Günay Erdogan Attorneys At Law

Günay Erdoğan Attorneys-at-Law is a full-service law firm with offices located in Istanbul and Ankara. Our firm was established in 2020 by the partners who bring unique and extensive experience in their fields. Our team of highly skilled lawyers provide legal services in English, Turkish, French and German. We are committed to utilizing legal technologies to optimize the legal services, enabling us to provide cutting-edge legal service that meets the “4.0 standards of legal service”.

We Bring Together Academic Excellence, Industry Know-How and Public Sector Experience with a Multi-Disciplinary Team

At Günay Erdoğan Attorneys-at-Law, our team is comprised of over 20 experienced lawyers, each an expert in their fields. Our key team members (partners and counsels) team boasts over 100+ years of combined experience, making us a formidable force in the legal industry.

We pride ourselves on our ability to merge the dynamism and solution-oriented approach of the private sector with the public experience we gained while working with regulatory authorities. This enables us to provide unique, comprehensive solutions that are tailored to our clients' specific needs.

Our lawyers have completed post-graduate studies at the world's most prestigious law schools and currently lecture at leading universities in Turkey. We place a strong emphasis on continuous learning and development, ensuring that our team is always up to date with the latest legal trends and practices.

At Günay & Erdoğan, we offer a range of legal services across multiple disciplines, including but not limited to corporate law, real estate law, labor law, competition law, dispute resolution and technology law. With our multi-disciplinary team and wealth of experience, we are well-equipped to handle any legal challenge that our clients may face.

We Understand Your Business

We understand that your business is unique, which is why we offer creative and innovative solutions tailored to your specific needs. At Günay Erdoğan, we prioritize efficiency and effectiveness by integrating engineers and economists into our team, providing our clients with a multidisciplinary approach to their legal issues. We also work closely with our clients to minimize legal risks by understanding their expectations and risk appetite, ensuring a high level of cooperation between our firm and our clients.

We Build Lasting Relationships Through Trust and Respect

As your trusted business partner, we value trust and respect in all our interactions. At Günay Erdoğan, we recognize that the trust of our clients is our most valuable asset, and we are committed to maintaining that trust. We comply with national and international ethical and legal standards in all our processes and services, ensuring that we deliver the highest level of professionalism and integrity.

Areas of Practice

Corporate and Contracts Law

Our legal services for international and local companies operating in Turkey are designed to help you navigate the complex and ever-changing landscape of corporate law. From the moment you start your business in Turkey to your day-to-day operations, we are here to provide you with expert legal advice and support.

We understand that every business is unique, and that's why we offer tailored legal solutions to meet the specific needs of your company. Our team of experienced attorneys will work closely with you to understand your business objectives and help you achieve your goals.

Incorporation and establishment of representative office and branch are the foundation of your business in Turkey, and we are here to guide you through the process. We can provide you with advice on the best legal structure for your business, and assist you in setting up your company in compliance with Turkish regulations.

We also provide comprehensive corporate management support to help you stay on top of your legal obligations and ensure that your company is compliant with all relevant laws and regulations.

In addition, we can assist you with all types of commercial contracts, including purchase and sale, agency/representation, distributorship, franchising, public tender, lease, confidentiality, joint venture, employment, and consultancy agreements. Our attorneys will draft cross-border commercial agreements and handle the negotiation process to ensure that your interests are protected.

At Günay&Erdoğan Attorneys-at-Law, we offer support to our clients in their relations with public institutions and represent them before administrative institutions/courts. We are committed to providing you with the highest quality legal services and support to help your business succeed in Turkey.

Litigation and Dispute Resolution

At Günay Erdoğan Attorneys-at-Law, we understand that legal disputes can be costly and time-consuming, which is why our experienced litigation team is dedicated to providing our clients with efficient and effective dispute resolution services. With our extensive knowledge and experience, we are able to represent our clients in complex commercial and administrative disputes before national and international courts and arbitration tribunals.

Our litigation team is highly skilled in representing clients before international arbitration tribunals, including the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), the London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA), the International Center for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID), Istanbul Arbitration Center (ISTAC) and other institutional or ad-hoc arbitration proceedings. We are committed to providing our clients with the best possible representation, and we work tirelessly to protect their interests and achieve their goals.

Mergers and Acquisitions

Mergers and acquisitions require seamless coordination of legal, financial and strategic considerations. We provide our client base—ranging from multinational corporations and domestic groups to investment banks and funds—with integrated support throughout every stage of a transaction, from structuring through to closing.

With our team of experienced lawyers, we efficiently support our clients in M&A transactions by using legal technology tools to streamline workflows. We conduct legal reviews, prepare legal due diligence reports, draft and negotiate merger and restructuring agreements, and, following signing, complete the required approval and notification processes before the relevant administrative authorities.

Entrepreneurship Law

The entrepreneurship ecosystem is a dynamic field that requires speed, flexibility and the right structuring, as well as specialised legal expertise throughout the investment, growth and scaling stages. At Günay & Erdoğan, we provide comprehensive legal services from the pre-seed and seed stages onwards, including the structuring of investment processes, establishment of appropriate corporate structures, preparation of companies for investment, and legal structuring of transactions with institutional investors.

We provide our clients with strategic legal support in company formation, regulation of relationships among founders, share transfers, establishment of authority and control mechanisms, preparation of pre-investment documentation, and the negotiation and structuring of term sheets, shareholders’ agreements (SHAs), SAFEs, convertible notes and similar investment instruments. We also assist our clients throughout investment rounds involving angel investors, venture capital funds and institutional investors, from the outset through closing, developing balanced and workable solutions tailored to the needs of both investee companies and investors.

In addition, we advise our clients on relocating start-ups to Europe or the United States, restructuring group structures, flip-up transactions, compliance with foreign legal regimes through our business partners, and cross-border corporate transformation processes. For technology-driven ventures, scalable business models and companies with multiple shareholders, we provide integrated legal services at the intersection of corporate law, investment law, intellectual property, data protection and commercial contracts.

Throughout the growth journey of start-ups, we adopt an approach that extends beyond transaction-specific advice and supports long-term institutional development, contributing to the sound structuring of our clients in both domestic and international markets. We accompany start-ups throughout their entire lifecycle, including pre-investment preparation, investment closing, shareholder relations, governance and management rights, exit mechanisms and cross-border restructurings.

Competition Law

Our experienced competition law team is led by a former competition expert and case officer at the Turkish Competition Authority, uniquely positioning us to advise both domestic and international clients on all aspects of competition law.

We provide comprehensive legal support across a wide range of matters, from various types of horizontal and vertical agreements, allegations of abuse of dominance, and exemption/negative clearance applications to the management of complex domestic and cross-border merger control proceedings, including Phase I and Phase II reviews involving structural and behavioural commitments.

We assist our clients throughout the entire process in merger and acquisition transactions, from conducting merger control notification analyses and preparing filings to be submitted to the Turkish Competition Authority to providing on-site support during inspections conducted in the course of preliminary investigations and/or investigations.

In addition to our legal advisory services, we also provide competition law training, compliance programmes and workshops to help ensure our clients’ maximum compliance with competition rules. Our aim is to identify risks accurately and provide our clients with the guidance they need to manage those risks effectively and successfully throughout their competition law compliance processes.

Investigations, Compliance and Ethics

Our compliance team provides prudent and effective monitoring, assessment and investigation methods to help clients navigate an increasingly complex landscape of local and global rules and regulations, delivering practical solutions tailored to their needs and requirements.

Our compliance services cover a wide range of areas, including antitrust (competition), anti-bribery and anti-corruption policies, regulatory defence, data privacy, environmental regulations, commercial compliance and sector-specific regulations. Drawing on our comprehensive knowledge and experience, we provide insightful advice and training on compliance matters to help ensure that your company operates within applicable legal boundaries while maintaining high ethical standards.

International Trade, Sanctions and Export Controls

At Günay & Erdoğan, we understand the complex and constantly evolving nature of international trade and customs regulations. Our team of experienced lawyers provides clients with comprehensive and tailored advice on all aspects of international trade, including customs procedures, import and export transactions, and trade sanctions.

We assist our clients in establishing and maintaining relationships with manufacturers, dealers, suppliers, distributors and sellers, while ensuring compliance with applicable regulations. Our team has significant experience in international trade sanctions and works closely with international law firms to provide our clients with up-to-date legal advice on these matters.

We also advise our clients on establishing compliance programmes to ensure adherence to international sanctions, export controls and regulations such as the U.S. International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) and the U.S. Export Administration Regulations (EAR). In the event of a dispute, we provide effective legal representation and support to help our clients achieve their desired outcomes.

Enforcement, Bankruptcy and Restructuring Law

Günay & Erdoğan Attorneys-at-Law is committed to helping its clients navigate the complex and challenging landscape of bankruptcy, concordat and restructuring proceedings. In enforcement and bankruptcy law, where procedural rules play a particularly significant role, the proper structuring of the process can often be more decisive than the underlying substantive rights. Having one of Türkiye’s leading academics in civil procedure and enforcement and bankruptcy law among our founding partners forms the foundation of the depth of our practice in this area. Our experienced team provides comprehensive legal support from the initial stages of a bankruptcy request and filing through to the final stages of liquidation.

We assist our clients with all aspects of enforcement, bankruptcy and concordat proceedings, including the preparation of the necessary documentation and negotiations with creditors. In concordat proceedings, we support our clients throughout the entire process, from assessing the debtor’s financial position and restructuring project, preparing applications for temporary and definitive respite periods, and managing relations with the concordat commissioner, through to the creditors’ meeting and court approval of the concordat project. In recent years, we have observed increased demand for legal services relating to financial restructuring framework agreements, non-performing loans and asset management companies. Our team provides specialised legal advice in these areas, assisting clients with the preparation and management of financial restructuring processes, including restructurings under framework agreements, the reorganisation of security structures and multilateral negotiations with creditors.

At Günay & Erdoğan, we understand the challenges our clients face in bankruptcy, concordat and restructuring proceedings. Our aim is to provide strategic legal guidance and support, taking into account the commercial and financial implications of each matter, in order to help our clients achieve the best possible outcomes.

Real Estate, Construction and Infrastructure Law

At Günay & Erdoğan Attorneys-at-Law, we have extensive experience in providing legal services to clients operating in the real estate, construction and infrastructure sectors. Our team of experienced lawyers has the knowledge and expertise required to assist clients with all aspects of real estate transactions, from sale and purchase agreements to mortgages and lease agreements.

We provide legal services in connection with the development of residential and commercial real estate projects, including matters relating to zoning plans, financing agreements, Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) permits, and other permits and licences. We also provide legal support to our clients on all aspects of infrastructure projects, including construction contracts, permits and regulatory compliance. Our lawyers work closely with clients to ensure that their interests are protected and that real estate transactions are carried out smoothly and efficiently.

Our team also provides litigation and dispute resolution services in relation to real estate and construction matters, including issues concerning land use, zoning and regulatory compliance.

Labor, Employment and Social Security Law

Our team of specialist lawyers has expertise in individual and collective labour law, social security law and immigration law. We advise a wide range of clients, including multinational companies, associations and non-governmental organisations, on all aspects of employment law.

At Günay & Erdoğan Attorneys-at-Law, we understand the cultural sensitivities of working in Türkiye and provide our clients with practical and realistic legal advice while keeping them up to date on applicable laws and complex secondary legislation. We offer tailored advice designed to meet the specific needs of each client in relation to disputes, individual and collective employment agreements, and immigration matters. Through the law firms and experienced lawyers with whom we coordinate abroad, we are able to follow and manage legal processes not only in Türkiye but also in other jurisdictions.

We assist our clients in navigating the complexities of labour relations by advising on collective bargaining negotiations and relations with trade unions. Our team also has experience in immigration law and provides support in relation to residence and work permits, special visas and other immigration-related matters.