Trying to review the history of development, work, several advocate offices/law firms of the 1980-1990 generation.

The long history of the development of the world of advocates and law offices in Indonesia cannot be separated from the big names of Ali Budiarjo, Adnan Buyung Nasution, and Mochtar Kusuma-atmadja. These three are the foundation stone for the establishment and proliferation  of law firms  in Indonesia. The three established law offices in the 1960s-1970s, namely the Ali Budiarjo Nugroho Reksodiputro Law Firm (ABNR) in 1967, Adnan Buyung Nasution & Associates (ABNA) in 1969, and Mochtar, Karuwin, Komar (MKK) in 1971.

Citing an article written by Ahmad Fikri Assegaf entitled “Big is Necessary: ​​The Development of Advocate Offices in Indonesia and its Challenges” (Jakarta: Journal of the Association of Capital Market Legal Consultants. Volume VII/Edition, July 10-December 2015), the three lawyers’ offices are classified as generation first. Then, the existence of the three large law offices gave birth to the second generation of law offices in the era of 1980-1990. 

In this article, it is stated that most of the advocates for the 1980-1990 generation were born from the “cold hands” of Adnan Buyung Nasution, who at that time had just established a law office called ABNA, followed by the establishment of the Legal Aid Institute (LBH) in 1971. Ahmad Fikri Assegaf said there were at least nine offices law that was born in the era of 1980-1990.

In the 1980s, namely Kusnandar & Co (KC) in 1980; Makarim & Taira (M&T) in 1980; Tumbuan & Partners (TP) in 1981; Lubis, Ganie, Surowidjojo (LGS) in 1985; Lubis, Santosa, Maulana (NGO) in 1986; Hadiputranto Hadinoto & Partners (HHP) in 1989. In the 1990s, a law firm named Kartini Muljadi & Partners (KMR) was born in 1990; Suwito Suhardiman Eddymurthy Kardono (SSEK) in 1992; Dermawan and Co (DNC) in 1996.  

Specifically, the SSEK Law Firm was born from the “touch” of the MKK law office. While the ABNR Law Firm, although it did not give birth to a new law firm, its founders have made a major contribution to the birth of the next generation of law firms. In other words, the birth of several advocate offices in the 1980-1990 era cannot be separated from the three big names of law offices who have laid the foundations for the practice of managing modern law offices in the previous era. 

In general, the law office is established in the form of a civil partnership or firm on the basis of having the same mission, vision, and ideas from the founders who had studied at three first generation law firms, namely ABNR, ABNA, and MKK. According to the founder of the Assegaf Hamzah & Partners (AHP) Law Office, the advocate’s office in the mid-1980s played an important role in managing the practice of modern legal services.

Furthermore, in the 1990s the advocate’s office began to utilize information technology and computers, such as e-mail, special server networks, to the internet network. This was due to the need for the use of technology media at that time it was felt necessary and important as the Indonesian economy began to grow.

Law firms in the 1960-1970s era, which previously relied on the dominance of foreign investors in the mining and gas sector, began to change. Meanwhile, the advocate’s office in the 1980-1990 era, apart from still dealing with foreign investors, had to be able to adapt to local businessmen who also needed legal services.

At that time, economic policies began to change in line with the economic policy package program that facilitated the establishment of banks (October 1988 Package). The emergence of other financial institutions and the proliferation of development projects in various sectors. Not only that, in the era of the ’90s the capital market industry began to grow which was later issued by Law no. 8 of 1995 concerning the Capital Market.

The issuance of the Capital Market Law has contributed to strengthening the institutionalization of the advocate profession in the non-litigation field. This of course opens up a wider market share which creates new advocate offices with   more than one partner or founder. Some of the names of law offices for the 1980-1990 generation, of course, underwent a name change as new  partners  or advocates came in and out who later set up new law offices.

On the other hand, it was noted that several law offices – which at that time focused on consulting services for commercial transactions and foreign investment (non-litigation) – then formed a professional forum called the Association of Indonesian Legal Consultants (AKHI) which was initiated by Prof. Mochtar Kusuma-atmadja and Ali Budiardjo ( late) in 1988. A year later, in 1989, the Association of Capital Market Legal Consultants (HKHPM) was formed which exists to this day.    

Managing Partners Adnan Buyung Nasution & Partner (ABNP), Pia AR Nasution explained how the ABNA office gave birth to several new law firms. After establishing ABNA (litigation) in 1969, Adnan Buyung Nasution together with Timbul Thomas Lubis and Sri Indrastuti Hadiputranto established  a non-  litigation  law firm (corporate law firm) under the name NLH (Nasution Lubis Hadiputranto) in 1982. NLH is based in Prince Building, Jalan Jenderal Soedirman Jakarta .

Unfortunately, the NLH law office did not continue or disbanded. This is because, in 1985, Sri Indrastuti Hadiputranto and Timbul Thomas Lubis joined the Ganie & Surowidjojo law office which was recently established in the same year. Then,  the law firm  changed its name to Lubis, Hadiputranto, Ganie, Surowidjojo (LHGS).

However, a few years later it turned into a law firm for LGS due to one of  its partners , Sri Indrastuti Hadiputranto choosing to “separate”. Then, he established a law office called Hadiputranto Hadinoto & Partners (HHP) in 1989.

Of course, the graph of the development of each lawyer’s office in the 1980-1990s is not the same. For example, according to data from the International Financial Law Review (IFLR), Asia Law at the end of 1990, the law offices with the highest number of advocates were HHP and LGS with 58 advocates.

That number is above the law offices of ABNR and MKK with 39 and 40 advocates, respectively. Naturally, at that time the Indonesian economy was exactly at the top, before finally “freefalling” due to the Asian financial crisis that affected Indonesia in 1998 which was marked by the fall of the New Order regime.   

Through this special article, the history of the development, progress, of several attorney’s offices/law firms in the 1980-1990 era is reviewed. There is an interesting story about the dynamics, the ups and downs of each law office to the entry and exit of partners  and establishing a new law firm. Of course, every dynamic is a “requirement” of values, a principle that has made several law offices in the 1980-1990 era still exist today.

Of course there is a lack of special coverage. This is because not all other law firms that were born in the 1980-1990 era are well documented apart from the limited material/data and time of writing. Even so, we hope that this second special coverage of the history of the advocate’s office will be able to enrich references and knowledge for the public, especially those who are in the world of the advocate profession.

Source: http://www. Hukumonline.com