The Legal 500

The firm

ELIG is an eminent, independent Istanbul law firm. The firm has 31 lawyers in its offices. The firm was founded in 2002 as a result of a de-merger from another firm, before growing and changing its name to ELIG, Attorneys-at-Law.

ELIG strives to combine its solid knowledge of Turkish law with a business-minded approach and to serve its clients at the highest quality and pace they so deserve. All lawyers at the firm continue their advanced legal studies to improve their capabilities.

The firm has established close relations with a number of international law firms and has served mutual clients on numerous M&A transactions, competition law matters, commercial arbitrations and other projects. It also has formal alliances with two local law firms, in Ankara and Izmir, that assist ELIG in any assignments within those cities.

The firm has contributed to the Turkish sections of Getting The Deal Through – Merger Control and Mergers & Acquisitions for the last five years and lawyers of the firm frequently publish articles in English and Turkish.

The members of ELIG are fluent in either English, German or French; some are fluent in all three.

Areas of practice

ELIG specialises in a wide variety of domestic and international commercial work, such as M&A transactions, banking and finance, competition law, corporate law, international arbitration, litigation, securities, commercial law, labour law, intellectual property, property law, privatisations, telecommunications law, and transportation law.

The firm is divided into five main practice groups, although its partners do not work exclusively in these groups.

The firm’s main focus area is commercial and corporate law, with an emphasis on M&A transactions. Mr Lokmanhekim heads the M&A practice at ELIG and has co-edited a book on M&A transactions entitled M&A Transactions Under Turkish Law, authored jointly by members of the firm and available in Turkish and English. This is the first book in Turkish legal literature on how to structure M&A transactions under Turkish law.

ELIG has represented numerous multinational companies in M&A and joint venture projects. The firm’s M&A team has vast experience in advising sellers and purchasers. Moreover, the firm’s corporate team has a solid practice in advising foreign clients, providing numerous commercial and corporate law services. Each of Mr Lokmanhekim and Mr Gürkaynak’s teams assists the firm’s clients in all aspects of commercial and corporate law.

Competition law is one of ELIG’s key areas of practice. Led by Mr Gönenç Gürkaynak, a lawyer with many years’ competition law experience in Turkey, Brussels and the US, ELIG’s competition law team was, in 2011 alone, involved in more than 55 merger notifications to the Competition Authority, more than 25 written and oral defences before the Competition Board, and regular competition law counselling.

The firm also renders a wide variety of litigation and arbitration services. The firm specialises, and has very significant expertise, in debt enforcement.

ELIG also has a strong practice in administrative law. Gönenç Gürkaynak heads the practice, which has grown significantly due to representations in numerous appeals.

Contacts
S Tunc Lokmanhekim
Gönenç Gürkaynak

Languages
English
French
German

International groupings
ICC
DIS
LCIA
IBA
ASA

Number of lawyers 31