The Legal 500

The Singapore and Hong Kong offices of Allen & Overy advised the Republic of Indonesia on a $650m sukuk, the country’s first Sharia-compliant bond.

Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP in Hong Kong has experience in the region advising on bank-related acquisitions. Past clients of the practice include Texas Pacific Group (TPG).

In a landmark transaction, the Singapore office of DLA Piper Singapore Pte. Ltd. advised the Indonesia Government on the successful offering of $3bn medium-term notes - the country’s largest ever dollar-denominated bond sale. The practice is active in the energy sector and recently acted for PT Tekno Orbit Persada on a mine development.

From its Hong Kong office, Davis Polk & Wardwell recently advised Citigroup and Morgan Stanley in connection with the Rp4tr rights offering by Bank Danamon Indonesia.

A highlight for the Singapore office of Herbert Smith LLP - in conjunction with London and associated firm Hiswara Bunjamin & Tandjung - was its representation of longstanding client BP on the $280m sale of its subsidiary, BP West Java (BPWJ) to the Indonesian state-owned oil and gas company, Pertamina.

Clients of the Singapore office of Latham & Watkins LLP assert that the practice delivers an ‘unrivalled combination of legal excellence, deal experience and understanding of business needs’. It acted for the placement agents on Adaro Energy’s $1.3bn IPO and for Bayan Resources on its $530m IPO listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange.

With a particular strength in the finance sector, Linklaters Allen & Gledhill advised Barclays, HSBC and Standard Chartered Bank on Indonesia’s first sukuk - valued at $650m. Also of note was advice given to Barclays Bank and UBS in the establishment and draw down of a $4bn global medium term note facility to raise the same sum for the Republic of Indonesia.

Particularly strong in relation to projects and energy work, Lovells Lee & Lee recently advised Medco LNG Indonesia on the development of the Donggi-Senoro LNG project in Sulawesi. The firm was also instructed by Medco E&P Tomori Sulawesi, a joint operating body, on the sale of natural gas to DSLNG.

Mallesons Stephen Jaques typically handles Indonesian work from its Hong Kong office. It recently advised on the establishment of a Sharia-compliant opportunity fund focused on Indonesia. It also advised the lead managers on the arrangement of the country’s first sukuk.

Delivering ‘excellent response times and open lines of communication’, Norton Rose (Asia) LLP’s Singapore office remains active in the region advising on a range of finance and energy projects. It was instructed by HSBC in relation to its $607.5m acquisition of Bank Ekonomi Raharja and also acted for PLN, the state-owned electricity company, on all international loans in the fast track programme to date.

The Indonesian practice at Rödl & Partner handles a mix of advisory and contentious tax matters, as well as advising a host of German companies on general corporate issues.

Notable transactions for Sidley Austin LLP’s Singapore office included advising Citigroup and Deutsche Bank, as joint global co-ordinators and lead international selling agents, on Indika Energy’s $331m IPO. It also acted for Indosat in a tender offer by Qatar Telecom for an additional 24.19% of Indosat’s total share capital.

Recent highlights for the Singapore office of Shearman & Sterling LLP include advising a consortium - including a number of international corporates - on its bid for the development of the Central Java IPP. Typically led out of Hong Kong, the firm also offers capital market expertise.

Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP handles work in the region from its Hong Kong and Singapore offices. Recent instructions include acting for Trans-Pacific Petrochemical Indotama on a $400m restructuring.

Praised for its ‘thorough legal analysis and commercial advice’, White & Case LLP International Lawyers represented Goldman Sachs and Citigroup on Adaro Energy’s IPO. On the capital markets front, the firm advised the Republic of Indonesia on its $2.2bn global bond offering - the largest US dollar global offering out of Asia in 2008.