute, completing a transaction or finding an effective solution to a complex legal problem.

Our litigation track record is an important part of that. Over the past two years, we have maintained a very strong success rate in litigation matters.

But quality alone is not enough. A firm also needs to be visible and accessible. Indonesia has a very competitive legal market, particularly in Jakarta, where there are thousands of lawyers. Standing out requires creativity.

We have therefore become increasingly active in seminars, professional forums, social media and other platforms where we can share knowledge with businesses. We also participate in government initiatives and contribute to discussions around legal and regulatory development.

That involvement helps us build relationships and, importantly, understand the direction in which the Indonesian business environment is moving.

One of those initiatives involves the proposed Indonesian International Financial Centre in Bali. (Indonesia is building an International Financial Center on Serangan Island at the Kura Kura Bali Special Economic Zone). What opportunities could that create?

The development of an international financial center in Bali could create an interesting new dimension for Indonesia’s financial and investment landscape.

The government has been developing the necessary framework, with the initiative linked to the Special Economic Zone in Bali. The ambition is to create an environment capable of attracting international financial businesses, investors and family offices.

Bali already has strong international recognition and infrastructure, so there is a logical opportunity to build on those advantages.

If the project develops successfully over the next decade, it could attract capital into Indonesia and create a regional platform for financial services. It could also provide an attractive base for international family offices looking to operate in Southeast Asia.

K&K Advocates has been involved in the development of the legal framework from an early stage, which gives us an opportunity to contribute to the project while positioning the firm to support businesses that may eventually operate within that ecosystem.

Foreign investment remains critical to Indonesia’s growth. What role does K&K Advocates want to play in attracting international investors, particularly from Japan?

Japan is a particularly important market for us. We have developed strong relationships with Japanese companies and institutions over many years.

For more than a decade, we have worked closely with organizations connected to JICA and have been included among their preferred legal partners when they visit Indonesia. That relationship has provided us with valuable access to Japanese businesses and a deeper understanding of their expectations when entering or expanding in Indonesia.

We have also taken a more proactive approach by visiting Japanese companies and business organizations in Japan. Rather than simply waiting for international clients to come to us, we believe it is important to meet them in their own market, explain the Indonesian legal and regulatory environment and understand the challenges they face. Those visits have already generated new instructions for the firm.

What do Japanese companies particularly need from their Indonesian legal advisers?

They need advisers who understand both the Indonesian legal environment and the concerns of international businesses.

One important area at the moment is intellectual property. The Indonesian government is undertaking significant reforms across several intellectual property laws, including copyright, patents, trademarks and industrial designs.

These changes are particularly relevant to Japanese companies, many of which place considerable importance on protecting their technology, brands, designs and other intellectual property.

This is also an important moment for businesses to engage with the legislative process. Companies that have concerns or practical experience with the existing framework should provide input while the reforms are being considered.

K&K Advocates can act as a bridge between international businesses and the relevant Indonesian authorities. We intend to maintain close relationships with government agencies and intellectual property authorities as we look towards the future of the firm.