UK private client powerhouse Withers has bolstered its Indonesia offering after forming an alliance with Jakarta boutique Karna Partnership.  

Withers said it would work closely with 17-lawyer Karna to expand the range of cross-border advice to their respective clients by sharing knowledge and expertise, collaborating on marketing efforts, making mutual referrals and developing joint training programmes.

“Indonesia is the biggest economy in Southeast Asia and represents a key market for us, and I am thrilled about our expanded presence in Indonesia,” said Joel Shen, corporate partner and head of Withers’ Indonesia practice. “The synergy between Withers and Karna stems from a shared vision to provide our clients with holistic legal strategies that are based not only on legal expertise but an understanding of the rapidly evolving business environment in Indonesia.”  

Karna was founded in 2020 by a trio of partners and currently houses two other partners and a further 12 lawyers. The firm focuses on corporate and commercial law matters, including M&A, capital markets, venture capital and private equity investments and corporate restructuring.  

The firm has built up a client following of public and state-owned companies, family businesses, entrepreneurs and investment funds, among them PT Indika Energy, Narra Capital and impact investing business Deliberate Capital.  

“We are excited to become a part of the Withersworldwide network, as it provides a platform for our clients to access experienced lawyers globally who will support their legal needs and international ambitions,” said Karna founder and managing partner Rizki Dwianda.  

“At Karna we aim to complement Withers’ international expertise by leveraging our understanding of local markets and practice. We look forward to working with Withers’ lawyers across 17 offices globally to deliver high-quality seamless legal advice to our clients,” he added.  

For its part Withers’ Indonesian clients include high-net-worth individuals and their businesses, digital services companies such as Grab and Tokopedia, energy, resources and infrastructure companies and investment funds like AC Ventures and Central Capital Ventura.  

The 900-lawyer firm also bolstered its offering in Texas last year with the addition of four-lawyer private client boutique Dossey & Jones in Houston.  

Going the other way, highly regarded litigator Rita Ku left the firm’s Hong Kong office in 2022 after more than 11 years to set up her own family law boutique, taking a trio of associates with her.

Alongside Hong Kong the firm also has offices in Asia in Singapore and Tokyo.