Firms To Watch: Compliance

Moral | Kınıkoğlu | Pamukkale | Kökenek Attorney Partnership acts for companies in a variety of industries, as well as for international law firms, on regulatory compliance and M&A due diligence.
NSN Law Firm has a focus on the life sciences and pharmaceutical sectors, assisting with all relevant issues of regulatory compliance therein.
Vona Law Firm assists both multinational and domestic clients with a range of compliance issues and has strengths in the pharmaceutical sector and employment law.

Firms in the Spotlight Compliance

Bozoglu-Izgi Attorney Partnership

Bozoglu-Izgi Attorney Partnership logo

Bozoğlu-İzgi also advises its multinational clients on direct selling and multi-level marketing law in Turkey. The firm advises its clients on their day to day business activities in relation to various matters including but not limited to permission procedures, distribution contracts, promotion activities, custom controls and product liability. Its experience in the regulatory area also …

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Compliance in Turkey

Balcioglu Selçuk Ardiyok Keki

Balcioglu Selçuk Ardiyok Keki fields a wide-ranging, ‘unique team with a lot to offer to its clients‘, whose members have professional experience at a number of the Turkish regulatory authorities. The firm’s compliance offering has a cross-practice outlook and combines strengths in the IT and energy sectors, competition and administrative law, and trade regulations. Three partners lead the practice: transactional and anti-bribery expert Selim Keki; Şahin Ardıyok, who heads the competition, regulation and public policy groups; and 2021 partner appointment Bora Ikiler. Associate Armanç Canbeyli is a rising star of the field.

Practice head(s):

Selim Keki; Şahin Ardıyok; Bora İkiler

Other key lawyers:

Armanç Canbeyli; Evren Sesli

Testimonials

‘The compliance team in BASEAK is a unique team with a lot to offer to its clients. Their key capabilities stem from their knowledge of the business needs of their clients, and their ability to monitor and swiftly assess the business impacts of ever changing regulations.’

‘We receive anti trust compliance services from Balcıoğlu Selçuk Ardıyok Keki. As a team their knowledge is fascinating. They are very professional, punctual, solution-oriented.’

‘I think Şahin Ardiyok, is one of the best names in the compliance field with his strong knowledge, calm attitude and a great team leader. I had chance to work with Bora Ikiler and Evren Sesli, both with very good knowledge. Şahin, Bora and Evren always focus on the center of the subject matter and provide tailor made solutions.’

‘Clear understanding of our company; excellent communication and advice.’

Key clients

JTI

Loreal

Work highlights

  • Assisting JTI with a comprehensive compliance review and mock dawn raid using state-of-the-art remote technologies.
  • Advising L’Oreal on a competition compliance programme with respect to the mass cosmetic products division.

ELIG Gürkaynak Attorneys-at-Law

Strong offerings in anti-corruption and data protection matters combine with ELIG Gürkaynak Attorneys-at-Law‘s standout competition practice to give a rounded service in compliance across the board. Clients include Google Youtube and Twitter, with technology being a standout sector. Banking and finance is also an area in which the team is seeing an increased number of instructions. Experienced figurehead of the firm, Gönenç Gürkaynak is recognised as a leading figure in competition law compliance and wider contentious regulatory matters. He jointly heads the practice with Ceren Yıldız, who focuses on regulatory matters in the pharmaceutical and e-commerce sectors.

Practice head(s):

Gönenç Gürkaynak; Ceren Yıldız

Key clients

Google

YouTube

Twitter

Ralph Lauren Europe

Esin Attorney Partnership, a Member Firm of Baker McKenzie Inter

Esin Attorney Partnership, a Member Firm of Baker McKenzie International, a Swiss Verein fields one of Turkey's go-to practices for contentious compliance matters, particularly in corporate corruption investigations. Clients include a wealth of multinationals with operations in Turkey, spanning the financial services, healthcare, infrastructure and hospitality sectors, among others. Yalın Akmenek leads the department and has extensive dispute resolution expertise. Senior associate Gökçe Serez is the key contact on a number of matters and comes with strong client recommendations.

Practice head(s):

Yalın Akmenek

Other key lawyers:

Gökçe Serez

Testimonials

‘I must say that they were really knowledgeable, responsive and also very polite. I could get clear answers for all my questions during the engagement period.’

‘We are happy to work with Esin. They are knowledgeable and practical.’

‘Business savvy. They provide user friendly opinions. We don’t spend hours to try to understand what they meant. Gökçe Serez is very easy to work with. Always reachable. Very happy to work with Gökçe and the team.’

‘They are not arrogant, they try to look for all possible viewpoints. They work with you but they sometimes act like a third party, even sometimes opponent. They have collaborations with very special and strategic expects. The way of their interpretation is unique. They can catch very minor but strategic points.’

‘They listen most importantly.’

‘100% integrity with Baker McKenzie’s corporate culture in: taking the responsibility in own field, customer oriented behavior, perfect communication skills, professional project management, etc. Gokce Serez is our main contact in compliance related fields. We appreciated her involvement and valuable contributions to our projects.’

‘They are very diligent and very attentive. They always study the topic beforehand and provide the timely solution.’

‘Esin Law Firms stands out with its investment into the right profile lawyers, ie; compliance is a relatively new topic in Turkey. But, Esin hired and trained the best team for their clients.’

Key clients

Nestlé (Nespresso Turkey)

PepsiCo

VF Corporation

Unilever

N11

Work highlights

  • Advised a healthcare company on carrying out a thorough investigation over its subsidiary regarding alleged collusive tendering and anti-competitive behaviours.
  • Acted for a global technology company in a thorough investigation over its subsidiary regarding alleged manipulation, insider trading, fraud, sexual harassment and mobbing.
  • Advised a global Fortune 500 company on a multi-jurisdictional investigation over its subsidiary regarding allegations with respect to disclosure of confidential corporate information.

Gün + Partners

Gün + Partners‘ business crimes and anti-corruption practice excels in internal investigations and defence against prosecution in white-collar crime, fraud, and anti-competition claims. It has a broad client base that spans a number of sectors so the team often collaborates with the firm’s sector groups in real estate, IT and telecoms, insurance and life sciences, among others. The team is led by Barış Kalaycı, who has considerable experience acting in business crimes and anti-corruption cases. Filiz Toprak Esin has left the firm.

Practice head(s):

Barış Kalaycı

Other key lawyers:

Asena Aytuğ Keser

Testimonials

‘They take their responsibilities very seriously. They attach great importance to the demands of their customers. They build sustainable and innovative relationships with their customer. They are willing to help in any case. They are particularly enthusiastic about helping NGOs. They are also quite competent in business ethics.’

Work highlights

  • Assisting a global chemicals company throughout the criminal investigation, administrative actions and potential civil liability claims related there to, in terms of compliance with biosecurity law.
  • Advising an American medical device company about a sub-distributor who breached non-export clause and export sanctions clauses within the sub-distributorship agreement.
  • Assisting a global automotive company with a review of its gift and entertainment policy in all aspects, including its global and local thresholds concerning gratuities (gifts, meals, etc.).

Kolcuoglu Demirkan Koçakli

Kolcuoglu Demirkan Koçakli‘s compliance practice assists its client base of domestic and international heavyweights with anti-corruption and anti-bribery regulations and represents them in any investigations that arise. The firm also has a robust offering in data protection, which is overseen by counsel Maral Minasyan. Okan Demirkan is the main contact for other compliance matters, drawing on experience in anti-corruption and protection of assets, as well as wider litigation expertise. Begüm Biçer İlikay and Selin Balkır Erçin are the names to note at the senior associate level.

Practice head(s):

Okan Demirkan; Maral Minasyan

Other key lawyers:

Selin Balkır Erçin; Begüm Biçer İlikay; İnci Karcılıoğlu; Ali Tuncsav; Neyzar Ünübol

Testimonials

‘The KDK is one of the law firms in Turkey which has a dedicated a team for Compliance Practice, so it is one of the leaders compared to other firms in Turkey.’

‘KDK put a lot of time and effort into the development of the practice, particularly in the areas of design and implementation of ethics and compliance programs, internal investigation.’

‘The Compliance Practice is an area that has been developing in the last 10 years and KDK was the pioneer in many areas of compliance issues.’

‘They created a network through which they can provide services to their clients covering many areas of compliance such as forensic accounting, digital forensic, etc.’

‘Okan Demirkan is one of the well-recognized partners in the Compliance Practice due to his client portfolio, presence in many well-known associations for a long time and the contents he developed.’

‘The associates (Selin Balkır Erçin and Begüm Biçer İlikay) have improved their compliance knowledge and gained a wide range of experience in the last years. They are very responsive to my team and to the client and recommend very creative and constructive solutions when faced with complex and difficult situations.’

‘Kolcuoglu Demirkan Koçakli demonstrated deep understanding of our needs and advised on controversial issues of Turkish licensing legislation. It was also very much appreciated that during our discussions the team went the extra mile and proactively alarmed us about any red flags before we even thought about it.’

‘Considering that we are new to this jurisdiction their input was very practical and allowed us to structure negotiations with partners.’

‘We worked with Ali Tuncsav and Neyzar Unubol. They both demonstrated a high level of professionalism and responsiveness. The team was always available and we could always rely on their timely advice.’

Key clients

Axpo

Huntsman

Hugo Boss

Vito

Duracell

Marubeni Corporation

Marsh & McLennan Companies

Fresenius Kabi

UL

GEA Group

Iyzico

ArcelorMittal RZK Çelik

Vava Cars

The Boston Consulting Group

Bunzl

Superdry

Terumo BCT

Work highlights

  • Acted for all Turkish subsidiaries of Hugo Boss on their compliance with Turkish personal data privacy legislation and the preparation of their personal data privacy compliance package and systems.
  • Advising Vito and its Turkish subsidiary on their compliance with Turkish personal data privacy legislation.
  • Advising Terumo BCT’s Turkish subsidiary on its compliance with Turkish personal data privacy legislation.

Moroglu Arseven

Compliance strategy is at the heart of Moroglu Arseven‘s support to clients in all sectors and interacts with various other practice areas. The firm’s dedicated compliance team has particular experience in structuring, implementing and monitoring end-to-end compliance programmes focused on anti-bribery and anti-corruption; antitrust and competition; trade regulation; and data protection. Burcu Tuzcu Ersin has expertise in investigations as well as compliance aspects of transactional matters, and she jointly heads the department alongside Ertunç Şirin, who focuses on tax and international trade; finance and M&A expert Seyfi Moroğlu; and Benan Arseven, who assists with corporate governance.

Practice head(s):

Burcu Tuzcu Ersin; Ertunç Şirin; Seyfi Moroğlu; Benan Arseven

Other key lawyers:

Burak Baydar; Burcu Güray

Testimonials

‘Responsive, diligent and decent.’

‘Burcu Tuzcu Ersin was very competent and hands-on.’

‘Collaboration and the people are the key points that make this practice unique.’

‘Burcu Tuzcu Ersin and Burcu Güray are project team members and knowledge, approach, technical aspects, responsiveness are the qualities I value in them.’

‘Moroglu Arseven is my go-to firm for compliance matters in Turkey. Burcu Ersin and her colleagues have extensive experience representing multinational companies across a range of sectors (including life sciences and technology) in internal investigations, compliance program development, data privacy and related compliance matters.’

‘Burcu Ersin and her colleagues are extremely responsive and attentive, understand the key compliance risks facing multinational companies, and provide practical, risk-based advice.’

‘Team is always available for any further inquiries and always ready to share their professional experience.’

‘Burcu Guray, who was the account executive for our project, is always ready to consult on the sectoral problems we wish to be in full compliance with.’

Bozoglu-Izgi Attorney Partnership

Bozoglu-Izgi Attorney Partnership is a good choice for clients in the pharmaceutical and life sciences space requiring compliance advice in any capacity. Noted for its 'extensive knowledge and unique experience in the pharmaceutical sector', the team has a host of clients in that area, acting in a range of matters from internal investigations and risk assessment to due diligence on business transformations and transactional matters. Elvan Sevi Bozoglu leads the group, with support from managing associates Necdet Can Artüz and Deniz Özder Erler.

Practice head(s):

Elvan Sevi Bozoglu

Other key lawyers:

Necdet Can Artüz; Deniz Özder Erler

Testimonials

‘Bozoglu Izgi Attorney Partnership has extensive knowledge and unique experience in pharmaceutical sector. The firm understands the needs of the business and provides excellent quality legal services in a timely manner. They think out of the box and bring innovative solutions to complex legal matters. Bozoglu Izgi Attorney Partnership is an amazing law firm that always provides impressive legal services to their clients.’

‘I work very closely with Elvan Sevi Bozoglu and Deniz Ozder. They both stand-out as solid lawyers with impressive education and experience. It is a privilege to work with them. They listen to their clients, understand the business and expectations and the environment well and provide one of the best legal services setting the bar high in Turkey.’

‘The team has a very careful approach towards the projects and also works in collaboration with our company. They take their actions very fast, detect issues that should be discussed in F2F meetings and if necessary also written. The team members always demonstrate how to execute a project in a compliant way according to industry code and Turkish legislation. They share regularly the latest updates on new local/global regulations. The most important point is that they provide confidence, trust and chance of learning to their partners/customers while working with them.’

‘Bozoglu Izgi works with lawyers who are experts in their fields. Working with professional people saves time and gives positive results. They use technology and communication well. Online meetings are very good, communicating over the phone at any time.’

‘Bozoglu Izgi has a very strong team in terms of compliance. They are also working with a lot of pharma companies and they have a very detailed information about pharma compliance with dedicated lawyers specifically on compliance. During our work together, they have done their best to provide the information or guidance needed in a very collaborative way.’

‘The lawyers individually are very strong in their specialty areas. We have worked with the same lawyers who have been specialized on compliance during all our compliance projects and we have received very high quality and detailed legal guidance.’

‘We are working almost 20 years with the partner of firm who is Sevi Bozoglu. She has a high level of business tracking ability which makes our life very easy on legal issues.’

‘Two separate aspects of their work make Bozoglu Izgi unique. One is their level of experience in the fields where they are most active. They are experts in life sciences and pharmaceutical compliance, as well as data privacy and competition compliance. They are deeply aware not only of regulations, but also of the industry dynamics, sectoral relationships and business models requiring those regulations. The second thing that makes Bozoglu Izgi unique is their capability to make matters simple and practical for their clients. A potential client should be thinking that Bozoglu Izgi will deeply understand their problems, come up with creative, practical solutions and provide legal advice and information in an accessible manner.’

Key clients

Acino

Motolas

Numil

AbbVie

Aksigorta

Astellas

AstraZeneca

Banvit & BRF

Bausch and Lomb

Bayer

Biomarin

Edding

Herbalife Nutrition

İ.E. Ulagay

LR Health and Beauty

Luna Pharma UK

Merck

Nivea Beiersdorf Turkey

Proceutica

Santa Farma

Work highlights

  • Assisting Proceutica with all its compliance issues, drafting all standard operation procedures, designing the data privacy and protection blueprint, and acting as compliance department during its transition to a pharmaceutical company.
  • Acting for Bauch & Lomb in day-to-day compliance and updates on medical device regulations in Turkey.
  • Advising İ.E. Ulagay on a retainer basis regarding pharma regulations and complex contracts subject to detailed regulatory rules on manufacturing.

BTS & Partners

TMT specialists BTS & Partners supports a heavyweight client list of multinationals on their continued compliance with Turkish regulatory bodies, as well as investigations by the competition authority. Data protection is an area of strength and a key one for the firm's client base, while its services in cybersecurity and fintech regulations also stand out. A sizeable team share leadership of the department, with managing partner Yasin Beceni and managing associate Erdem Aslan particularly noted.

Practice head(s):

Yasin Beceni; Tugrul Sevim; Selin Beceni; Zeynep Unlu; Susen Aklan; Erdem Aslan

Other key lawyers:

Kaan Can Akdere

Testimonials

‘Members of BTS Legal supports whenever we need. When there is an urgent issue, they are available and help with the advice. We are working with them as the team members of our Company. If there is a need, we can join to the meetings together due to urgency of the topic. Therefore they are different from other advisory firms as it feels like a part of our team in a Company.’

‘BTS and Partners is one of the best law firms in Turkey in Data Protection Law. At the same time, they provide easy access to fast and qualified answers.’

‘Accessibility, whenever we are in need we can access to Tugrul Sevim and Kaan Can Akdere, for urgent cases such as data breaches, when you have to notify the breach in 72 hours accessibility is vital.’

‘BTS team has a deep sectoral specialization especially in data protection law and electronic commerce. The team is strictly following the related law amendments and personal data protection board resolutions. The team has not only provided legal advice but also commercial instructions when needed.’

‘We are always working with the same associate in BTS team. Therefore, such associate has a extensive knowledge on our projects and is able to relate different processes.’

‘BTS & Partners have become the prominent Turkish law firm to deal with compliance matters especially on e-commerce, data privacy and alternative electronic payment methods.’

‘Yasin Beceni is the responsible partner and Erdem Aslan is the managing associate we work with. Erdem has been an excellent business partner for us. Very adaptive to our needs and very responsive – he has led BTS’ team extremely well in guiding us through a number of projects, investigations and on day-to-day critical compliance issues.’

‘High quality of people. Excellent strategic partnership and collaboration.’

Key clients

Mastercard

Amazon Web Services

Sodexo Avantaj ve Ödüllendirme Hizmetleri

BSH Ev Aletleri

Samsung Turkey

Türkiye İş Bankası

Koç Holding and Group Companies

Doğuş Holding

Pegasus Airlines

Bitpanda

Yapı ve Kredi Bankası

Baxter

L’Oreal

LC Waikiki

Mercedes

Lenovo

P&G

Orrick

Bird&Bird

Work highlights

  • Assisting Mastercard with compliance of all its products with Turkish laws from the perspective of a wide spectrum of regulations, including competition, fintech and data protection.
  • Advising Amazon Web Services on the legislative, regulatory, and administrative developments with an effect on the sector.
  • Advising Samsung Turkey on its compliance with the Turkish personal data legislations, including its inter-group activities.

Erdem & Erdem Law Office

Erdem & Erdem Law Office has an extensive domestic client list spanning numerous sectors and advises on compliance with the latest rules from relevant regulatory bodies. Data protection has been a recent focus for the team and is an area of expertise for practice head Mert Karamustafaoglu, who also coordinates the competition law offering.

Practice head(s):

Mert Karamustafaoglu

Other key lawyers:

Ecem Süsoy Uygun; Sevgi Ünsal Özden

Testimonials

‘Erdem & Erdem understand quickly our needs and was very flexible in their approach.’

‘Individuals are efficient and professional.’

‘The services we received pro bono from Erdem & Erdem Law Office are very valuable to us. The fact that the people who deal with us have a great command of the subject, their working discipline and their quick feedback that we need are all important.’

‘The people we work with in this law office are people who are very knowledgeable about their subject, provide detailed information, answer all of our questions in an explanatory way, and prepare and follow up all kinds of written documents they send us in great detail. They provided us with all kinds of support regarding a newly enacted law. They have adapted the details of this law according to the functioning of our organization and brought it into the form that we will put on our website.’

‘We were advised by Erdem & Erdem regarding certain GDPR and KVKK compliance issues. They understood the specific job perfectly and gave the answers to our questions in a timely manner while our deadlines were quite stressful. Our request was not a usual compliance issue however, they understood and responded adequately.’

‘Mert Karamustafaoglu is a real professional and he perfectly knows what he does.’

Key clients

Çolakoğlu Metalurji

Feka Otomotiv Mamulleri

Livewell Giyilebilir Sağlık Ürün ve Hizmet ve Teknolojiler

Göçtur Turizm Yatırım ve Ticaret

Tricon Energy Plastik ve Kimyevi Maddeler

Türkiye Görme Özürlüler Kitaplığı Derneği

International Chamber of Commerce

İbrahim Polat Holding

Trigo Çözüm

Ceva Logistics

Yıldırım Holding

Tohum Türkiye Otizm Erken Tanı ve Eğitim Vakfı ile Tohum Türkiye Otizm Erken Tanı ve Eğitim Vakfı İktisadi İşletmesi

Ege Seramik

Ege Vitrifiye Sağlık Gereçleri

Ege Seramik İç ve Dış Ticaret

Polat Maden

Polat İnşaat

Work highlights

  • Acted for Feka Automotiv in the execution of the data protection compliance programme.
  • Advised Göçtur Turizm on maintaining compliance with the data protection legislation in Turkey and with GDPR as well.
  • Advised Livewell on maintaining compliance with the data protection legislation.

Ersoy Bilgehan Lawyers & Consultants

Ersoy Bilgehan Lawyers & Consultants has a compliance offering focused on the tech and telecoms sectors. Data protection services and maintaining compliance with the Turkish telecoms regulator stand out as areas of expertise for practice head Zihni Bilgehan, while associate Yusuf Mansur Özer is noted by clients for his support in labour law compliance.

Practice head(s):

Zihni Bilgehan

Other key lawyers:

Yusuf Mansur Ozer

Testimonials

‘They are very good at collaboration and communication. They can show very fast reactions according to the specific business legislation. Every question can be replied according to the sectoral regulation. This approach makes the customer feel very confident due to its focus on the solution.’

‘The legal team supporting our queries have qualities that make them a successful team. 1) They communicate well with each other, in order to answer and always ask for clarifications so as to be sure for the solution proposed. 2) They focus on the results. 3) They offer us a constant support, and every time needed, they are on alert. 4) They are organized and familiarized with our company and needs.’

‘We have worked with Yusuf Mansur Ozer. He has an extremely good overview of labour law and he has answers for cases addressed to him. We have asked for assistance for a mutual agreement on termination, question on local legislation related to eligibility for profit share schemes, about short-term working and applications extended.’

‘The senior associate that we are in touch with namely Yusuf Mansur Ozer, is very kind, very dedicated to his work and always has appropriate solutions to our firm’s issues. His professional knowledge is extremely satisfying in all matters.’

‘Ersoy Bilgehan has an extensive knowledge about compliance in a rapidly changing strict compliance environment.’

‘Zihni Bilgehan’s response to clients’ compliance requirements is unique in terms of understanding the issues and filling the compliance gap in a most effective way.’

‘Their team and the share holders are well experienced, educated, professional, trustworthy and human oriented. We always have had a good collaboration and felt we are accountable in the safe hands. When you compare Ersoy & Bilgehan Law Office to the other firms you feel that you are taken care from the legal aspects point of view in such a very well organised body. In overall view I would describe their service as first class and high quality.’

‘Whenever you require assistance they are there to support you with their honest approach and the utmost care with safeguards. Punctuality and accountability are the other noticeable differences in their way of doing business.’

Key clients

Alarko Holding

Ali Raif Ilac Sanayi

CD Media Turkey

China Telecom

Dialog Semiconductor

DNV GL

Hapag Lloyd

Humanz AI

Turknet İletişim Hizmetleri

Meeting Point Turkey

Zenith Ship Management

Work highlights

  • Advised China Telecom on compliance with telecoms law requirements and applicable licences in Turkey, as well as day-to-day matters concerning its local branch and subsidiary.
  • Assisted a global social media provider with the implications under data protection law concerning a new vertical it planned to introduce into its service.
  • Advised a global company in the telecoms sector on the resale of cloud services in security as a service model in Turkey and provision of support services in relation to said services.

Hergüner Bilgen Üçer Attorney Partnership

Hergüner Bilgen Üçer Attorney Partnership specialises in fraud and white-collar crime investigations, while also offering broad compliance services to its banking and finance clients, as well as support on data protection regulations. Ufuk Yalçın is a key experienced partner for white-collar crime investigations as well as other contentious matters, while for banking and finance regulatory matters, Yeşim Api Şamlı is the name to note. Corporate and M&A expert Kayra Üçer assists with intersecting compliance issues, and dispute resolution partner Tolga Danışman is also frequently engaged in compliance matters.

Practice head(s):

Ayşe Hergüner Bilgen; Tolga Danışman; Kayra Üçer; Ufuk Yalçın; Deniz Tuncel

Testimonials

‘Detail oriented approach, independent review and excellent legal guidance concerning different fields of law such as international sanctions, anti-bribery regulations, local criminal aspects as well as capital markets regulations.’

Key clients

Blackstone Group

Eversheds Southerland

Bridgepoint Capital

Global Exchange

OBSS Bilişim Bilgisayar Hizmetleri Danışmanlık

Hitachi Kokusai Electric

Hitachi Industry & Control Solutions

Work highlights

  • Advising Global Exchange on complying with foreign exchange regulations for the incorporation of its Turkish subsidiary.
  • Assisting Siemens Energy Turkey with data protection regulations and strategic guidance navigating contemporary privacy issues.
  • Advising SYZ Bank on compliance with the banking regulations for the establishment of a bank representative office in Turkey.