Stephen Igor Warokka

Practice Areas

Immigration and expatriate work permits + Labor and employment + Corporate law + Foreign investment law + Mergers and acquisitions + Shipping law

Career

Stephen Igor Warokka is a partner in SSEK’s labor and employment practice and a supervising partner of the firm’s immigration law and work permit, and shipping and maritime law practices. He also is heavily involved in projects related to general corporate law, mergers and acquisitions, foreign capital investment law, and negotiations with various government institutions.

In 2015, Stephen was seconded to the Tokyo offices of Mori Hamada & Matsumoto, a full-service international law firm and one of the largest and most highly regarded law firms in Japan. During his three-month secondment, Stephen advised on Indonesian laws and regulations for Japanese companies doing business in the country. He organized and spoke at a seminar for Mori Hamada & Matsumoto clients on the Indonesian legal and regulatory framework and gave presentations on Indonesian shipping law and the Indonesian Capital Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM).

In 2019, Stephen was heavily involved in the process of helping to shape the contents of a new Indonesian Minister of Manpower decree on those positions that can be held by expatriate employees in various business sectors. He met with foreign business chambers in Jakarta to help coordinate their input on the draft decree, helped prepare and amend letters from the business chambers to the Ministry of Manpower (MOM), and met with the MOM, the Vice President’s Office and the Coordinating Ministry for Maritime Affairs.

Stephen was named to the Board of Governors of the American Chamber of Commerce in Indonesia in 2022. He heads the International Relations Division of the Indonesia Labor Law Consultants Association, an independent organization that provides input to the government on employment-related laws and regulations. Stephen also is the secretary of the UC Berkeley alumni organization Berkeley Club of Indonesia.

Professional Memberships

• Indonesian Advocates Association (Peradi)

• Board of Governors, American Chamber of Commerce in Indonesia (AmCham Indonesia)

• Indonesia Labor Law Consultants Association, International Relations Division

• Co-Deputy, Human Resources Working Group, European Business Chamber of Commerce in Indonesia (EuroCham Indonesia)

• Secretary General, Berkeley Club Indonesia

Publications

• Lexology In-Depth: Corporate Immigration 2024

• Stricter Measures Ahead: Analyzing New Amendment to Indonesia’s Immigration Law, November 2024

• Director General of Sea Transportation Reaffirms Vessel Registration Requirements for Joint Venture Shipping Companies in Indonesia, November 2024

• Shipping 2024 Chambers Global Practice Guide

• The Merger Control Review: Indonesia

• GR 40/2023: Golden Visa and Other Amendments to Indonesian Immigration System

• Employers in Indonesia to Take Note of New Guidelines on Sexual Violence in the Workplace

• Indonesia’s Capital Idea: New Regulation Encourages Investment in Nusantara

• Indonesia Capital City of Nusantara: New Regulation Establishes Special Authorities of IKN Authority

Work Highlights

• Acted as Indonesian counsel for a leading Japan-based paint manufacturer in connection with the client’s acquisition of a minority stake in an Indonesian company wholly owned by a leading manufacturer of paint and coatings in Southeast Asia.

• Acted as Indonesian counsel for a private equity firm based in Japan in connection with the acquisition of a multinational company involved in the manufacturing and distribution of chemicals.

• Assisting an international contractor specializing in dredging, marine engineering and offshore projects in relation to a joint venture with an Indonesian shipping entity to own and operate vessels in Indonesia and outside of Indonesian waters.

• Advising and representing an Indonesian shipping company in connection with a multimillion-dollar facility agreement with syndicated lenders in respect of a Floating Production Storage and Offloading Unit.

• Advising shipping companies on foreign ownership restrictions and Indonesian cabotage laws.

• Assisting a wrongfully terminated director of an Indonesian company in bipartite and tripartite processes, resulting in a mediation recommendation issued by the Ministry of Manpower’s office recommending that the director be rehired.

Languages Spoken

English, Indonesian

Education