Amir was born in
Makassar,
Dutch East Indies, on 27 May 1941 to Andi Bulaeng Dg Nipati. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in law from the
University of Indonesia in 1983, earned a doctorate from the same university. In 1983, Amir founded Amir Syamsuddin Law Offices and Partners. He later founded Acemark, an intellectual property firm. In 2003, Amir represented former
Golkar chairman and Speaker of the
People's Representative Council Akbar Tanjung when he was charged with corruption. Tanjung was eventually acquitted by the
Supreme Court of Indonesia. He also represented the magazine
Tempo when it was sued by
Probosutedjo. By 2011 Amir was serving as secretary of the
Democratic Party's ethics council. On 19 October 2011, Amir, then serving on the board of advisers to the Democratic Party, was selected as
Minister of Justice and Human Rights of Indonesia, ceasing his legal practice. He replaced
Patrialis Akbar amidst rumours of corruption in the justice system; Patrialis welcomed the appointment. Following his appointment, Amir stated that he intended to end the practice of giving convicted corruptors and terrorists cuts to their sentences. ==Reception==