Singapore law firm WongPartnership has become the latest outfit to enter the Indonesian legal market, forging an alliance with Jakarta-based firm Makes & Partners.

The venture comes just two months after Wong opened an office in Myanmar and less than a year after its tie-up with Malaysian boutique Foong & Partners, and is part of a wider plan to expand its reach in ASEAN countries and compete with rivals Allen & Gledhill and Rajah & Tann.

The firm now has 270 lawyers and a network of eight offices across South East Asia, China and the Middle East, in addition to its Thailand, Japan and India practice groups.

Its decision to expand follows similar moves by top tier Singaporean firms, who are becoming increasingly active in regional cross border work. 

"With the great investor interest in Indonesia's market, WongPartnership has been acting in an increasing number of cross-border deals," said senior partner at the firm Alvin Yeo said in a statement.

"Our lawyers have [already] worked alongside Makes & Partners on transactions, including Aberdeen Asset Management Asia's proposed acquisition of a stake in PT NISP Asset Management.

"Our alliance will enable us to leverage on their Indonesian law capability, whilst allowing their clients access to our regional expertise."

Makes & Partners specialises in mostly corporate and finance, with core practices including M&A, capital markets, foreign investments, banking and restructuring, and insolvency.

The firm is headed by top-ranked capital markets partner Yozua Makes, and has been involved in a variety of high profile deals including the first IPO of an Indonesian real estate investment trust on the Singapore Exchange and the first privatisation of an Indonesian state-owned company.

It is among a string of Indonesian outfits to tie up with a foreign firm in the last two years as dealfow into and out of the country continues to rise.