Choosing a law firm in Türkiye is a different decision from choosing an individual attorney. Foreign clients usually arrive with a single matter in mind. A property purchase, a corporate setup, or a litigation file is the trigger. Related issues that span tax, immigration, family, and contract law often surface within weeks. A full-service firm can absorb these adjacencies under one engagement, while a solo practitioner often refers them out.
Bayraktar Attorneys, founded in 2022 in Şişli, Istanbul, was structured as a multi-disciplinary practice serving foreign clients.
Types of Law Firms Operating in Türkiye
Three structural models dominate the Turkish legal market. Each model is regulated under the Attorney Act, Law No. 1136, with bar registration mandatory for every practicing Turkish attorney.
- Solo practitioners: a single Turkish attorney managing all matters, common across smaller cities
- Boutique firms: specialist Turkish teams of three to fifteen attorneys focused on one or two practice areas
- Full-service firms: multi-department Turkish practices covering corporate, litigation, family, real estate, citizenship, and immigration
Each model has its place in the Turkish legal market. Foreign clients with cross-border matters typically benefit from a full-service Turkish practice that absorbs adjacent issues internally.
What Makes a Full-Service Firm Different from Solo Practitioners?
A full-service Turkish firm differs from a solo practitioner across four practical dimensions: breadth, depth, capacity, and succession planning. Each dimension affects how a foreign client’s file moves through the Turkish legal process.
- Breadth: a single intake interview covers Turkish corporate, family, and tax issues attached to one matter
- Depth: senior Turkish counsel reviews each filing before submission, reducing procedural error
- Capacity: concurrent files do not stall when one Turkish attorney is in court
- Succession: institutional Turkish legal knowledge survives any individual departure or transition
Solo Turkish practitioners can be excellent for narrow files but rarely match firm-level coordination on multi-issue mandates. Files that reach the Court of Cassation or the Constitutional Court particularly benefit from departmental review.
How Should Foreign Clients Evaluate a Turkish Firm?
Selecting a law firm in turkey requires verification across several practical and regulatory dimensions. Foreign clients are well placed to ask specific questions before signing any retainer agreement.
- Bar registration: confirm registration with the Istanbul Bar Association, the Ankara Bar Association, or the relevant regional bar
- Year of founding: a firm’s track record indicates institutional stability beyond individual skill
- Departmental coverage: ask which practice areas are handled in-house versus referred out
- Language capacity: confirm bilingual document drafting, not just bilingual conversation
- Disciplinary record: verify standing through the relevant bar’s registry office
A short due diligence call with the firm before engagement typically surfaces more about fit than any website description.
Departments at Bayraktar Attorneys
Bayraktar Attorneys covers six core departments, each governed by distinct Turkish statutes. The table below maps each department to typical files and the controlling legal framework.
| Department | Typical Files | Governing Statute |
|---|---|---|
| Corporate | M&A, company setup, shareholder agreements | Turkish Commercial Code No. 6102 |
| Litigation | Civil, commercial, administrative disputes | Code of Civil Procedure No. 6100 |
| Family | Divorce, custody, inheritance succession | Turkish Civil Code No. 4721 |
| Citizenship | Investment-based naturalization | Turkish Citizenship Law No. 5901 |
| Immigration | Residence and work permits | Law on Foreigners No. 6458 |
| Real Estate | Title transfers, leases, construction | Turkish Civil Code No. 4721 |
Cross-department files move through a single client representative who coordinates across teams to keep advice consistent.
Why Does Cross-Department Coordination Matter for Foreign Clients?
Cross-border files almost always cross practice boundaries. A property purchase under the Land Registry Law brings tax registration, residence, and inheritance questions. A corporate setup under the Turkish Commercial Code, Law No. 6102, leads to employment, banking, and trademark matters. Without firm-level coordination, foreign clients often receive contradictory advice from separate Turkish firms.
- Real estate purchase: title work plus tax registration plus residence permit eligibility
- Corporate setup: incorporation plus employment law plus banking plus tax registration
- Divorce file: family law plus inheritance plus property division plus tax implications
- Citizenship file: investment route plus tax residency plus banking compliance plus inheritance planning
Coordinated work prevents the most common foreign client complaint, which is receiving contradictory advice on the same underlying matter.
Conflict of Interest and Confidentiality Management
Firm-level conflict checks are mandatory under Article 38 of the Attorney Act, Law No. 1136. Every new file is screened against the existing client list before any retainer is signed. The Union of Turkish Bar Associations, known as Türkiye Barolar Birliği, enforces this rule through disciplinary review under the TBB Professional Rules.
- Pre-engagement conflict screening across all active and closed files at the firm
- Information barriers, also known as ethical walls, where required by Article 38
- Confidentiality protected under Article 36 of the Attorney Act, Law No. 1136
- Termination protocols if a conflict emerges during an active engagement
Bayraktar Attorneys runs the conflict screen at intake and confirms results in writing within twenty-four hours of the initial inquiry.
Frequently Asked Questions
How can I verify whether a Turkish law firm is reputable?
Bar standing is verifiable through the Istanbul Bar Association registry or the relevant regional bar registry. Year of founding, partner credentials, and published case studies indicate track record. Bayraktar Attorneys provides bar registration certificates and senior counsel CVs to prospective clients on request.
Can a foreign-headquartered firm represent me before Turkish courts?
Court representation rights remain reserved for Turkish-admitted attorneys under the Attorney Act, Law No. 1136. Foreign firms typically operate through correspondent arrangements with Turkish admitted lawyers registered at the Istanbul Bar Association or the Ankara Bar Association. Bayraktar Attorneys works as Turkish counsel for international firms while also maintaining direct client relationships.
How are firm-level fees negotiated differently from solo practitioner fees?
Firm-level engagements often combine a fixed fee per matter with hourly billing for ad hoc work. The Minimum Attorney Fee Tariff issued by the Union of Turkish Bar Associations sets the floor. Complexity, seniority, and projected scope determine the rate negotiated above that level.
What happens if the assigned attorney becomes unavailable mid-engagement?
A full-service firm reassigns the file to another attorney within the relevant department without the client losing institutional knowledge. The retainer agreement names the firm rather than a single attorney. Bayraktar Attorneys maintains case management records that allow seamless reassignment when needed.
