History of IABF
The Beginning
In 2003, Isman, Ivan Ferdiansyah Baely, and Almaida Askandar founded IABF Law Firm with a shared vision of establishing a dynamic and trusted Indonesian law firm committed to delivering high-quality, practical, and strategic legal services.
From its early beginnings, IABF Law Firm was built upon the principles of integrity, professionalism, excellence, and a strong understanding of clients’ business needs. The founders envisioned a firm that would not only provide sound legal advice, but also serve as a strategic partner to clients in navigating complex legal, regulatory, and commercial challenges.
In 2005, Isman left IABF Law Firm to pursue personal endeavors. Ivan Ferdiansyah Baely and Almaida Askandar continued to lead the firm, strengthening its foundation and driving its long-term growth while remaining committed to the vision established at its inception.
The establishment of IABF Law Firm marked the beginning of a journey focused on developing a strong legal practice, cultivating long-term client relationships, and contributing to the advancement of Indonesia’s legal and business landscape.
Starting as a modest practice with a clear vision and unwavering commitment to excellence, IABF Law Firm has grown steadily into an internationally recognized law firm serving domestic and cross-border clients across a wide range of industries. Through continuous innovation, exceptional client service, and deep legal expertise, the firm has expanded its capabilities while remaining true to the values upon which it was founded.
Today, IABF Law Firm stands among Indonesia’s respected law firms, with its lawyers and practices consistently recognized by leading international legal directories and industry publications, including Chambers & Partners, The Legal 500, IFLR1000, Asialaw, Asia Business Law Journal, Hukumonline, and Asian Legal Business (ALB). These recognitions reflect the firm’s enduring commitment to excellence and its growing reputation as a trusted legal partner on both the national and international stage.
Ivan F. Baely, S.H., LL.M.
Ivan obtained his Master of Laws degree at the University of Melbourne, upon completion of his Law Degree from the University of Indonesia. He is fluent in both Indonesian and English. Before establishing IABF Law Firm, Ivan’s professional experience extends across a number of major firms in Jakarta, a government agency (the Indonesian Bank Restructuring Agency/IBRA) and a foreign consulting company. He has particular expertise in advising on mergers and acquisitions, banking and finance, debt restructuring, foreign investment, energy and mining, corporate and commercial law, labor, employment and immigration, bankruptcy and corporate secretarial work.
Ivan is a licensed Financial Sector Lawyer, along with being a receiver & administrator for bankruptcy. His work as a corporate lawyer has received global recognition, including from Legal500, Chambers Global, Chambers Asia-Pacific, IFLR1000, Asia Business Law Journal, Asian Legal Business, and Asia Law. Since 2019, he has been named to Asia Business Law Journal’s A-List of Indonesia’s Top 100 Lawyers and has been recognized in the Top Tier by Legal500. He has also been named the ‘Most Recommended Lawyer’ by Hukumonline’s In-House Counsel Choice, ranked in the Asia Pacific and Global Guides by Chambers and Partners, and is recognized by IFLR1000 as a Highly Regarded Lawyer in Mergers and Acquisitions.
Ivan is an active member of several professional organizations, including the Indonesian Advocates Association (Perhimpunan Advokat Indonesia), the Financial Sector Lawyer Association (Himpunan Konsultan Hukum Sektor Keuangan/HKHSK), the Indonesian Competition Lawyer Association (ICLA), the Indonesian Receiver and Administrator Association (Asosiasi Kurator dan Pengurus Indonesia) and a registered consultant for Commercial Paper Transaction at Money Market (Lembaga Pendukung Pasar Uang yang Melakukan Kegiatan terkait Surat Berharga Komersial di Pasar Uang).
Almaida Askandar, S.H., MBA
Almaida, one of the founders of the Firm (2003), obtained her Law Degree from the University of Indonesia (Business Law). Recently, she also obtained her Master of Business Administration from School of Business and Management of Institut Teknologi Bandung/ITB. She is fluent in both Indonesian and English. Almaida’s professional experience extends across a number of major capital market law firms in Jakarta. She has particular expertise in advising on capital markets and securities, mergers and acquisitions; anti-trust, carbon trading, personal data protection, intellectual property, legal audit, procurement, along with litigation court practices and bankruptcy.
In 2023, 2024, 2025 and 2026 she has been named to Asia Business Law Journal’s A-list of Indonesia’s Top 100 Lawyers and Hukumonline 200 Club: Indonesia’s Most Influential Lawyers tahun 2025 and 2026.
Almaida is a licensed Financial Sector Lawyer, registered consultant for Commercial Paper Transaction at Money Market (Lembaga Pendukung Pasar Uang yang Melakukan Kegiatan terkait Surat Berharga Komersial di Pasar Uang), a licensed Intellectual Property consultant, a certified data protection officer of the Indonesia Data Privacy Professional Association (Asosiasi Profesional Privasi Data Indonesia/APPDI), Corporate Renewable Energy Procurement Executive Education Certified, Legal Auditor Education Certified, Brevet A and B Tax Certified, a licensed Tax Court Attorney, and a licensed Mediator.
She is an active member of several professional organizations, including the Indonesian Advocates Association (Perhimpunan Advokat Indonesia/PERADI) and Indonesian Competition Lawyers Association (ICLA) and member of the Association of Carbon Emission Experts Indonesia (ACEXI).
She is one of committee member of Financial Sector Lawyer Association (Himpunan Konsultan Hukum Sektor Keuangan/HKHSK), committee member of the Indonesian Intellectual Property Attorneys Association (Perkumpulan Konsultan Kekayaan Intelektual Indonesia/AKHKI). Almaida is also active as the Deputy Chair III of the University of Indonesia Faculty of Law Alumni Association (ILUNI FHUI) and she was the Vice Chair of Policy Center at the University of Indonesia Alumni Association (ILUNI UI) for year 2022 – 2025.