Founding Partner Esra Ter discusses how Dündar Law Firm is creating greater value for clients through strategic growth, innovation and technology while preparing for the future of legal services.

1)      What do you see as the main points that differentiate Dündar Law Firm from your competitors?

Reliability and dedication are the core principles that define our practice, and we approach our work as a profession with strict adherence to its ethical responsibilities. We place a strong emphasis on ethics in every aspect of our work, ensuring independence, integrity, and trust, while also focusing on strategic problem-solving in complex and sophisticated legal matters. Most importantly, we see ourselves as an integral part of our clients’ teams rather than service providers, working alongside them to achieve their objectives rather than treating them as customers.

2)      Which practices do you see growing in the next 12 months? What are the drivers behind that?

In the next 12 months, we expect IP enforcement in Türkiye to continue growing. This is driven by Türkiye’s position as a major commercial hub between Europe, the Middle East, and Asia, combined with its strong and expanding manufacturing capacity, which increases both legitimate production and the risk of copycat activity. At the same time, greater awareness of enforcement tools under the Industrial Property Code, including preliminary injunctions, customs measures, and coordinated civil–criminal actions, is encouraging rights holders to take a more proactive and strategic approach.

3)      What's the main change you've made in the firm that will benefit clients?

The most significant change we have made is the incorporation of robotic process automation into applicable workflows, particularly for high-volume tasks such as customs renewals and recordals. This has substantially reduced processing time, minimized human error, and lowered costs while increasing efficiency. Most importantly, it allows us to redirect the time and resources saved toward strategic analysis and the resolution of complex, sophisticated legal issues that require senior legal judgment

4)      Is technology changing the way you interact with your clients, and the services you can provide them?

Yes—technology has fundamentally improved how we interact with clients and deliver services. Faster communication tools and integrated digital workflows allow us to respond in real time and achieve extremely fast turnaround times while maintaining accuracy and quality. This also enables more transparent collaboration, proactive reporting, and closer day-to-day integration with our clients’ legal and business teams.

Our approach to business sustainability is reflected in our ongoing digital transformation. We have automated several core processes and enhanced them with AI-driven solutions to improve both efficiency and accuracy. Looking ahead, we aim to deepen the integration of artificial intelligence into our operations, moving toward a more intelligent and seamless case management experience.

In recent years, our firm has embraced the intersection of technology and legal practice, proactively integrating cutting-edge tools such as artificial intelligence, automation, and machine learning into our operations.

RPA Integration: Through the implementation of Robotic Process Automation (RPA), we have significantly streamlined routine and repetitive tasks. This not only enhances the speed and accuracy of our processes but also frees our legal professionals to focus on more strategic, high-value work.

As part of our ongoing digital transformation, we are actively advancing the integration of AI into our workflows to elevate our analytical capabilities. This initiative is designed to extract meaningful insights from large datasets, laying the groundwork for predictive analytics. While this transition is still underway, we are confident in its potential to help us anticipate challenges and optimize client strategies with greater precision.

The adoption of AI and automation enhances our efficiency across the board, but more importantly, it enables our team to devote greater attention to Client Success Management. By reducing the burden of manual tasks, we can concentrate on deeper client engagement, strategic foresight, and delivering customized solutions—ultimately creating a more personalized and value-driven experience for every client we serve.

5)      Can you give us a practical example of how you have helped a client to add value to their business?

One example involved a patent infringement dispute in Türkiye concerning a multinational client. A preliminary injunction had been issued against them, which effectively prevented them from selling their products in the market and put a major international project at risk.

Our team worked intensively on the case and successfully had the injunction lifted in March 2024. This immediately restored the client’s ability to sell their products and allowed them to participate in a large international project. It also enabled them to supply measurement instruments needed for repair works on one of Türkiye’s major suspension bridges.

From a business perspective, lifting the injunction potentially protected millions in revenue that could have been lost if the injunction had remained in place. The decision was later upheld by the Higher Court.

For us, this case is a good example of how strategic litigation can directly support a client’s commercial goals and create real business value.

6)      Are clients looking for stability and strategic direction from their law firms - where do you see the firm in three years’ time?

Yes, clients increasingly expect stability and clear strategic direction from their law firms. Over the next three years, we see the firm maintaining and strengthening its existing client portfolio by helping clients resolve legal challenges while actively supporting the growth of their businesses. At the same time, we aim to serve a broader client base through a reliable, long-term, and fully integrated attorney–client relationship built on trust and continuity.