Norton Rose has launched a formal tie-up in Indonesia with Susandarini & Partners and bulked up its Australian intellectual property (IP) practice.

The firm announced today (1 March) that it has formed a new association with 15-lawyer Susandarini & Partners, ending its previous relationship in Indonesia with Brigitta Rahayoe & Partners.

The tie-up will see the firms referring work to each other, with a number of Norton Rose partners potentially relocating to Jakarta as a result of the agreement.

Norton Rose has worked with Susandarini, who heads Susandarini & Partners, on a number of deals previously, approaching her around six months ago about forming an association.

The agreement ends the firm's relationship with Brigitta Rahayoe & Partners, which was formed last year as a result of Norton Rose's merger with Australian firm Deacons.

Norton Rose partner Ross Ramsay, who is based in Australia but heads the firm's practices in Indonesia and Vietnam, told Legal Week that three Norton Rose partners may move to Jakarta to work as foreign counsel.

He said: "This will be a fresh platform to really grow our resources even further. There's a huge focus on Indonesia right now, and it's really elevating in the world standings. People are starting to talk about Indonesia becoming a part of the BRIC economies and we're starting to get a lot of interest from our clients in places like Japan and China. It's a pretty lively economy right now and there's no reason it won't continue chugging along."

Meanwhile, Norton Rose has boosted its Australian IP practice with the appointment of Sydney IP lawyer Jackie O'Brien, who joined the firm today. O'Brien, formerly a partner at Allens Arthur Robinson, is Norton Rose's eleventh lateral appointment since it merged with Deacons on 1 January 2010.