Mr Aykut Bakırcı > Bezen & Partners > Istanbul, Turkey > Lawyer Profile

Bezen & Partners
Dereboyu Cad. Bilim Sok. Sun Plaza, No: 5 Floor: 21, Maslak
34398
Turkey

Work Department

Partner - Focused Areas of Practice: Energy, Regulatory, Privatisation and Administrative.

Position

Aykut Bakirci advises domestic and international clients on a wide-range of Turkish law matters, with a particular focus on energy, regulatory aspects, privatisation and administration.

Career

Aykut Bakırcı started his career as a legal practitioner in 1990. From 1996 until 2006 he was employed as counsel in the legal department of the Turkish Privatisation Administration. From 2006 until 2010 he served as the Head of Legal of the Turkish Privatisation Administration. During his time at the Privatisation Administration, Aykut Bakırcı was engaged in drafting and amending various primary and secondary legislation, most notably the electricity, natural gas, infrastructure and national lottery legislation. He also acted as a draftsperson for tender specifications in respect of the sale of state assets and entities. In addition, Aykut Bakirci was a key figure in organising tenders for the privatisation of state assets and entities and bringing such tenders to a successful completion. This also entailed that he negotiated transfer of operational rights agreements with successful bidders and their financiers and attended hearings on behalf of the Privatisation Administration before the Council of State (i.e. the Turkish Supreme Administrative Court) for the setting aside of any judicial challenges to such privatisations. Aykut Bakırcı was also a member of the board of directors of a variety of state companies, such as TÜPRAS (Turkey’s Petrol Refinery A.Ş.), Erdemir Madencilik A.Ş. (Erdemir Mining A.Ş.). His experience also includes being a member of tender committees for the sale of state assets and entities, such as POAS (Petrol Refinery), TÜPRAS (Turkey’s Petrol Refinery A.Ş.), TEKEL (Turkey’s Tobacco and Alcoholic Beverages Company), TEDAS Baskent and Sakarya Electricity Distribution A.Ş., and Türkiye Seker Fabrikalari (Turkey’s Sugar Companies A.Ş.). He is the author of several articles on the privatisation of Turkey’s energy sector. He is a frequent speaker and moderator at conferences. Some notable ones are as follows: (1) 6th Turkey Energy Congress & Exhibition 2014, 17-18 September 2014, Istanbul; (2) 4th Annual Turkey Energy Forum, 21-23 March 2014, Istanbul; (3) The Euromoney Seminar: 8th Annual Turkey Energy and Infrastructure Finance Forum, 16-17 March 2015, Istanbul; (4) IPFA Turkey: Istanbul: Liberalisation of the Turkish Railway Transportation System, 20 November 2014, Istanbul; (5) 3rd Annual PPP in Turkey Forum, 26-27 November 2014, Ankara; and (6) PPP Healthcare Summit, 28-29 April 2015, Istanbul.

Languages

Turkish (native), English (basic).

Memberships

Bar of Istanbul.

Education

LLB, Law Faculty, Ankara University, Ankara.

Lawyer Rankings

Turkey > Dispute resolution

Bezen & Partners’ premier energy offering is reflected in its dispute resolution practice, as demonstrated by a strong recent run in representing energy companies in cancellation lawsuits arising from regulatory amendments. The group additionally advises on commercial and corporate disputes, including arbitrations, as well as tax, employment and IP litigation. Projects and arbitration specialist Serdar Bezen co-heads the department together with energy and administrative law partner Aykut Bakırcı and corporate and commercial specialist Murat Soylu.

Turkey > Project finance/projects

Among the standout financing firms’, Bezen & Partners is a popular choice for multilateral development banks, with the EBRD and Asian Infrastructure and Investment Bank among its representative clients. The group also acts for project owners and borrowers, with strong recent experience in the energy and natural resources, infrastructure and real estate spheres. UK-qualified founding partner Yeşim Bezen is recognised for her expertise in banking, structured finance and project finance transactions and co-heads the department alongside fellow transactional specialist Banu Bölükemini. Aykut Bakırcı spearheads the regulatory side of the practice.

Turkey > Energy

(Hall of Fame)

Aykut Bakırcı – Bezen & Partners

Bezen & Partners continues to maintain its stellar reputation for the full gamut of energy related issues, routinely advising investors, lenders, developers and other stakeholders on power generation and distribution projects. The group regularly acts for both domestic and international energy companies in range of financing and licensing mandates. Aykut Bakırcı heads the team with his in-depth knowledge of the legal framework governing the energy sector. Co-leading the team alongside him are Yeşim Bezen and Banu Bölükemini; Bezen is well-versed in project documentation, and Bölükemini is known for her expertise in energy financing transactions.