James is dual-qualified and licensed as a solicitor of England and Wales and as an Indonesian advocate, and has practiced as a commercial lawyer in Indonesia since 2018. Having taken out Indonesian citizenship in 2018, he is the only native English speaker and common law-trained lawyer currently licensed and authorized to practice Indonesian law.

As a licensed Indonesian advocate, he is fluent in written and spoken Indonesian, knowledgeable about Indonesian law, and has a deep understanding of Indonesian culture.

James’ principal focuses at ABNR are General Corporate, Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A), Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), and Manpower.

In General Corporate, he advises high-end domestic and multinational corporations on all aspects of corporate law, such as corporate establishment and maintenance, legal documentation, regulatory filings, governance & compliance, negotiating, drafting and reviewing contracts and other agreements, and day-to-day legal issues as they arise.

In Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A), he assists corporations, private equity firms, venture capitalists, strategic investors and vulture funds with all aspects of their M&A deals, including compliance, due diligence, structuring, document preparation, and execution (including liaising with government agencies, notaries, and tax and financial advisors).

In Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), he advises on FDI restrictions and requirements, the legal procedures for the establishment of an FDI company, documentation, the use of Indonesia’s online system for corporate licensing and approvals (OSS), accessing special facilities and incentives, special economic zones, regulatory and compliance issues, and all other aspects of doing business as a foreign investor in Indonesia.

In the Manpower arena, he assists clients across the entire spectrum of manpower and immigration law, including as regards employment contracts, the complex rules governing the employment of expatriates in Indonesia, the use of agency/contract labor, termination policies, strategies and their execution, employee benefits and entitlements, and regulatory & compliance issues.

The following is a selection of recent matters that James advised on at ABNR:

• PRC-based Ningbo Contemporary Brunp Lygend Co., Ltd. (“CBL”)’s USD 15-billion integrated upstream-to-downstream lithium-ion battery project in Indonesia;
• PT Artha Metal Sinergi (a member of Artha Graha Network)’s establishment of a joint venture with South Korea-based LS Cable & System for the development of a pipe manufacturing operation in Indonesia;
• Indonesian state-owned department store operator PT Sarinah’s USD 50-million joint venture with widely diversified Mexico-based conglomerate Omega Group and Switzerland-based Dufry A.G., a leading global travel retailer;

James is also an accomplished translator and the only native English-speaking lawyer in Indonesia to hold a legal translator’s diploma from the University of Indonesia. His portfolio includes the translation of judgments and reports for both the Indonesian Supreme Court and Constitutional Court; books and speeches by 2 former Indonesian presidents (B.J. Habibie and Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono); and biographies and business-related books by a number of prominent Indonesian tycoons, including Mr. Chairul Tanjung (owner of Trans Corpora), Mr. Arwin Rasyid (former CEO of, successively, Telkom, Bank Danamon, and Bank CIMB Niaga), and Mr. Iwan Sunito (Indonesian-born founder of Crown Group, the well-known Australian property developer).

EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENTS:

1. Solicitor of England & Wales
2. Indonesian Advocate’s Professional Training Certificate
3. Sarjana Hukum / Indonesian Bachelor of Law (SH) degree – Indonesian Christian University (Universitas Kristen Indonesia)
4. Indonesia-English Certified Translator's Diploma from the University of Indonesia's School of Letters (citation "A")
5. Bachelor of Civil Law (Hons) - University College Dublin
6. Diploma in European Law - University College Dublin