The Legal 500

The firm

Hergüner Bilgen Özeke (‘Hergüner’) is a leading full-service law firm, representing national and international corporate and private clientele, and international and multilateral financial institutions and agencies.

Areas of practice

M&A, privatisation, joint ventures: M&A is among the firm’s core practice areas. The firm has extensive experience of meeting corporate clients’ legal needs, and since its founding, has managed some of Turkey’s major transactions. Hergüner advised the buyers in SAB Miller’s acquisition of a minority stake in Efes Pilsen, the leading beer producer in Turkey, took the lead in the sale of Turkey’s first private security company, and represented Abraaj Capital in the sale of Saglik Yatirimlari Holding AS and affiliated companies to Integrated Healthcare Holdings Sdn.Bhd and Khazanah Nasional Bhd.

Energy and infrastructure: Hergüner is among Turkey’s leading firms by number of completed deals, by both quantity and deal value, with extensive experience in every phase of power plant development. With the recent boom in the nuclear energy market, Hergüner is advising key clients with ventures in Turkey. The firm advises the largest infrastructure construction projects in Turkey’s history, such as the Gebze Izmir Road Project, which will include Europe’s longest suspension bridge, and the Bosphorus tunnel project.

Dispute resolution: in 2012 Hergüner continued to represent clients such as The Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan Pipeline Company, BP Exploration (Caspian Sea) Ltd, BP Gas, P&G, Bank of London and The Middle East, Commerzbank, Nordea Bank, Sojitz, Pigeon Corporation, Mitsui, Mitsubishi, Polyplex, Yasar Holding, SÜTAS, BAE Systems, ADM, Lehman Brothers Finance SA and Credit Europe.

Arbitration: Hergüner represented TeliaSonera as co-counsel in an ICC arbitration against Cukurova Holding which resulted in a final award of more than US$1bn in damages in favour of TeliaSonera. The firm also represented the sellers in the sale of Betasan’s shares in the arbitration process conducted pursuant to the ICC arbitration rules. The award of the ICC International Court of Arbitration granted in January 2012 was in favour of the sellers.

Competition: Hergüner regularly prepares filings for clearance of M&A transactions, crafts competition law-sensitive agreements, assists clients in cartel and dominance investigations, provides competition law training and compliance programmes, conducts due diligence and provides extensive restructuring services to both private and public sector companies.

Technology, media and telecoms: services are offered in the following areas: IT procurement, outsourcing, technology transfer, e-commerce, data protection, R&D issues and registration, and enforcement and exploitation of IP assets. Clients include HP, HTC, Sony, Panasonic, Sharp, Mitsubishi, NEC, Nikon, LG, BenQ, Apple and Accenture.Banking and finance/securities and capital markets: Hergüner has represented Multi Real Estate in a €480m project development loan restructuring.

Project finance: Hergüner represents major multinational and local companies with respect to project financing deals, including one unique deal involving a financing of €10m regarding the subsidiaries of Balta Group, which involved negotiation with five different banks, including all the related documentation.

Real estate: the firm’s team received a ‘Standout’ award from the Financial Times in 2008 for the BTC pipeline project, and it represents the world’s leading international retailers, real estate funds and developers from the US, Europe and GCC in development projects. The firm’s client portfolio for real estate is extensive, including giants such as Pramerica, VastNed, Merrill Lynch, Metro AG and ECE funds

Contacts
Ümit Hergüner (senior partner)
Ayse Hergüner Bilgen (co-managing partner)
Ender Özeke (co-managing partner)

Languages
Chinese
English
French
German

Member
World Law Group
International Attorneys Club
International Bar Association
American Bar Association
US European Network

Number of lawyers 80