5 Top Iranian Lawyers in Turkey

Introduction

Nowadays, as the interactions among countries increase, it has become easier for people to interact and provide their services in those countries by completing the minimum requirements. It’s not like the olden days when merchants had to tolerate months of travelling to trade with other nations; today, businessmen can close a deal overseas in less than a couple of hours without leaving their offices!

With more transactions between countries, the probability of the occurrence of conflicts rises too. This is even more so for neighbouring countries such as Iran and Turkey. That is why the demand for multi-jurisdictional lawyers is constantly increasing.

In this article, we will talk about the relations between Iran and Turkey’s legal system and mention some of the top Iranian lawyers in Turkey.

Legal Industry Development in Turkey

To have a clear understanding of the situation of legal industry development in Turkey, first, we should take a look at the economic development path of Turkey. According to worldbank.org: “Turkey’s economic and social development performance since the early 2000s has been impressive, leading to increased employment and incomes and making Turkey an upper-middle-income country.”

Turkey reached new growth levels with long-term reforms, opening gates to foreign investment, and harmonizing many laws and regulations with European Union (EU) standards. Turkey’s legal industry development goes hand in hand with its economic development.

The legal ecosystem of Turkey has seen an increasing expansion ever since the economy advanced significantly. 

With an influx of investment from investors worldwide and the rise of multinational companies establishing subsidiaries in Turkey, new areas of law, such as intellectual property and copyright, played an essential role in the Turkish legal industry.

In January 2017, the Turkish Intellectual Property law was updated broadly and harmonized with the EU Law and international norms to encourage foreign direct investment (FDI).

New technologies also have a hand in the process of legal industry development in Turkey. As tech-based platforms take over old-school procedures in order to facilitate foreign investment, they are becoming more convenient.

Iran offers abundant opportunities for investors in the energy, oil, and infrastructure sectors, which constitute essential components of the Turkish legal market. Numerous projects are in progress, and agreements are being established between developers and contractors and entities interested in making investments. One prevalent example in these industries is the design-build contract, a contractual arrangement frequently used to facilitate construction work for specific projects.

The Professionalization of the Legal Sector in Turkey

Turkey has invested in the professionalization of its legal sector to deliver quality legal services, increasing the standards of its legal services. Some of the focused areas include:

The Legal Profession Regulatory Body: Turkey established the Attorneyship Act No. 1136 (AA) as the main law setting out the rules and principles for lawyers, while the Union of Turkish Bar Associations (Code of Conduct) which acts as a regulatory body for its legal profession sets out the legal framework of practice. The Union oversees the activities of the Turkish Bar Association and works to ensure lawyers achieve the highest standards of professionalism. 

Turkish Bar Association: Turkey established it to regulate and oversee its legal profession. A lawyer candidate must apply for registration with their respective bar association in the province where they intend to practice. The role of the bar association is to enforce ethical rules, set professional standards and provide support and guidance to its lawyers.

Continuous Professional Development Programs: Turkey has established education and training requirements for lawyers, including taking certain courses and participating in various training activities coordinated by the bar association to ensure lawyers are up-to-date with developments in the law. Equally, lawyers are subjected to performing specific internship duties at the internship education centre of the relevant bar association. All these are geared towards improving the quality and standards of its legal services.

Bar Examinations: Turkey introduced bar exams for lawyers, particularly making it mandatory for candidates to sit for exams called Examination for Legal Practices. To be eligible to register for a legal internship, one has to have a score of at least 70%. These requirements ensure lawyers meet the minimum standards of knowledge and expertise in the field. The examinations contain diverse legal subjects, including civil, criminal, and commercial law.

Legal Market Trends in Turkey

As a lawyer looking forward to working internationally, you should know the legal market trends in your chosen jurisdiction. By doing so, you’ll be able to keep up with the latest developments and have the opportunity to update your skills and knowledge per your desired fields. Here are some of the top legal market trends in Turkey:

• Energy, oil, and electricity
• IP, data privacy, and cybersecurity
• Infrastructure
• Investment
• Real estate and property investment
• Immigration law

According to legal500.com: “Energy, oil, and infrastructure are key parts of the Turkish legal market, and projects have continued despite economic difficulties.” In addition, “a combination of global developments and COVID-19-enforced necessity has seen Turkey’s tech sector boom, with firms increasingly turning towards IT and telecoms clients for transactional work, as well as growing areas of interest such as data privacy and cybersecurity.”

Among the areas mentioned above, Immigration law and property investment are the most popular with Iranians. The Turkish economy has been attractive to Iranian investors over the last decade due to its liberalized legislation and welcoming approach.

The real estate market is also attracting many investors, even though the Turkish real estate market is breaking a record in foreign property sales by the end of 2021. Iran is at the top of the 2021 chart for foreign citizens buying residential real estate in Turkey, according to the Turkish Statistical Office report. Whatever the reason is, from having a holiday home to gaining long-term residency, it is an appealing market for Iranian lawyers to step in and build up a profitable career.

Turkey also is one of the top immigration destinations among Iranians. Considering that many Iranians are planning to immigrate to the US or Canada(or similar destinations), first try to get a residence permit in Turkey to facilitate the process of Immigrating to their desired country. Through this path, many Iranians would need the help of skilled lawyers with mastery of Iran and Turkey’s legal rules.

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Community of Iranian Lawyers in Turkey

Although many Iranian lawyers work in Turkey, still many Iranian or Turkish clients have difficulty finding the proper lawyer for their multi-jurisdictional issues. The problem is the lack of an organized legal system introducing lawyers with detailed backgrounds and a list of their services. Providing that brings about a competitive environment which makes it easier for clients to choose among options. In addition, legal platforms with such types of structure as LegaMart, create communities of lawyers with common features, goals, and interests.

Both lawyers and clients are the beneficiaries of such communities. On the one hand, clients will have access to a wide variety of lawyers in any jurisdiction they want and can decide easier based on the commentaries expressed by other users. On the other hand, lawyers will benefit from being part of an experienced and professional legal experts network, allowing them to communicate and share their experience and knowledge.

Building up a community creates a connection between the young generation of lawyers and the older attorneys, which is necessary for both groups. Those new to the business can deepen their knowledge and learn the basic rules of the legal industry with the help of lawyers who have been in this industry for years. On the other side, aged attorneys who are in touch with a group of young lawyers would have the opportunity to stay up-to-date and be well-informed of the new perspectives and trends in the legal industry.

What Should You Take Into Consideration about Iranian Lawyers in Turkey?

As mentioned before, neighbouring countries like Iran and Turkey have a wide range of relations, from commercial to social relations, which leads to potential legal issues. Considering that, some Iranians might need a lawyer to handle their legal matters in Turkey or related to it. Therefore, you should take into account different factors when it comes to hiring a lawyer in a cross-border case – in comparison to a domestic legal matter – we look into some of the most important ones below:

First of all, it is imperative that you are fluent in Turkish. Don’t forget that knowing English is a plus, but it can’t replace mastery of the national language, especially in countries like Turkey, where English is not that popular among people.

Whether you need a lawyer to go to court or negotiate with your contracting party on your behalf, if you choose someone who can’t speak Turkish, there won’t be much chance that you will get your desired result. 

Also, familiarity with technology tools is a necessary qualification, particularly when discussing international lawyers. Customers prefer to stay in touch with their lawyers and be informed about the state of progress in their cases. Therefore, knowing how to work with telecommunication software will make the whole process more manageable. Besides, when you get a lawyer in another country, you might have to send him or she needed documents at some point, requiring basic computer skills.

Finally, having a practising certificate or strong history of legal work in Turkey must not be neglected. If you have a case in Turkey that needs to be filed in court, an Iranian lawyer with a practising certificate from the Bar Association of Iran won’t help you much. It depends on your requested legal service whether you should hire a lawyer who passed the bar exam in Turkey or just the one with significant working experience relevant to your asked service who doesn’t have a practising certificate.

How can an Iranian Lawyer Practice in Turkey?

An Iranian lawyer may face some challenges while practising law in Turkey due to issues such as Turkey’s legal system and language barrier. An Iranian lawyer can practice as a legal consultant or a registered lawyer in Turkey. Some of the requirements include the following:-

1. As legal Consultant: For legal consultancy, an Iranian lawyer must register with the Turkish Bar Association and obtain a work permit. Obtaining a work permit independently can be hectic. Thus, an Iranian lawyer must find an employer in Turkey willing to sponsor their application. In this capacity, they are only limited to providing legal advice on non-litigious matters, including business transactions and contract drafting. 
2. As a registered lawyer: For an Iranian to practice law in Turkey registered lawyer, they must pass the Turkish bar exams as well as enrol in the Turkish Bar Association. Similarly, an Iranian lawyer must possess a law degree from a recognized institution, pass Turkish bar exams and complete a 3 years apprenticeship with a registered lawyer in Turkey. In this capacity, they can represent clients in court and engage in all legal matters, including litigation and Alternative Dispute Resolutions. 

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Top Lawyers for Iranian Community in Turkey

To find a proper lawyer per your expectations, you must look into your options’ resumes precisely and choose the best lawyer considering your financial state. Here, we have a list of top lawyers in Turkey, which might come in useful if you ever needed one:

Murat Can Pehlivanoğlu

He advises and represents individuals and multinational organizations, especially in cross-border partnership and foreign direct investment matters.

Dr. Pehlivanoğlu teaches various courses at universities in Turkey, such as American Law, European Union Law, Corporate Law, and Intellectual Property Law. He is an author and public speaker on contemporary legal debates, including shareholder oppression, equity crowdfunding, unfair competition, copyright recapture, and consumer agreements.

Cemile Küçük

As a lawyer, she has experience both in-house and as a business owner for 13 years. She has been drafting expert reports for courts in Labor Law, Actuaries, and Intellectual Property Rights for 7 years. In addition to her legal education, she has an AS degree in Web Design and Coding. She is studying for a master’s degree at Gazi University, Department of Digital Forensics. 

She has experience and training in the fields of Labor Law, Actuarial Law, IT Law, Competition Law, IP Law, and Personal Data Protection Law. She has the GDPR Data Protection Officer Skills certificate from the University of Derby. Also, she passed the Trademark Attorney exam of the Turkish Patent and Trademark Office. During her 13 years of work, she has successfully served as a legal counsel to many companies and public sector unions. She is fluent in English, as well as Turkish, and has a basic knowledge of Chinese.

Aysegul Senoz

Aysegul is a highly motivated young lawyer in Turkey who is also qualified as a solicitor in the UK. She has great legal experience regarding Turkish jurisdiction, including legal advice and drafting. In 2020 she dedicated a reasonable time to maritime-related legal topics. 

She is persevering in reading and writing, bringing her achievements in writing contests and publishing articles.

As a Turkish lawyer and with her updated legal knowledge about UK law, Aysegul can assist you with your cases.

Buse Kuğu

She got her bar license in October 2017. Since then, she has gained experience in litigation and enforcement follow-up in the Law of Obligations, Labour Law, Enforcement and Bankruptcy Law, Commercial Law, Criminal Law, and other areas of law. She has also provided legal advice to companies on personal data protection and other issues.

She continues working in these areas: Labor Law, Enforcement Law, Family Law, Property Law, preparation, Criminal Law, Trade and Contracts Law, and Personal Data Protection Law.

Esra Nur Bal

She was born in Turkey. After graduating high school, she continued her education at Marmara University Faculty of Law. She completed her legal internship at the Law Office, a leading law office in Istanbul about Competition Law, Sports Law and Commercial Law, and established Bal Legal in 2020. In addition, she carried out studies in Criminal Law, Commercial and Company Law, and Family Law. 

She provides legal consultancy to people, companies, and groups between the foreign trade relations of the United Arab Emirates and Turkey in Contract Consultancy, Foreign Investment Law and International Commercial Law. She lives in Abu Dhabi/UAE, and speaks advanced English and Spanish.

Frequently Asked Questions

What conditions must be fulfilled once an Iranian lawyer has been granted a license?

The Iranian lawyer will be obligated to comply with the Attorneyship Law under the Artoneyship Act (AA) and the Turkish Bar regulations and professional rules. 

Does the application for registration to the Turkish bar association in a specific province limit lawyers services throughout the jurisdiction?

No. There are no limitations, as registration with the Turkish bar association allows the lawyer to perform their work anywhere in the country, regardless of the geographical location or the area of practice.  

Conclusion

Iran and Turkey have very close economic relations in such a way that they are known as major trade partners. Therefore, as mentioned earlier, there is great potential in the Iran-Turkey legal market for lawyers to work internationally and answer to the demand for multi-jurisdictional services. Whether you are a lawyer seeking to connect to a great community of international lawyers or a client needing legal services in another jurisdiction, LegaMart is the right place for you!