Friday, November 01, 2013

HOW TO BE A BUSINESS LAWYER

This question is really challenging for professional who are eager to be a Professional Business Lawyer. In my self experience, I can capture the essence of being a Business Lawyer by opening my own shop in the Business Lawyer practice as a self employed Business Lawyer in the sense that we really experienced ourselves becoming a self employed Business Lawyer in the sense of having no fixed income for more than 16 years since 1 of June 1998.

  • It is quite an experience where there are no schools teaching us  how to be self - employed,  but to experienced yourself  by becoming someone who dare or is forced by a certain X factor to  jump from a certain fixed situation to become uncertain in terms of your cash flows income.  Your are more independent and flexible in terms of your time schedule, but as a consequence you do not have a certain fixed monthly income as you may enjoyed during your time when we are in the status of an employee have a fixed-monthly income. 
However, there are more wide opportunities that you can venture during your free unemployed status because once your are near the edge of not having enough sufficient cash flows, you are forced to seek and get out of your dreaming venture to face reality that you have to seek Clients or customers who are in need of your legal business expertise so that in return of  rendering your business legal services to your Client,  you are than  being paid an agreed certain legal fees for the legal business services that you have rendered to your Clients.
  • Thus, there is no other alternative and option than to emerge and pulled out your ability to seek and search Clients through your business networks to be able to generate legal fee revenue. But the Legal Fees are actually a By-Product, where we firstly have to seek Clients through our business networks  and provide them with our professional legal business services in a perfect, professional, timely, efficient way to meet our Clients high expectation in receiving our legal business support services to protect our Clients Business Interests, investment, and business operations in achieving their business targets and goals.   
There is no instant short cut results, but it needs courage, tough decisions, down to earth solutions to help your  Clients needs in achieving their business goals and targets, business plans in their ventures in Indonesia. You have to really learn from your falls and ups, smart learning process, and also by admitting your weakness so that you must learn, listen and observe from others who succeed and are able to  rise up after their falls and never give up to pursue your missions, visions  in actualizing your potential inner strength to contribute value added to your business society and community. 
  • You must established a certain character to differentiate your unique professional capability and maintain your business networks and links to expand and penetrate the market in exposing your professional capability  as a Business Lawyer. Before you can convince others you must firstly identify who your really are and what are your wants, needs, visions, goals, dreams, and down to earth reality facts that you can be an added value to your closest business society and community.  
So, we have to increase our awareness to become more smarter and learn from our mistakes, to overcome our own obstacles which had blocked our potential capability to develop and increase our self confidence and self esteem. Well, having said the above, this article is actually to strengthen my self to be more aware and conscious of what do we actually want to do to contribute benefits to others.
Jakarta, November 1, 2013 revised 24 June 1014
Agung S.Suleiman          

Tuesday, October 22, 2013

HI THERE IT's ALREADY MID MONTH OF OCTOBER 2013

Amazing isn't it we do not realize that it is already the 22nd of October 2013. Thanks GOD that we still survive and are alive. How is Business at your end? We hope that everything is ok at your end. In Indonesia the weather is quite hot and sometimes it's raining. If we look at the construction development in Jakarta it appears that there are many new high rise buildings being constructed. The streets in our Area which is near Fatmawati Street are being fast renovated and expanded to become  3 Row Ways, due to the preparations of the MRT or Mono Rail which are planned to be constructed from Lebak Bulus to Hotel Indonesia in Jakarta.

  • The Governor of Jakarta seems to be very serious and consistent in implementing the development of the streets in Jakarta particularly in Fatmawati Street where I lived, where it only took around 1 (one) month to complete such renovation of the 3 Row Ways, where they conducted the construction at night, which according to my knowledge it only occurs during the Era of  Governor Jokowi and Ahok, which is similar to my personal experience observing road construction when I was in Holland. 
As you are aware Jakarta is the Capital City of Indonesia, by which it shall be the barometer and sample of how the upfront face of Indonesia will be exposed in the coming days and future  to come, after Jokowi  for 1(one)  Year had exercised professionally  as how Public Servants must actually performed as Public Servants in Indonesia.  
  • For business actors and players these positive attitude shown by the Governor of Jakarta shall be a positive sign to attract investors establishing their offices in Jakarta. Green City Parks, water drainage, river  functions and additional volume of Bus Ways are being focused to be handled and tackled by the Governor of Jakarta during this 1st Year of Public Services by this Public Servant. We as the inhabitants in Jakarta can really feel the seriousness of handling the complicated matters faced by Jakarta by Governor  Jokowi. 
We as Business Lawyer feels having  a certain level degree of comfort  relating to  "Legal Certainty" due to the Strong and Solid Leadership shown by these 2 Leaders, where they demonstrated to be  sincere and can be trusted by the people in solving and handling the overwhelming comprehensive and complicated matters faced by the Capital City of Jakarta. 
  • I think these are some real and actual feelings that we felt as inhabitants in Jakarta.
Jakarta, 22 October 2013
Agung Supomo.Suleiman           
 .      

Monday, October 21, 2013

Indonesia IS REALLY Experiencing New Era

Yes, Indonesia is really experiencing New Era in its journey as a Nation in this Democracy and Transparency Era. In Indonesia you can notice that the Indonesian News Papers and Electronic Media are very freely independent and nobody is in exception to be criticized including the highest level position in the Executive, Judicial  as s well as in the Legislative; Particularly facing the 1914 Presidential and Legislative.
  •  We cannot imagine that this could happen in Indonesia during the Soeharto Regime Power Era before 1998; Indonesia is actually still learning how to become a well integrated, Good Governance, transparency since in the Political Level, most of the Parties are still  using  monies influence  to attract the people in their campaign to seek voters. Indonesia is an Archipelago consisting of thousands of Islands scattered from Sumatra to Papua, where in reality you need to have significant amount of  funds and monies or sponsors to be able to capture the Parties Voters in these wide Spread Archipelagos of Indonesia. 
Most of the officials who are being dragged to the Court being alleged of conducting Corruptions are related to the High Level Legislative and Head of the Region Elections where it indicates that there occurs collaboration between Private Companies who had sponsored funds for the Political Figures which in return these Private Companies appears to be expecting to win tenders in the Government Projects, which are demonstrated in the various Corruption Cases being  handled aggressively by the KPK (Komite Pemberantasan Korupsi) or roughly translated the Corruption Elimination Committee.  
  • Several significant High Level Public Figures are being jailed and put to prison in the process of this  Investigation by KPK, which are being highlighted by the Indonesian Journalist in the Local TV Media News in Indonesia. We can view and observe this as a positive legal  trend process against corruption in Indonesia during this Transparency Era, where  nobody is in exception to this new Era Trend occurring in Indonesia. At least there is definitely High Hopes experienced by us  for a better future in Indonesia in the coming years to come.
Talk shows in the TV Media are occupied with these  breaking news relating to Corruption Cases which are being discussed, analyzed and debated by the Expertise from different level of professions.There are  no censorship upon what are being discussed in the TV Media in Indonesia relating to this corruptions cases involving the High Level Alleged  Officers. Thus, Indonesia is currently really experiencing a new Era in its journey as a Nation to become more Democracy, Transparency and Good Corporate Governance.          
Jakarta, 21 October 2013

Agung S.Suleiman
     

             

Friday, October 18, 2013

LEARN SMART FROM OTHERS TO DEVELOP GROWTH

Yes, as a Business Lawyer we have to learn from others particularly, how to increase our professional qualifications and capability to catch up with the International Business Professional standards so that we can satisfy the legal curiosity of our Foreign International Clients who are conducting business in Indonesia. If we can meet the high expectation of our Client in handling the legal aspects to protect their business interest particularly to protect their investments which they have pursued to achieve their business goals and targets, we might be rewarded by our International Clients by achieving good and qualified team work and partnership with our Clients. 
  •   Our Law Firm now called SACO Law Firm (Suleiman Agung & Co)  is striving to survive and as a professional Law Firm, and we are really eager to establish and maintain good professional relation with Foreign International Law Firms. For more than 15 (fifteen) Years since 1st June 1998, our Law Firm had been practicing Business Law within the Business Community in Indonesia. The Founder and partner of this Law Firm had experienced serving International Foreign Clients as well as Local Indonesia Clients. Based on such depth experienced, we believe and is confident  that we really understand the wants and needs of our Clients to ensure legal certainty to enable them to develop sustainable business venture in Indonesia.
We must be aware that the world is flat in the sense that all countries are dependent on each other including maintaining good understanding between the Various Business Players and Professionals  in all level of Business Society. Besides mastering the English language every Business Lawyer have to always learn the effective business communication particularly how to talk the same business language with your Business Lawyer skills in passing the message of legals aspects and legal exposures which is understood by every level of professionals with your Clients including the management and shareholders level.

  • As a Business Lawyer,  we have to learn from the hard way and by experiencing also the difficulties and obstacles in our cash flows and learn smart from our ups and downs in running and managing our Business Law Firm and we must also establish high level of trust and comfort to our Clients. Indonesia is growing and striving hard  to be at the same level of attitude with other advance countries who had reached a certain level of quality and service which can be accepted by International Standards. We can observe and watch this from our day to day experience in Indonesia  where one of the Good samples which are shown by the New 1 Year Governor of Jakarta, where the Governor and the Vice Governor of Jakarta are really doing professional tasks including how to get the MRT Project done to cope with the Terrible Traffic Jam and crowd in Jakarta and the hard work to cope and handle the Floods in Jakarta.      
So we really must learn from our advance neighbor countries and learn smart from them to develop growth in this open transparant era.
That's all folks for this episode snapshots
Jakarta, 18th October 2013
Agung S.Suleiman 

Wednesday, July 17, 2013

HUKUM UNIVERSAL SABAR TANGGUH TAK PUTUS ASA DARI RAHMAT ALLAH BERSYUKUR

Yah kita sebagai manusia Harus Sabar, tangguh,  tidak boleh putus asa dengan Rahmat ALLAH BERSYUKUR kepada ALLAH. 
  • Rejeki sudah ada Jatah dan takaran dari ALLAH bagi kita selama kita masih diberi kesempatan hidup, namun syaratnya agar dapat rejeki Berkah, adalah Jujur, Mengikuti Perintah ALLAH dan Menjauhi Larangan ALLAH, berdoa, berusaha keras dengan banyak mau belajar dari pengalaman jatuh bangun diri kita maupun orang lain termasuk wadah kita dan wadahnya orang lain, dan berusaha untuk juga kerja cakap dengan tidak mengulang-ngulang  kesalahan yang kita lakukan. 

  • Penulis merasakan bahwa  meskipun sudah berumur 61 tahun menuju 62 Tahun, namun jika ALLAH masih memberikan kesempatan untuk hidup didunia ini, dan jika sudah bersusah dengan semaksimal mungkin, ternyata manusia ada takaran rejeki sesuai dengan kemampuan dan kegigihan yang dimiliki orang tersebut, dimana untuk Penulis adalah  memberikan "Brand Name" pada wadah Penulis dengan nama Suleiman Agung & Co yang Penulis singkat SACO LAW FIRM;
Tidak mudah memang membangun dan memelihara serta mempertahankan untuk dapat Survive, selama lebih dari 15 Tahun ini dengan ganti Partner maupun berganti keluar masuk pegawai. Namun karena Penulis mulai dari "Nol alias Scratch" istilah bahwa Inggrisnya, pada tanggal 1 Juni 1998,  Penulis syukur ALHAMDULILLAH telah banyak mengalami jatuh dan bangun termasuk Cash Flow dari Wadah ini yang tentunya berpengaruh kepada Cash Flow dapur pribadi rumah tangga; 
  • Namun ada "Hal penting yang Penulis alami, setelah dicampur antar pengalaman pengalaman perjalanan hidup Pribadi selama 61 tahun lebih dengan 15 Tahun menjalankan Wadah Suleiman Agung & Co yang Penulis singkat SACO LAW FIRM adalah,  terasa ada ke"Yakinan Kuat" yang dirasakan oleh Penulis bahwa  ada hukum Universal yang dibuat oleh ALLAH Sang Maha Pencipta, khususnya disebabkan  Penulis sudah diizinkan oleh ALLAH Sang Maha Pencipta untuk selama  15 Tahun untuk dapat survive, dengan cara Self Employed dengan pengertian, tidak ada Fixed - Income atau gajih, melainkan berjuang dan berusaha mengharapkan rejeki Cash-In meraih Karunia ALLAH dari Proyek memberikan Jasa Hukum melalui Wadah Suleiman Agung & Co yang Penulis singkat SACO LAW FIRM,  maka  banyak ilmu dan pelajaran yang dapat Penulis petik;
Ilmu dan Pelajaran Penting ini antara lain yang penting adalah bahwa jika kita kaitkan dengan Keimanan dan Kepercayaan atau Faith, bahwa ada suatu Dzat Maha Kuasa diluar diri kita yang telah menciptakan ALAM semesta ini termasuk Bumi yang kita tinggali terasa Sangat Kuat  ada "Hukum Universal" yang bersumber dari Kitab Suci yang diturunkan ALLAH,  melalui para Nabi  dan para Utusan Rasul dari ALLAH bahwa ALLAH akan memberikan cobaan kekeringan - tandus - dimana dalam hal menjalankan wadah adalah "Masa Sudah Sidekit atau Minimnya Cash Flow, serta disisi lain Rahmat dan Berkat berupa Rejeki Karunia ALLAH berupa Cash - In yang akan datang setelah kita benar2 kepepet, yang datangnya seringkali dari Arah - atau Klien yang kita tidak- sangka2, dan biasanya tepat dengan Jumlah Uang yang kita benar2 Butuhkan untuk dapat menyirami kekeringan Cash Flow tersebut;

  • Jika hal ini hanya terjadi sekali dua kali maka mungkin kita menyebutnya Kebetulan, namun jika hal ini seringkali kita alami, maka harusnya ini membuktikan : "Tidak Ada Faktor Kebetulan" melainkan haruslah ada faktor Hukum Universal dari suatu Sistem Mechanisme Jatuh bangun dala kehidupan didunia ini,  yang memang telah didesign dan dibuat oleh ALLAH, dimana kita harus pandai belajar menimba ilmu ini, dan mengamati, perjalanan hidup kita agar kita In Sya ALLAH dapat menjadi manusia yang lebih Bijak dan Cakap dan Pandai Bersyukur untuk tidak merasa Sombong jika berada di"Atas", dan tidak putus asa dikala kita berada "dibawah. 
Sekian dahulu tulisan Penulis ini, pagi setelah kemarin bekerja dan rapat sampai malam dengan Klien .....
   Jakarta 17, Juli 2013 
Agung S.Suleiman 
                     
 

Thursday, July 11, 2013

Certain Universal Rules

Well, its quite a while that I visited this blog of mine; It is really exiting being the founder of a Boutique Law Firm, now called Suleiman Agung & Co ("SACO Law Firm") particularly if you are trying to connect your self with the Creator of this World that we are living; From my life experience, I  strongly feel that there are certain Universal rules that applies to all human beings as well as self employed professionals players whatever the professionals might be in this 1(one) world that we are living; 
  • If you are allowed by the Creator to survive being an Independent individual or professional where you are self employed in the sense that you are not attached to a certain fixed income, you than start on trying with your best efforts to find a way out to cope with your cash flow; 
For sure and certain we understand that  there are  Certain Universal rules and principals which taught us  that we cannot just sit in our office and wait for a falling star or a basket of monies pouring  to our office or our pocket, but we have to market out and seek information within our networks to get some business deal done;
  • From our life experience, we strongly feel that there is a big and huge difference between someone who in the process of life develop the awareness in the faith and believes that there is a Great Element Creator, outside of our selves, who had created this huge Universe including the 1(one) world that we are living, which is  that we as believers upon the Creator, are educated by our actual live journey experiences to really explore such live journey and by trying really hard to balance our day to day actual life, with God's Words in the Holy Books that had been sent down to us through the Creator's Messenger; 
We can found for example that the wind which blows is not just blowing by itself, but is actually a Good Blessed Message from the Creator, that the wind will blow Clouds into the Direction of a certain Land which are dry, by which water in the form of rain will be sent down and poured  to the dry land being part of the earth, so that living can start again after such long dry land, where seeds of the plants can grow resulting fruits and vegetables as God's kindness to us, so that we and all the animals can survive living and start to live again after suffering such long dry seasons;
  • So these are actually many signs from the Creator addressed to us, who wants to use our mind, brain, and see with our eyes, ears as well as  hearts to be thankful to the Creator who is ALLAH The Most Merciful and Kindness to all of us in this world; However, we have to be patient and do our best efforts within our best efforts to continue living in our unique respective fields of skills, talent, potential strength as well weakness to complement with other integrated professionals and different fields  within our choice of works and places to seek opportunities to survive, and for us Believers to pray and be thankful for ALLAH kindness to us.  
These kind of feelings are similar to the cash flows of our Professional Business, where if we are patient, focused, tough with our efforts in striving to survive, after marketing our selves through our networks, and after we felt dry season in our cash flows or feeling as if we are in the edge of the cliff, we can strongly feel as Believers that ALLAH as the Creator will guide us to contact one of our many networks that we have contacted and will pour water or provisions through such respective network by giving business deal in our respective professional skills to cope with our cash flows; 
The above are my writing for this night in the beginning of the Holy Month Of Ramadhan
Jakarta, 7 July 2013 
Agung Supomo Suleiman                         
                

Monday, June 10, 2013

Is Indonesia Ready To Face AFTA ( Asean Free Trade Area) 2015

As we are aware Indonesia is facing a new Era where its Economic Growth for this Year is targeted to be around 6,3 %; The population of Indonesia is around 250 million, which means that it is a significant  place to target Indonesia as the market place for products such as Ipad, Handpohone, Computers and other consumer products, electronics, Auto Cars, Motor Bicycles, Washing Machine, TV, Refrigerators and other consumer Goods; We can see that there are so many Malls selling such consumer products including in Jakarta and other growing cites in Indonesia; 



However, we have to be fully aware that  Indonesia is also currently facing the AFTA Year 1915, where  ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA) will be effective and takes place. As we are aware the AFTA Council has agreed that the target dates to achieve this free trade Area is 2015 for 6 original members and 2018 for newer members.This will create an intergrated market where there shall be free flow of goods and services within the Region; 

Thus, in the Year 2015,  Indonesia will face the Asean Free Trade Area where all the South East Asian Countries will eliminate intraregional tariffs and non tariff barriers among the members of this Southeast Asian Countries; It means that they plan to intergrate the ecomomies in this region into a single production base and regional market; AFTA goal is to increase Asean competitiveness  with the other Global Regional Integrated Area, to attract investments and jack-up the trade between members of this AFTA;         

The Real Big Question :  is Indonesia ready for these AFTA Era ? Compared to the  Asean members itself,  the business environment climate in Indonesia which includes the lack of  infrastructure, the long period to start up a business, the bureaucratic process, the inconsistency in the regulatory framework, the non-integrated communications between the inter department sectors, the mental attitude of the local as well as central government officers which needs more transparency, as well as switching their mentality from seeking power and respects as Government Officers  which  had caused non efficiency and high costs economy, and  results non competitiveness of Indonesia within the Asean region, to become into focusing to provide good quality public services to the business investors, stakeholders and players in speeding the processing permits, registrations process, approving Plan for Development (POD) in the Energy Sectors, Oil and gas and Mining sectors to enable to Indonesia to be more  competitive with the other Asean Member countries,

  • As a Professional Business Lawyer practicing as Legal Consultant to Clients for more than 15 Years through his Law Firm, and 15 Years as In House Legal Counsel in Private Companies, and Law Firms,  the Writer of this Blog feels that Indonesia needs much more dedicated public servants who are really serious and have the strong mental behavior, attitude which must be far from arrogance in serving the needs of  the investors to have a more welcoming, non-bureaucratic attitude to enable Indonesia to reach the same level of professionalism  as we may found in other members of the Asean Countries in facing the coming AFTA 2015 Era.
These switching mentalities must also be applied by the Indonesian Professionals, as well as the Indonesian Private Companies who are engaged in selling goods, services as well as Investors and business players including its employees to be able to compete with other Asean Players in the   AFTA 2015 Era.  
Jakarta,  10 June 2013
Agung S.Suleiman


              





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