The Legal 500

Few will dispute ELIG, Attorneys-at-Law’s position as the best firm for competition law in Turkey. According to one satisfied client: ‘they speak excellent English, their levels of responsiveness are akin to a major UK or US law firm and they provide efficient solutions which makes their fees worthwhile.’ The firm provides an exhaustive range of services to clients, including mock dawn raids, seminars as well as merger filings, and defence and appeals before the Competition Board. Major clients over the past year have included Warner Bros, Lafarge, Goldman Sachs, Bank of America and Porsche. Gonenc Gurcaynak heads the market-leading group.

Mehtap Yildirim Öztürk is the main competition partner at Çakmak Avukatlik Bürosu, which regularly represents clients challenging decisions of the Competition Board. The practice also provides invaluable support to the firm’s highly regarded corporate and M&A practice.

The competition and antitrust practice at Cerrahoglu Law Firm more than compliments the firm’s market leading corporate group, which acts for an impressive range of international and domestic clients. Aysegül Yalçinmani, Selen Güres and the up and coming Seçil Abali are all recommended.

EsinIsmen made even stronger inroads into the competition sector following the recruitment of Ozge Icoz from Mehmet Gün & Partners. The firm now has three senior lawyers working in this field, including Tolga Ismen and Zumrut Esin. Recently it advised BAT, Metro, Tetra Pak and Amgen on competition matters, and made nearly 20 notifications to the Competition Authority in 2008.

Hergüner Bilgen Özeke, which provides excellent support to its active M&A team, is praised for its ‘high level of technical advice and quality of work. The quality of their team at all levels is good, especially at the junior level.’ Clients commend Itir Sevim Ciftci whose ‘sound judgement and experience helped navigate through what was a complicated and difficult deal.’

Togan Turan heads Paksoy’s quality practice. The team gets regular work from the firm’s highly active M&A group, and recently advised BNP Paribas in relation to its proposed acquisition of Fortis Bank. The work involves filing regular merger notifications to the Competition Board, and appearing before the courts to challenge decisions. Partner Pinar Eryürekli is also highly recommended.

Tolga Karatas is the main contact at Pekin & Pekin, where much of the work comes from advising clients on merger filings. Recent highlights included advising on competition issues related to the privatisation of Tekel. The firm also acted on significant deals in the car rental, pharmaceuticals, banking and healthcare sectors.

ACTECON Competition & Regulation Consultancy is a boutique firm that commands an excellent reputation. The firm regularly represents clients from the automotive, cement, steel and pharmaceuticals industries. Partners Bülent Çamlica, Dr. Fevzi Toksoy, Sahin Ardiyok and Ali Ilicak come highly recommended.

Akol Avukatlik Bürosu has suffered several key departures on the competition front, including Aydin Düren, Sarp Senol and Emre Derman. Nevertheless, the firm’s busy corporate practice ensures a heavy workload for which Eren Gonen is now the main contact. Highlights include advising Intergum on its sale to Cadbury-Schweppes and the subsequent authorisation by the Competition Board.

Çaga & Çaga Law Firm is active for its clients in the media and advertising industries, regularly challenging decisions made by the Competition Board. Barbaros Çaga and Sevda Ar are the two main partners in this area.

Erdem & Erdem Consultancy advises clients challenging decisions and fines imposed by the Competition Authority, and regularly represents clients under investigation. Senior partner Ercument Erdem is recommended.

Ilknur Peksen and Dogan Eymirlioglu are the most active competition partners at Ersoy Bilgehan Lawyers & Consultants. The firm has a strong private equity client base, which it regularly represents before the Competition Board. It also advised a major client in the chemicals sector on a merger clearance.

Güner Law Office’s team works closely with Denton Wilde Sapte on related matters, obtaining clearance from the Competition Board for Cadbury-Schweppes’ acquisition of Turkey’s largest chewing gum producer, Intergum. The firm also recently achieved consent for a client in a major joint venture in the steel sector.

Gürel Yörüker Law Firm is well regarded for competition law, and is particularly recommended for antitrust matters.

Mehmet Gün & Partners will miss the expertise of Ozge Icoz who left the firm to join EsinIsmen. Nevertheless, name partner Mehmet Gün is recommended for EU and competition work. The firm recently represented a significant client in the media sector on a major merger filing.

Pekin & Bayar Law Firm regularly advises on competition and antitrust matters thanks to the firm’s very active corporate and M&A practice. This includes filings to the Competition Authority for exemptions and negative clearances.

YukselKarkinKucuk had a busy year advising on merger filings, such as for Ulker Group on its takeover of Godiva, and to Linde on its merger with BOC. Zeynep Ozeren and Cuneyt Yuksel are recommended.

Bircanoglu Attorneys at Law is experienced in advising industrial groups on anti-dumping issues and is also recommended for general competition work. Erol Bircanoglu is also known for his expertise in antitrust and trade regulation.

Cosar Attorneys at Law has a good stable of clients that it represents on competition matters, including several in the automotive, retail and technology sectors. The practice is backed up by the firm’s dispute resolution group.

Cukur & Yilmaz acts for a number of domestic and international clients on merger filings and investigations. The firm recently recruited new practice head Ozlem Kurt.

Kolcuoglu & Karabulut recently advised Deri Sanayicileri Dis Ticaret and Fashion Chemicals on the competition issues related to their acquisition of Pulcra Chemicals, a global leader in the industrial chemicals sector. Huseyin Karabulut enjoys a good reputation.

Özel & Özel’s Ekin Güncan is the key partner for competition work. The firm’s active M&A practice ensures regular filings before the Competition Board.

Dr. Esin Çamlibel is the main contact at Turunç, which regularly advises its domestic and international clients on related issues, as well as offering training.