The Legal 500

Akol Avukatlik Bürosu’s excellent corporate team enjoys a very good standing in the market, and despite increased competition, has remained at the cutting edge of Turkish corporate legal advice. Meltem Akol and Rozita Nigrin-Borden are very well regarded, while Asli Basgoz, who now divides her time between Istanbul and White & Case Müsavirlik Ltd. Sirketi’s New York office, is seen as something of a pioneer within the market. Recent highlights include advising Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentina on its $5.9bn purchase of a 24.9% stake in Garanti Bank.

Cerrahoglu Law Firm’s first-class corporate team is praised for ‘responding on time with the utmost diligence and professionalism’. Founding partner Fadlullah Cerrahoglu is considered ‘first choice due to his in-depth knowledge both in the international and domestic sense’. Joint team heads Aysegül Yalçinmani Mertler and Selen Güres also come highly recommended. Recently, the firm advised Lafarge Cement on the sale of all its shares in Lafarge Van Cimento to Askale Cimento.

Esin Law Firm is expanding rapidly and consolidating what is already a very well regarded team. Name partner Ismail Esin and Melis Aritman Alp have very good reputations, and the arrival of Gür Law Firm’s former corporate head Aylin Aksun is a significant boost. Recent highlights include advising Turkon Holding and MNG Holding in the €307.5m sale of five hydroelectric power plants to Energo-Pro. It also represented Argus Capital on its acquisition of a 40% stake in Memorial Healthcare Group.

Few will dispute Hergüner Bilgen Özeke’s top tier position for corporate and M&A work, and the firm’s clientbase and workload is a testament to its standing in the market. Among the partners, Ümit Hergüner, Ayse Bilgen and Ender Özeke all have excellent track records. Highlights included advising Erste Group Bank on the takeover of Lehman Brothers Turkey. The firm also advised Rio Tinto on the sale of its Turkish assets to Amcor.

Paksoy’s top-notch corporate practice had an active year. Recently it advised BNP Paribas on the acquisition of Fortis and subsequent merger with the Turkish Economy Bank. It also represented Riverside on its acquisition of Tropikal, Turkey’s leading pet food company. Name partner Serdar Paksoy has an excellent reputation, as does corporate head and private equity specialist Elvan Aziz and Togan Turan.

Pekin & Bayar Law Firm’s excellent eight-partner corporate practice is headed by senior partner Sefika Pekin and benefits from the expertise of Selin Bayar. During an active 2010, highlights included advising Petroline Ticaret on its acquisition of Saudi Basic Industries Corporation’s 70% shareholding in SABIC Polimer Endustrisi Ticaret. Other clients include Henry Schein, Falck Renewables and Migros Ticaret.

Ayça Sevimay heads Pekin & Pekin’s first-class corporate group, which includes Osman Akin, Sezin Çaliskan and tax partner Ali Sanver. The firm regularly finds itself on the largest transactions that the market has to offer, and has recently been involved in several billion dollar-plus energy transactions, as well as acquisitions in the real estate, mining and financial services sectors.

Balcioglu Selcuk Akman is making a growing impression on the market, and recently advised Kraft Foods on all the local aspects of its acquisition of Cadburys, whose Turkish assets were worth $600m. On top of its impressive international clientbase, the firm acts for several major Turkish holding companies. Galip Selçuk heads the team.

Begüm Özaydin is the lead partner at Birsel Law Offices’ widely admired corporate practice, which represents an impressive range of domestic and international clients on their day-to-day and transactional matters. Mahmut Birsel is extremely well regarded.

‘The overall level of service is outstanding’ at Çaga & Çaga Law Firm, which gets excellent feedback from clients, who praise the firm’s ‘comprehensive and creative approach’, as well as for being ‘accurate, reliable and always on time’. The firm acts for several major Turkish holding companies, as well as large international clients, particularly from Germany. The ‘well educated and widely experienced’ Erdem Degerli is praised for his ‘sense of responsibility, accuracy and deep technical knowledge’, while Barbaros Çaga provides a ‘precise definition of the problems and creates valuable solutions’.

Çakmak Avukatlik Bürosu’s highly-rated partners, including Ahmet Dogan, Mesut Çakmak, Zeynep Çakmak and Sebnem Onder, are ‘very good professionally and always easy to reach’. The firm has an excellent track record advising clients in heavily regulated industries such as energy and mining. It advised Exxaro Resources and Centerra Gold on matters relating to mining, and acted for Cukurdere, a Turkish joint stock company, in its partnership with Calik Maden Isletmeleri.

ELIG, Attorneys-at-Law is an excellent choice for corporate and commercial work and advises a vast array of clients on their day-to-day legal issues (such as employment law), including ExxonMobil, Levi’s and L’Oréal. The firm is also recommended on the transactional front and benefits from its market-leading competition practice. Recently, it advised Oracle in the Turkish aspects of its merger with Sun Microsystems. Joint group heads Tunc Lokmanhekim and Gonenc Gurkaynak are recommended.

Güner Law Office’s highly-rated practice has been involved in major transactions across a wide variety of sectors, including energy, media, and insurance. The firm advised a major energy company on bids to acquire three state-owned electricity companies, and also represented ESAS Holding on the acquisition of an $82m stake in AFM Cinema. Ece Güner heads the team.

Ismen Law Firm’s first class corporate practice is headed by the firm’s extremely well regarded name partner Tolga Ismen and also includes Arzum Günalcin. The firm recently advised Zorlu Enerji Elektrik Uretim on its sale of Amity Oil International to Transatlantic Worldwide.

Somay Hukuk Bürosu has a good reputation in the market for all aspects of M&A, private equity and restructuring work, where it advises a wide range of international and domestic clients in the energy and financial services sectors. The ‘very hard working, open minded and creative’ name partner Metin Somay is highly recommended.

YukselKarkinKucuk’s excellent corporate and M&A practice has had an active year, both for private equity and trade clients. A major highlight was advising the Carlyle Group on its $100m acquisition of a 40% stake in Medical Park Hospitals Group. The firm also represented several clients in the energy and telecoms sector, and advised Turk Telecom on its €221m acquisition of certain Invitel group companies. Name partners Muharrem Küçük and Cüneyt Yüksel are highly recommended.

‘The level of service is excellent’ at Bezen & Partners where, according to one client, ‘the presence of English law qualified lawyers is one of the firm’s strengths. The firm provides the same quality of advice and service I would expect from a London-based practice but at prices reflective of the local market’. Corporate partner Nadia Cansun is very popular with clients.

Arzu Cosar heads the well-regarded two partner corporate team at Cosar Attorneys at Law. The firm has acted on a number of significant transactions, such as the acquisition of a major retail company with 500 stores across Turkey. The firm has also advised on deals in the optical retail and education sectors.

Ersoy Bilgehan Lawyers & Consultants regularly advises international clients on their entry into the market and has advised on several corporate restructurings. Zihni Bilgehan, Ilknur Peksen and Eren Gonen are recommended.

Sebnem Isik heads the ‘very hard working’ and ‘proactive’ team at Mehmet Gün & Partners. A recent highlight for the firm was advising a major Russian mining and metals company on its acquisition of a Turkish steel producer. The firm also has a superb reputation representing clients in the life sciences industry.

Managing partner Haluk Can Özel heads a quality practice at Özel & Özel. Recent highlights include advising Carrefour’s Turkish subsidiary on its €24m acquisition of 27 supermarkets from Ipek Group. The firm has also advised on several significant transactions in the energy and petrochemicals sector.

Best known for its expertise in finance and capital markets, Verdi & Yazici is also highly recommended for corporate and M&A. Name partners Can Verdi and Hakan Yazici have very good reputations.

ASC Law Office acts for several major foreign clients including IKEA, as well as large local holding companies such as Dogus Holding. A recent highlight was advising Maya Holding on its €176m acquisition of CORIO’s shares in a special purpose vehicle. Zeki Çaliskan is recommended.

Bener Law Office is well known for providing corporate advice to clients in the insurance sector. The practice also benefits from a strong employment group. Erim Bener and Onur Kordel are the firm’s key corporate partners.

D & D Law Firm advises a wide mix of international and domestic clients, including Dubai Port World, Garanti Bank, the Maya Group, Syham Telecom and Omsan Logistics. Berna Akkor heads the team.

Erdem & Erdem Law Office has a well-respected corporate practice that acts for several major Turkish and international clients. Recent highlights include advising a Turkish company on the $80m sale of shares in a port management company. Özgür Kocabasoglu heads the team.

Praised for its ‘perfectionist service and deep experience’, Inal Law Office is very well regarded by clients. Name partner Seyma Inal is considered ‘a born warrior who fights for her clients benefit’. The firm represents a range of international and domestic clients.

Kolcuoglu Demirkan has expanded significantly following the arrival of two new partners Okan Demirkan and Serhan Kocakli from Hergüner Bilgen Özeke. The firm is experienced in private equity and regularly advises on major acquisitions in the real estate market. Managing partner Umut Kolcuoglu is highly recommended.

Moroglu Arseven’s ‘very good’ corporate practice includes highly rated name partners Benan Arseven and Seyfi Moroglu. Moroglu is praised for being ‘very detailed in his evalutation and will look into every thinkable aspect of the matter’. The firm has a heavy caseload from life sciences and technology clients, including General Electric Healthcare, Du Pont and Samsung.

Senguler & Senguler’s active corporate team was involved on several major transactions in the energy sector and recently advised Transatlantic Worldwide on its $96.5m acquisition of Amity Oil International and Zorlu Petrogas Petrol Gaz from the Zorlu Group. Selcuk Senguler heads the well-regarded team.

Serap Zuvin Law Offices commands a good reputation in the market, and name partner Serap Zuvin is highly recommended. The firm acts for clients across a range of sectors including utilities, aviation, technology and life sciences.

Taboglu & Demirhan Attorneys-at- Law has a solid reputation for foreign investment advice and M&A matters, and has a healthy mix of international and domestic clients. Name partner Ebru Demirhan is recommended.

Turunç is experienced in intercompany transfers, joint ventures, and entry and exits into and from the Turkish market. Highlights included advising Shuaa Securities Holding on its sale of Orion Investment Menkul Degerler to a consortium of buyers. The ‘very helpful’ Lerzan Nalbantoglu heads the team, which includes Noyan Turunç who is commended for his ‘extensive experience and high professionalism’.

Yarsuvat & Yarsuvat Law Firm has a strong history advising domestic and international clients on their corporate issues, and acts for several major clients in the telecoms and life sciences industry. Ihsan Omur Yarsuvat is the main corporate contact.

Corporate work is a key focus for ADMD Law Office, which acted on €150m worth of deals in 2010. This included foreign companies investing into the market and several major acquisitions in the mining sector. Managing partner Orhan Mavioglu and Eda Deniz are very active.

Mehmet Tas heads the corporate team at Aksan Law Firm, which recently advised the Dutch company Solar on the acquisition of Ilci and Patsan, two Turkish companies involved in the explosives industry.

Bircanoglu Attorneys at Law has an impressive international client list that it regularly advises on day-to-day and transactional matters. Clients include Boeing, Rolls-Royce, Motorola, Tyco and Volvo. Erol Bircanoglu is recommended.

Cukur & Yilmaz acts for a range of clients, including several from the retail, tourist, construction and engineering sectors. Devrim Çukur heads the team.

GSI Meridian has a good reputation for energy-related transactions and recently advised Eksim Yatirim Holding on the $118m purchase of shares in Achar Energy, which owns four hydroelectric power plants in Georgia. Lale Deliveli heads the team.

Gür Law Firm suffered following the departure of corporate head Aylin Aksun to Esin Law Firm. Nevertheless, the firm still has a solid practice that includes partner Caka Kul.

Gürcan Law Offices’ name partner Cuneyd Gürcan has a good reputation in the market. The firm represents several international clients.

Established in 2005, Özkan Law Office has earned a strong reputation for advising clients in the mining and industrial sector. Zeynep Özkan is well regarded by clients.

Postacioglu Law Office is particularly well-regarded by France-based law firms and clients, and its links to the French market are so strong that it has a Paris office. Etem Postacioglu is the key corporate partner.

Tekinalp Lawyers’ senior partner Ünal Tekinalp has an excellent standing in the market, both as an academic and a commercial lawyer.

Semiha Görgülü is one of the key corporate partners at Yamaner & Yamaner Law Offices, which is noted for its strong German clientbase.