Okat Law > Istanbul, Turkey > Firm Profile

Okat Law Offices

Okat Law
Yapı Kredi Plaza C Blok Kat:17
No:41/11 Cömert Sok. No:1
Levent 34330 İstanbul
Turkey
Visit website 90(212) 317 41 42 0(212) 317-4701

Okat Law > The Legal 500 Rankings

Turkey > Banking, finance and capital markets Tier 4

Established in 2021, boutique firm Okat Law enjoys close links with domestic and international banks, corporate issuers, asset management companies and fintechs, among other financial services clients. The group is primarily recognised for its work in the capital market sphere, where department head Yalçın Özge Okat is noted for his strong track record in IPOs.

Practice head(s):

Yalçın Özge Okat

Key clients

Uslu ÇSM Iron Steel

Finar Communication Technologies

Dinamik Investment Securities

Work highlights

  • Advised Uslu ÇSM Iron Steel on its IPO process.
  • Advised Finar İletişim Teknolojileri on the establishment of investor platform Bistock.

Okat Law > Firm Profile

The Firm: Okat Law is a corporate commercial law firm with a special expertise in Banking, Finance and Capital Markets and which has experience in litigation. The Firm focuses on cross-border transactions with Turkish banks and corporate counterparties. We are a flexible and dynamic law firm catering to the growing needs of modern financial entities and companies, with client satisfaction at the center of our philosophy.

Okat Law is an İstanbul-based law firm that redefines legal practice with its unwavering commitment to excellence by providing timely, innovative, high-quality legal services to its international and local clients. We have profound expertise across a diverse spectrum of products and industries. Our success originates from this particular understanding, which enables us to continuously produce the correct outcomes in any circumstance.

At Okat Law, we seek to provide clients with the highest international standards of legal services and advise leading international and local financial institutions and growing companies on the most challenging legal matters. We are experienced in the most complex transactions and we are well-known for our sharp, to-the-point advice on most complex regulatory issues by delving deeply into the nuances of each subject.

Okat Law was established by Y. Özge Okat after 25 years of transactional and regulatory legal practice, 12 years law firms and 13 years at the Capital Markets Board. Legal 500 lists Okat Law at Banking, Finance & Capital Markets rankings and IFLR selected Özge Okat as a “Highly Regarded Lawyer” five years in a row.

Teams: Okat Law has (i) Banking, finance and capital markets, (ii) Dispute resolution and (iii) Corporate, M&A teams and a tax counsel.

Areas of practice: Okat Law provides legal and professional consultancy services to both domestic and foreign companies and represents companies and individuals in dispute resolution matters.

The Firm practices on below areas:

  • Capital Markets

We are sophisticated capital markets lawyers. For this reason, we really understand you and we are able to span the spectrum of capital markets offerings and to provide individually tailored capital markets law solutions.

  • Banking& Finance

Clients rely on our Banking & Finance Team for both day-to-day banking and finance issues and on their most significant financing transactions.

  • Fintech/ Crypto Assets

We provide our clients with a combination of experience and regulatory knowledge in the fintech area. We are one of the leading firms in this sector.

  • Corporate, M&A

We serve our clients for both routine M&A engagements and the most complex M&A transactions. The Team is also very active in competition, compliance, employment, insurance, IP, and personal data protection matters.

  • Dispute Resolution

Our dispute resolution lawyers assist clients in confronting local and international litigation, mediation and arbitration challenges and protect their business interests.

  • Tax

Our tax experts serve businesses and individuals in local and international tax planning and tax litigation. They are experienced in many areas.

The Firm’s range of services is outlined below.

Capital Markets: Okat Law has sophisticated capital markets lawyers. For this reason, they really understand you and are able to span the spectrum of capital markets offerings and to provide individually tailored capital markets law solutions customized for your needs.

Okat Law’s capital markets practice reflects 25 years of unrivaled experience of Ozge Okat in Turkish capital markets in both law firm and Capital Markets Board capacity. “We did not read the rules, we drafted the rules.”

Its clients rely on the Firm to cope with significant regulatory uncertainty for several years and to reduce regulatory risk with its knowledgeable, smart approach built on a vast experience.

Our experience includes a broad range of legal services in the area of capital markets, including:

    • Equity capital markets (IPOs etc.),
    • Debt capital markets,
    • Structured finance, securitizations,
    • Compliance,
    • Derivatives,
    • Financial M&As.

Banking & Finance: Okat Law’a clients rely on its Banking & Finance Team for both day-to-day banking and finance issues and on their most significant financing transactions. The Firm has the unmatched ability to include its capital markets, crypto assets and government affairs experience to banking& finance matters such as applications to the Capital Markets Board, Banking Regulation and Supervision Agency, and Insurance and Annuity Regulation and Supervision Institution of Turkiye.

Clients look for the Firm’s leadership and its strategic, efficient approach to most complex transactions and regulatory matters.

Fintech/ Crypto Assets: Okat Law provides its clients with a combination of experience and regulatory knowledge in the rapidly evolving fintech area. The Firm is one of the leading firms in this sector and serves the most prominent companies in the sector, utilizing its experience and resources.

Corporate and M&A: Okat Law serves its clients for both routine M&A engagements and the most complex M&A transactions. The Team is particularly experienced in transactions where the target company is heavily regulated or publicly listed. The lawyers understand business goals well, never lose focus and always insist on getting results as quickly as possible.

Okat Law is also experienced in competition, compliance, employment, insurance, IP, and personal data protection matters and provides the most efficient services to its clients for their legal challenges.

Dispute Resolution: Okat Law’s dispute resolution lawyers assist clients confront litigation and other dispute resolution challenges and protect their business interests on the matters such as commercial disputes, administrative proceedings, employment and tax disputes and claims for compensation and debt. The Firm is particularly experienced in banking, capital markets and crypto assets litigation.

Tax: The Firm’s tax experts serve businesses and individuals in local and international tax planning and tax litigation. They are experienced on many areas including banking& finance, capital markets, fintech matters which Okat Law intensively works on.

Clients: Immediately upon the establishment of Okat Law, many major international and local banks and firms selected Okat Law as their legal counsel and/or asked Okat Law to represent them in their transactions.

Clients include:

    • Foreign banks
    • Turkish subsidiaries of multinational banking groups
    • Asset management companies
    • Portfolio management companies
    • Public companies
    • Fintechs
    • Brokerage companies
    • Cryptocurrency exchanges
    • International law firms
    • Investors
    • Many multinational companies
    • Major Turkish companies

Most of the clients are top tier companies and market leaders in capital markets.

Main Contacts

Department Name Email Telephone
Banking, Finance & Capital Markets Yalçın Özge Okat yookat@okatlaw.com +90 (212) 317 41 42
Corporate and M&A Yalçın Özge Okat yookat@okatlaw.com +90 (212) 317 41 42
Corporate and M&A Deniz Karagöz dkaragoz@okatlaw.com +90 (212) 317 41 42
Dispute Resolution Hakan Kızılelma hkizilelma@okatlaw.com +90 (212) 317 41 42
Dispute Resolution Gizem Yıldız gyildiz@okatlaw.com +90 (212) 317 41 42
Employment Gürcan Önol gonol@okatlaw.com +90 (212) 317 41 42
Tax Prof. Dr. Murat Batı mbati@okatlaw.com +90 (212) 317 41 42

Lawyer Profiles

Photo Name Position Profile
Yalçın Özge Okat photo Yalçın Özge Okat Managing Partner As the founder of Okat Law Firm, Yalçın Özge Okat… View Profile

Staff Figures

Lawyers : 10

Languages

Turkish
English
German

Memberships

Capital Markets Professional Personnel Association (Sermaye Piyasası Meslek Personeli Derneği, SERMEP)
Corporate Governance Association of Turkey (Türkiye Kurumsal Yönetim Derneği, TKYD)
Association of Listed Partnership Managers (Borsaya Kote Ortaklık Yöneticileri Derneği, KOTEDER)
International Bar Association (IBA)

Diversity


Diversity is our core value in this Firm and we are dedicated to providing a warm, accepting environment for everyone. We have appointed a Diversity Manager within our team to actively promote diversity and combat discrimination. The Diversity Manager is responsible for creating diversity policies and introducing initiatives that address issues related to gender, LGBTQ+, ethnicity, and religious diversity. Our employees receive regular training on such subjects, reaffirming our dedication to fostering a diverse workplace.

Our efforts to embrace diversity extend to our recruitment practices, in which we prioritize hiring colleagues from diverse backgrounds. We are quite proud of our team’s representation of a broad range of cultures and viewpoints. Additionally, we go the extra mile to support our colleagues’ cultural and religious practices, accommodating their needs and providing necessary flexibility. For instance, we are always ready to modify our office hours during Pride Month, Ramadan, Ashura Fasting Period, etc. to enable our coworkers to comfortably perform their celebrations or religious/cultural practices.

We are proud to have diversified our team with individuals from the disadvantaged regions of Turkey that have been neglected in the history of our country and have always been under-represented not only in the legal field but also in the private and the public sector as a whole. We believe that we are only strong if we unite.

As for sexual orientation, we do not reveal or inquire about our colleagues’ sexual orientation as a principle. Nevertheless, our colleagues always have the means to discreetly inform our Firm’s Diversity Manager in any and all cases of discrimination and/or request any needs.