Hergüner Bilgen Üçer Attorney Partnership

Ümit Hergüner

Ümit Hergüner is the senior partner for Hergüner Bilgen Üçer, which he founded in 1989. The Hergüner firm is among the leading law firms in Turkey, and is a full service independent law firm representing a major international and national clientele, including international and multilateral financial institutions, global corporations, agencies and other notable clients. Mr. Hergüner is the head of the transactional practice group, which is a renowned global, cross-border mergers and acquisitions practice that cuts across a broad range of industries. Mr. Hergüner also provides expertise in project finance, international finance and banking, foreign, and strategic investments to clients including International Finance Institutions. Mr. Hergüner provides expert advice on foreign and strategic deals as well as legal advice regarding corporate governance, public policy, rule of law and related government affairs issues.

Mr. Gül is a partner in our firm's real estate practice group. He advises on every phase of real estate transactions including asset and share deals, from the inception of projects through their completion. He has acquired wide experience in property transactions with a specific focus on residential, office, shopping center, hotel and port investments. Mr. Gül advises his clients on zoning, construction, license and permits, leasing, sale and leasebacks, profit sharing agreements and EPC contracts, real estate investment funds, real estate investment trusts, as well as the structuring of projects and investments. He acts on behalf of a wide range of national and international clients comprised of property developers, real estate investment trusts, investment funds, construction companies, landlords, tenants and other parties involved in real estate development.

Mr. Üçer is a partner in the M&A and Corporate Support, Competition, Compliance, and Data Protection practice groups of Hergüner Bilgen Özeke. He most frequently represents foreign clients entering or exiting the Turkish market and local subsidiaries of foreign multinationals. His practice focuses primarily on share transfers occurring in regulated markets, capital markets, and wealth management. In addition to his transactional work, Mr. Üçer provides advice in the fields of executive-level labor law, compliance with the data protection regulations, and anti-corruption compliance concerns.

Yeşim Fethiye Api Şamlı

Yeşim Fethiye Api Şamlı is among the leaders in our Banking & Finance and Projects & Infrastructure practice groups. Ms. Api Şamlı has an outstanding reputation in the banking industry for her understanding of the operational needs of financial institutions, including not only commercial banks but also international financial institutions, ECAs and capital markets institutions, which she has developed through her close involvement in some of the most significant compliance-focused work in Turkey over the last two decades. She also has extensive experience on all sides of banking and finance transactions, having represented borrowers active in all major sectors in addition to lending institutions.

İsmet Bozoğlu

İsmet Bozoğlu is among the leaders in our Commercial Support and Dispute Resolution practice groups. He also advises strategic investors in M&A transactions. Mr. Bozoğlu has also specific expertise in the maritime and aviation industries. He specializes in guiding the Turkish subsidiaries of global corporations through the complicated patchworks of compliance requirements. As a seasoned litigator, Mr. Bozoğlu also acts as lead counsel where his corporate clients are engaged in local disputes or international arbitration proceedings and specializes in suits arising out of distributorship relationships, market entry or exit transactions, and white-collar criminal proceedings.

S. Aslı Budak is a leader in our Projects & Infrastructure practice group. Ms. Budak is known for her record of success in conducting complicated and extensive negotiations between all project stakeholders, including regulatory authorities and private counterparties. Her extensive experience in long-term, multiparty transactions and her inimitable approach towards garnering cooperation from all transaction parties, including local governmental authorities, by promoting common benefits is an indispensable asset, particularly in long-term infrastructure & project finance projects. Her extensive experience in the industry, her reputation for diligence and her deft personal touch make her a highly sought-after arbitrator in disputes related to the industry. Ms. Budak represents financial institutions and project companies, and her practice focuses primarily on large-scale infrastructure development projects such as bridges, tunnels, roads, airports, and electricity generation facilities. Some of her most significant work includes representing the project company developing the first tunnel linking Europe with Asia as well as the second longest suspension bridge in the World.

Tolga Danışman

Mr. Danışman is a partner in the dispute resolution, white collar and investigations, and restructuring and insolvency practice groups. Mr. Danışman advises and represents multinational companies in connection with lawsuits arising from commercial and criminal disputes, investment, and consumer claims. A licensed mediator, Mr. Danışman’s practice focuses primarily on international and domestic commercial litigation and arbitration in multiple industries, as well as high-profile white-collar defense.

Senem Denktaş is a leader in our Infrastructure & Project Finance and M&A practice groups. In the field of infrastructure, Ms. Denktaş is known for providing comprehensive support through every phase of project development and having an ability to look beyond daily and short-term priorities in order to take into account potential issues through the entire lifecycle of long-term projects. Additionally, her decades-long M&A experience in nearly all major sectors and all types of M&A work has been an invaluable asset to our clients, her innovative structuring advice and streamlined efficiency consistently ensuring rapid but fundamentally robust outcomes.

Ayşe Hergüner Bilgen

Ayşe Hergüner Bilgen is one of our firm’s founding partners and oversees our Dispute Resolution, Intellectual Property, and Employment & Labor practice groups. Ms. Hergüner Bilgen is one of the most well-respected names in Turkish litigation, and is known for her resolute composure and ability to develop practical real-world solutions for complex disputes. Her experience spanning a term of over forty years and her level of acquaintance with Turkish court procedures continuously prove to be a key asset during complex dispute proceedings touching upon multiple practice areas. Her experience also covers settlement proceedings occurring during and outside of court proceedings. She represents foreign and domestic clients who are confronting a wide range of legal issues, primarily involving commercial and administrative litigation, tax litigation, bankruptcy and enforcement, family disputes, labor disputes, as well as criminal investigation and defense.

Piraye Kuranel Başol

Piraye Kuranel Başol is among the leaders of our Banking & Finance and Infrastructure & Project Finance practice groups, advising on all aspects of financing transactions. Ms. Kuranel Başol is known for creating custom and efficient solutions for each particular transaction based on over two decades’ worth of experience representing clients on every side of cross-border transactional financing. She also has extensive experience in the compliance side of Banking & Finance and is highly praised for her ability to translate that know-how into building robust transactional structures. Ms. Kuranel Başol represents international and local banks, international financial institutions (IFIs), international development banks (IDBs), Export Development Banks, corporations, and private clients on all finance-related aspects of their projects. Some of her most significant work has included several multi-billion dollar major infrastructure-financing projects by bank consortiums including IFIs. Additionally, Ms. Kuranel Başol consistently represents both the sponsors and borrowers, and having worked with both financial institutions and borrowers, she has gained the unique perspective of being able to see and understand the expectations of both parties and advise accordingly.

Nazım O. Kurt is among the partners of our Real Estate practice group. Mr. Kurt has a strong reputation in the real estate market for his unique ability to apply his experience in dispute resolution to structure deals with a view towards minimizing potential exposure. Mr. Kurt represents local commercial developers and international investors both in deal structuring and in court, and he has extensive experience in commercial real estate litigation, negotiations, international dispute resolution, project development, and permitting and licensing. Some of his most high-profile work has involved a decade-long engagement with a prominent multinational transit pipeline project company in real estate and real estate-related litigation matters, requiring work involving a multitude of title deed registries all around Turkey.

M. Mert Oğuzülgen

Mert Oğuzülgen is one of the leaders in our M&A practice group. Mr. Oğuzülgen is known for his role in many of the major M&A transactions that have taken place in Turkey over the last two decades, including landmark transactions in regulated markets as well as in the e-commerce sector. In addition to his experience in traditional M&A work, Mr. Oğuzülgen also specializes in private equity and venture capital. The breadth of his experience puts him in a great position to assume a leadership role in M&A transactions requiring multiple layers of complexity, such as those involving capital markets aspects, private equity perspectives, or regulated markets.

Deniz Tuncel is among the leaders in our Energy, M&A, and Data Protection practice groups. Mr. Tuncel has a personal affinity for Asia and was seconded to the cross border transactional practice of one of the most prestigious law firms in Japan. Mr. Tuncel has acted as lead Turkish counsel in some of the landmark M&A transactions that have occurred in Turkey in both regulated and non-regulated sectors. In addition to his M&A work, he also has decades of experience in energy infrastructure development projects where he has been involved in every phase of investments in the field of energy, from project development through the transfer of the investment or decommissioning. His insight into the regulatory framework governing the energy market and its environmental impact makes a substantial difference. Some of his work included one of Turkey’s largest cross-border asset swap deals involving a vertically integrated power generation and distribution group, the sale of the Turkish business of a major international oil and gas company to another, and representation of the project company in what will ultimately be the largest cross border natural gas pipeline in the region.

Ufuk Yalçın is a leader in our Corporate Support and Employment and Labour practice groups, where he plays a key role in assisting corporations in their day-to-day legal needs. Mr. Yalçın is renowned for his in-depth understanding of the various sectors in which our clients operate and his ability to tailor customized solutions to fit each sector and deal. Through his excellent representation in a significant number of recent high-profile cases, Mr. Yalçın has developed an outstanding reputation as a specialist in complex contentious matters including antitrust related proceedings. Mr. Yalçın primarily represents foreign companies entering the Turkish market and foreign and local companies for their day-to-day operational needs, including corporate governance, contract management, anti-bribery and anticorruption, franchising and distribution, and data protection as well as complex litigation matters. He represents some of the largest foreign companies doing business in Turkey in the medical devices, life sciences, manufacturing, insurance, automotive sectors.

Zeynep Tor has been with the firm since 2007 and is a partner in our firm’s M&A, Energy & Natural Resources and Real Estate practice areas. She has garnered experience especially in mergers & acquisitions and joint ventures in regulated sectors covering a wide range of sectors including e-commerce, energy, and lottery. She has also assisted our clients in long term energy infrastructure projects with her unique knowledge of the one-of-a-kind inter-governmental agreement model. She also often cooperates with our Real Estate team for hospitality projects involving complex contractual structures covering construction, branding and operation phases of the projects.

Şule Uluç is a partner in the Dispute Resolution and Arbitration Team of Hergüner Bilgen Üçer. Ms. Uluç has focused her practice in the areas of international and domestic arbitration and dispute resolution. She advises and represents our foreign and local clients in all areas of the dispute resolution processes including courts, domestic and international arbitration, amicable dispute resolution as well as mandatory mediation processes with unique experience in the areas of commercial, employment, real estate and intellectual property disputes.