Ms Elvan Aziz > Paksoy > Istanbul, Turkey > Lawyer Profile

Over the past year Paksoy’s practice showed particular activity in the hospitality and real estate investment spheres. The team also advises on M&A-related real estate issues, leasing transactions, construction and contentious work. Key contact Elvan Aziz spearheads both the real estate and corporate departments and brings significant transactional expertise to the table. The group also draws on banking and finance specialist Sera Somay and newly promoted counsel Zekican Samlı, who specialises in energy and natural resources.

Paksoy houses a thriving restructuring group that acts for debtors, creditors, sponsors and other stakeholders across a wide range of loan restructurings and insolvency proceedings. Increasingly, the full-service practice is also engaged to advise on non-performing loan (NPL) portfolios and distressed M&A transactions. Banking and finance head Sera Somay co-leads the team together with corporate and M&A head Elvan Aziz and capital markets specialist Ömer Çollak. The team also draws on a sizeable pool of counsels, including litigator Doğuhan Uygun and finance and projects-focused Zekican Samlı.

Elvan Aziz runs the employment practice at Paksoy, which adopts a multidisciplinary approach and works closely with the firm’s M&A, corporate and commercial, tax, litigation and compliance departments. The group is engaged in a range of labour matters including the drafting of employment contracts, the preparation of warning and defence letters, bonus schemes, personnel handbooks and other matters. Aziz herself is particularly active in advising clients on C-level hirings and terminations.

The powerhouse corporate, commercial and M&A practice at Paksoy remains a market leader, leveraging the bench strength and experience of its team to advise insurers and domestic and multinational businesses involved in high-value, multi-jurisdictional transactions. The firm’s robust client roster spans sectors ranging from automotive, mining, manufacturing, packaging and aerospace to chemicals, logistics and healthcare. The firm is led by practice area authority Elvan Aziz, who brings expertise to M&A, corporate governance, restructurings and strategic agreements; M. Togan Turan, a specialist in M&A and competition law matters; Stéphanie Beghe Sonmez, an expert in M&A, joint ventures and private equity investments. Other key figures include Nihan Bacanak, who draws on experience in the retail, healthcare and logistics spaces; and Nazlı Bezirci, who assists major insurers.