The year 2017 was a good one for Indonesia: A ratings upgrade to BBB- from S&P gave it investment grade status from all global rating agencies, the country climbed 19 spots on the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business rankings, and the stock market repeatedly hit new highs.

Singapore Big Four law firm Allen & Gledhill has represented Myanmar’s TMH Telecom on its initial public offering on the Yangon Stock Exchange (YSX).

UK law firm HFW has hired three new partners – Siri Wennevik, Alistair Duffield and Ivan Chia – as it continues its steady growth in Asia.

Standard & Poor’s recently upgraded Indonesia’s credit rating to investment grade, spurring hopes of additional investment worth billions of dollars into Southeast Asia’s biggest economy. Lawyers talk about the potential impact of the upgrade, as well as the sectors that are hot at present.

As the industry faces sluggish growth, boutique law firms are beginning to come into the spotlight. The inaugural ALB Best Boutiques list profiles some game-changers.

India recently directed lenders to initiate bankruptcy proceedings against 12 of the biggest loan defaulters in an effort to clean up the country’s bad loan mess. But how effective will it be?

In this year’s edition of ALB’s Employer of Choice survey, all signs point to a general feeling of contentment among lawyers across Asia, with over 50 percent expressing extreme satisfaction with their jobs. The firms were ranked based on job satisfaction, remuneration, work-life balance, career prospects, mentorship, job security and other aspects.

Formed out of a first-of-its kind law firm merger, King & Wood Mallesons recently marked its fifth year. Despite the negative press over its European offices, KWM says it has much to celebrate and is quite bullish about its future.

As part of its integrated energy blueprint, the Thai government is placing increasing emphasis on renewable energy, particularly solar power, which is expected to see continuing growth and development in 2017. And lawyers in Thailand are already witnessing an uptick in related work. By Ranajit Dam

In the first of ALB’s series on Chinese investment into Southeast Asian countries, we look at the Philippines, which recently signed a massive investment and financing package with China, with much of that money going into building infrastructure. By Ranajit Dam