What was it that made you want to become a lawyer? 

Having an impact in the society we live in has always mattered to me, even when I was very young. As a woman with a sense of agency; being able to take my own decisions, contribute personally to changes in the society and my passion for reading have been the main sources of my interest for becoming a lawyer. Further more, it is one of the few professions allowing its practitioners to combine academic interest with the practicality of the business life and I find this very intriguing. I remember having a great feeling of improvement after having studied the first year of law school, as it was filled with extremely interesting topics such as philosophy of law, Roman law and many others that actually explain why we do things the way do them even to this day. The ability to use this daily in my profession gives me a sense of fulfillment and I realize that I became a lawyer for the right reasons for myself.  

Since you graduated, your career has been varied from being the head of the Turkish Desk at a leading law firm in Vienna, Austria to now managing your own practice in Turkey. What prompted these changes and what were your motivations? 

Pursuing an international career has been a main drive in most of what I did as a student and as a lawyer. As a polyglot, I also wanted to learn German, explore a different culture and study abroad, therefore I pursued my LL.M. degree at the University of Vienna. This was followed by my position as the head of Turkish Desk in a reputed law firm in Vienna as I also wanted to experience work culture in Austria. Studying in a foreign country and working in a foreign country are actually two completely diverse experiences and they both broadened my horizon tremendously. 

Throughout my years in Vienna, as I was representing mainly foreign investors in Turkey, I have seen the need for a specialized law firm for such clients. Therefore, we decided to establish Breitegger-Develioglu Law Firm with my partner Burçin Yıldırım Develioğlu. We wanted to create our own culture in the legal world, carve our own path. Of course, there were already law firms serving foreigg investors in the Turkish market but we had the vision of a boutique law firm with a closer connection to its clients; a law firm that would become the trusted partners of its clients by supporting them with sharp legal knowledge that is communicated and tailored according to their needs. We had made the decision to become partners while studying and working together beforehand. Once we saw that such a law firm was needed, we acted on it immediately and established our firm. 

You have been at Breitegger – Develioglu Law Firm as its founding partner since 2014. What have been your personal highlights of how the firm has developed both locally and internationally? 

It was a great journey for me to see that I could reflect my international experience into our firm. In a very short period of time, we started to deal with very exciting international, as well as local, deals and cases. On another point, not only we represented our clients in major international arbitration cases, we also did it in different forms. It was definitely a highlight for me to perform a fully virtual arbitration hearing with international arbitrators, witnesses and colleagues during the pandemic. Being able to lead a major investment project in Turkey that will enable Turkey to produce a high technology product was also a personal highlight for me. Becoming trusted attorneys of several foreign chambers of commerce shows me that we are following the path we aimed for. This year was also important for us as we have been named as a leading firm for Commercial, Corporate and M&A in Turkey by Legal 500 and it was great to see that our efforts are being recognized.  

Your areas of expertise include intellectual property law, corporate law and dispute resolution. Can you tell me a bit more about your decision to take on these practice areas when you started out as a lawyer? And what is the size and scope of your current role amongst these areas at Breitegger – Develioglu Law Firm? 

As I mentioned, I find it fascinating that law allows you to translate academic research into practical business life. Being a corporate and commercial lawyer never gets boring as you get to meet so many interesting business people, so many impressive companies and you are not limited to one sector. I always take interest in what our clients are actually doing businesswise in order to be able to structure their deals; law is only efficient if it is carefully tailored according to the very special needs of a business. Dispute resolution, especially arbitration, allows me to examine and overcome conflicts that arise out of those same business relations. Without knowing the potential challenges that might come up in the future, you cannot be a good corporate lawyer. These two goes hand in hand. Therefore, I believe our experience in corporate law and M&A strengthens dispute resolution practices and vice versa. Dispute resolution entails also corporate law as we do a lot of international arbitration for corporate and commercial disputes as well as intellectual property. As for intellectual property, I believe that innovation finds its source in creative people and creative people should get the support they need to move us forward. Standing by them, witnessing new inventions gives me a personal satisfaction. On a more personal note, I also enjoy our intellectual property practice as I am an art lover. I take great pleasure discussing their art with my clients. Luckily I can spend most of my time in those 3 areas that I am quite passionate about.  

How would you define the culture at Breitegger – Develioglu Law Firm? 

Seeking professional and academic excellence while maintaining very good relations with our clients and within our firm is what defines our firm. We give utmost importance to perfection in our legal services as well as our communication and mutual understanding with our clients. We do stand by  them and we do care about their businesses. Our approach is to be involved in our clients’ deals and cases on partner level and to make sure that they know that we handle their cases personally and diligently. Our clients know that they can reach us, that we will be there for them and that they can trust us.  

We see ourselves also as cultural ambassadors as we “speak” many cultural languages in our firm. To excel in the international area, you must know your legal system well, but you must also lead your clients culturally in your country as well. I believe that we manage this successfully in our firm.  

Our culture in the firm also entails that we support each other as a team to the fullest and make sure that we do our best for our employees to fulfill their potential.

In addition to the recruitment drive your firm has with diverse lawyers, does Breitegger – Develioglu Law Firm get involved in other diversity-related activities? 

As Breitegger-Develioglu Law Firm, we make sure to put women in positions of power in our law firm. We also mentor our employees to a level that would enable them to be able to lead their own firms in the future. Personally mentoring young women is very empowering and we are doing this extensively on partner level. Knowledge is more valuable when it is shared, we do our best to share our experiences with the younger generation. We keep on mentoring our former employees on their new ventures as well. Scholarships are also offered to students from our part.  

With clients valuing diversity in their external law firms, how do we get more women into leadership roles in law firms? 

Law firms have the power to create change on a societal level and therefore carry the responsibility of being pioneers for improvement. Decision makers would have to question themselves while hiring and leading their employees and become aware how their decisions are being influenced by the society. I also believe that more integrative and flexible maternity leave models should be introduced for women to be able to move forward with their career while maintaining a family.  

Can you talk about any positive trends or changes in the diversity landscape you are seeing emerge within the Turkish legal market?  

Seeing many more women partners and law firms owned by women as well as high level legal managers within corporations has been a positive change within Turkish legal market. Having more women partners has also become a source of pride for law firms, which I find very positive.  

Can you name a woman who’s inspired you the most during your career? 

Christine Lagarde has always been a source of inspiration for me as she has the stamina that comes with excelling in what you are doing. On top, she has managed an international career as a foreigner in U.S.A. and is giving encouraging messages for working women. My mother lead me in my way and set a great example for me as an engineer, she also did have to fight the odds to be a working mother within Turkish society back then. I am so glad and thankful to her that she did that. Lastly my partner Burçin Yıldırım Develioglu inspires me on a daily basis with her wit, intellectual capacity and her skills as a lawyer, I feel proud to be partners with her.  

How do you motivate yourself and stay motivated? 

First of all, I feel responsible as a woman partner to carve and maintain a path for the next generation. I know that the challenges I face will become experiences that next generation lawyers will be able to learn from. Second of all, mental motivation is incredibly important to me. As reading is my passion, I do read a lot of psychology books and do prepare myself mentally and emotionally on a regular basis. Our profession comes with many challenges, which actually become your stepping stones to where you want to go if you know how to handle hardships.  

What has been your greatest achievement, in a professional and personal capacity?  

It gives me a great satisfaction to have started this journey as two young women and against all odds, being able to grow our firm and bring it to an international standing point in a much shorter time than we had anticipated. Being listed as a leading Corporate, Commercial and M&A firm on Legal 500 has been definitely a great achievement for us, as we also received a lot of excellent testimonials from our clients. As a law firm owner, I see achievements in a more holistic way. Of course having won major cases and having led major international deals are also an essential part of our achievements, but we are mainly very satisfied with our client relationships and to see proven that what we wanted to offer was actually needed very much in the market. Furthermore, the trust culture we developed within the law firm especially with our employees is another great achievement for me personally.  

Our firm is actually a professional and personal achievement for us as we managed to navigate our business through challenging times and situations while maintaining our close friendship. On a more personal note, it gives me great satisfaction that children of our clients decided to study law and become lawyers after having seen our firm and how we work.  

When you look back at your career and the knowledge you’ve gained, what advice would you give to young female students who are about to embark on a law career in Turkey? 

Being a lawyer comes in many shapes and there are a variety of options when it comes to how to practice law. I would suggest to younger lawyers that they should seek in their first years to find the best path that matches their personality and their skill sets. Being a lawyer is hard and to perform it well, you need to be professionally and mentally ready. Not giving up and not taking no for an answer when they have a vision that they truly believe in is also crucial for young women as they will face many obstacles on their career paths. Women question themselves on an extensive basis, we should all trust ourselves and move forward in our careers. Seeking mentors is also extremely helpful and I encourage young women lawyers to reach out to us and other female lawyers, where they need support.  

What was it that made you want to become a lawyer? 

As a matter of fact, I have wanted to become a lawyer for almost as long as I can remember. I suppose I was influenced to a large degree by my older brother, who is ten years my senior and a highly-regarded lawyer in his own right. When I first started thinking seriously about my future, early in high school, he was strongly encouraging me to study law. 

At the time I was applying to university here in Turkey, you had to designate both the university you were interested in attending and your major before taking the university entrance exams. I was living with my family in Ankara then. Although of two minds, I chose Ankara’s prestigious Middle East Technical University and, because it had no law school, I selected Political Science and Public Administration as my major. I did well on the entrance exams and started my studies at Middle East Technical University in 1993. By my sophomore year, however, after having taken several law classes, I found the study of law was as interesting as I had always thought it would be and, indeed, inspiring.   

So I bit the bullet and re-took the university entrance exam and was thrilled when I was accepted by the top-tier Istanbul University Faculty of Law. I loved my new major. I graduated from law school in 1999 and never looked back. 

In your twenty-one years as a practicing lawyer, what barriers have you encountered during your career growth and as a female lawyer in the Turkish legal market? 

I started my career in the early 2000s as an inhouse lawyer at Akşam Media, then owned by Çukurova Group (one of Turkey’s largest conglomerates). Fortunately for me, the corporate culture and governance at Akşam were far above industry standards found in Turkey at the time and, just as importantly, Akşam had already embraced diversity as a core value. Even my first direct report manager was female, although upper executive roles were still mostly dominated by men.  

In this regard, I have been lucky throughout my career. My experiences at Akşam Media, Ciner Media (2005-2008), Turkuvaz Media (2008-2016), and now ASC Law, have taught me that employers who adopt objective key performance indicator (i.e., “KPI”) based performance review systems, and pre-defined promotion schemes, provide greatly increased career opportunities for women.  

I have been able to practice what I preach, so to speak, since I joined ASC Law’s Debt Collection Department in 2017. I was the only licensed attorney working in the Department at the time. Since then, we have expanded that number to nine, five of whom are women. We also have ten legal interns, seven of whom are women.  

And I am also proud to say approximately 60% of ASC Law’s licensed attorneys are women. It is not as if I, or the firm, have made a particularly deliberate effort to hire and promote women. It is just, in my opinion, the natural result of paying attention to KPIs.  

You’ve worked in both law firms and corporate legal departments. Do you find there are differing cultures between the two with respect to the roles that women have played and continue to play? 

The keywords here, I believe, are “good corporate governance”. Whether you are in a law firm or in a company, if the management has the vision, mindset and determination to become a truly “corporate”— in the best sense of that word – transparency, equality and diversity will follow. The more upper management and its leaders embrace values such as human dignity, equal pay and being a good corporate citizen, including having more women in the workforce, especially at the managerial levels, the better the workplace, in all ways, becomes.  

One observation I might add, however, is that it appears Turkish companies have been able to achieve this positive transformation much more quickly than Turkish law firms. My theory for this is the progress, or lack thereof, of many local law firms in this area are tied to, for better or worse, the vision of a founding partner or two, whereas companies, which are often subject to fierce cross-border competition, are keener to adopt international “best practices” and, indeed, must so as to remain competitive.  

Since joining ASC Law in 2017, what accomplishments at are you the proudest of at the firm? 

Debt enforcement is rather an “operational” focused practice area, when compared to other legal practice areas. Collection processes are set forth in great detail in the Turkish law and one must, for the most part, simply follow them, albeit carefully. That debt enforcement provides less room for legal innovation, and, on top of that, includes a high amount of repetitive work, creates the most challenging part of my practice, i.e., keeping our lawyers, supervisors, support staff, interns and other professionals happy with their work and, perhaps most importantly, motivated. To overcome this fundamental challenge, I have had to focus on operational excellence and productivity. What I am most proud of here at ASC Law is having brought a “human centric” approach to the management my Department.  

Clients rightfully expect to see good numbers, but this does not necessarily require one to build its business, organization and KPIs totally based on numbers. We, of course, are very careful about such matters when making our hiring decisions. But perhaps more important is appreciating a strong work-life balance, good relations amongst peers, accessibility of managers, working with the right, convenient, and easy-to-use tools, institutionalized feedback, showing our lawyers their efforts are appreciated, out-of-office events and encouraging our lawyers to take initiative. All of these considerations have come together, or are coming together, to create an excellent, and to a large degree now self-sustaining, overall working environment, which in turn has had an enormous impact on delivering, efficiently, fantastic results for our clients.  

It pleases me to no end when I come to the office to see many of our team members already hard at work, sometimes after having been here late into the previous evening. Our workplace is often punctuated with excited conversation, and laughter. Just as pleasing is seeing many of my team generously helping each other, and seeing all of them work together well regardless of their backgrounds and job descriptions. Perhaps my favourite moments are when one of my team comes to me with a good idea for streamlining some part of our processes, ideas which have resulted in cutting, in the medium to long run, many hundreds of hours from the time we need to spend on, what is now, our very heavy workload.  

Can you tell us about your current role as Partner in ASC Law’s enforcement department?  

I am a Partner of ASC Law’s Debt Enforcement Department, which includes, not insignificantly, an inhouse debt collection Call Centre employing approximately 100 non-lawyer professionals. Our Department represents a large portfolio of Turkish and international clients, made up of both creditors and debtors from many different sectors, including banks, telecom operators, internet service providers, utility services providers, and leasing and factoring entities.  

Lawyers in my team have particular experience in enforcement and bankruptcy. Our practice involves all aspects of debt collection, starting with pre-litigation collection efforts, first using our Call Centre and then, if unsuccessful there, working with the government’s Debt Collection Offices. If we have still not reached a reasonable accommodation with the debt holders, we initiate litigation in the local courts.  

Our work includes the use of all available debt enforcement tools, including, to name a few, garnishment, the seizure of bank accounts and personal property, and foreclosure proceedings against real property. We deal with all types of debts, whether arising out of commercial contracts, court judgments and arbitral awards, financings, guarantee arrangements and pledges. 

How would you define the culture at ASC Law? 

If I had to identify one characteristic of ASC Law distinguishing it from other local firms, it is that the firm has one of the most experienced and successful – and, I would add, enlightened – senior leadership teams in Turkey.  

More particularly, the firm’s Founding Partners, Mr. Murat Aksu, Mr. Zeki Çalışkan – my direct report – and Mr. Okan Beygo, have, together, practiced law for nearly 100 years. The Head of our Dispute Resolution Department, Mr. Doğan Coşgun, also a key member of the firm’s leadership, has practiced law for 25 years. Just as importantly, and perhaps more so, all four gentlemen previously had successful careers working inhouse at local and international banks, and/or other major Turkish companies, giving them early exposure to many internationally accepted “best practices” not yet widely used in Turkey.  

These “best practices” include several I would put under the rubric of “good corporate governance”, with those I hold dearest transparency, equality and diversity. Without the commitment to such values at the highest levels of ASC Law, I certainly would not have been able to accomplish what I have here, as I have been left largely free, and indeed encouraged, to focus on improving operational excellence and productivity through the use of my above mentioned “human centric” approach.  

What I have seen my past four years here at ASC Law is a shared business and solution-oriented mindset, in which the firm’s employees and clients come first. Whether internally with their colleagues, and externally with our clients, the firm’s lawyers have consistently built effective and engaged relationships which are laser focused on one primary goal, i.e., providing efficient, yet still first-rate, legal solutions for our clients.  

With clients valuing diversity in their external law firms, how do we get more women into leadership roles in law firms?  

By empowerment. Turkish society is rather patriarchal and it is not particularly common to see women in managerial roles in Turkey, especially when compared to other developing, and developed, countries. That is mostly because of the traditional mindset we Turks carry. But technological disruption has been, as is the case with so many older ways of thinking, radically changing this mind set, most importantly shifting the gender-related paradigms in what I consider to be the right direction. Law firms hoping to be a part of this change must promote talented people, regardless of their gender, with the courage and vision to drive this necessary change. I would like to think the overall momentum in this direction in Turkey and elsewhere cannot be reversed, as it makes sense, not only ethically, but also because it is, most simply put, good business.    

Which women have inspired you the most?  

You know, I have been asked this question a lot and I have never been able to settle on a good candidate or candidates. I suppose I have always looked for my inspiration from within, dealing for example with issues related to sexism in the workplace by considering the unique circumstances in which they have come up for me. I guess I am a bit of a pioneer here in Turkey; I just do not know too many other Turkish women who have followed the path I have to whom I might look to for inspiration.    

When you look back at your career and the knowledge you’ve gained, what advice would you give to female students who are about to enter the legal industry? 

I believe the most successful lawyers, whether female or male, are the ones who can consider any particular legal issue they are faced with from several different, and informed, perspectives. Today, legal questions are more complicated than ever, and to be able to render effective advice lawyers should also have a good understanding of the commercial, financial and technical aspects impacting any particular question of law. It is easy to say, or simply restate, what any given law explicitly provides. But that, I strongly believe, is never enough. Good lawyers must first consider the many ways a particular law has been, or may be, applied in the real world, while at the same time considering the legal risks these various applications may pose to their clients. Only then is it possible to formulate a legal strategy that is both realistic and best serves their clients’ interests. 

To be able to do all of that, not only female but all young lawyers who wish to have successful careers in commercial law must look beyond the narrow curriculum of their legal educations, and continually seek to deepen not only their knowledge of the law but also their understanding of other disciplines such as business administration, economy, finance and trade.  

As for female lawyers, my greatest advise would be to never give up – as I have seen too many of my colleagues do – to a debilitating pessimism in the face of the inevitable discrimination they will encounter. Over just my 20-plus-year career, relatively brief in the scheme of things, I have seen Turkey and, indeed, much of the world rapidly change for the better in so many ways. I believe these changes are fundamental and are not likely to be reversed. And the rate of this change in the coming years will only accelerate. In this brave, and I think exciting, new world, full of opportunities for all. Those who recognize and embrace these changes, with vision, courage and talent, will take the lead, regardless of their gender.   

Ms. Çağlar Köktürk Akoymak – Partner at ASC Law 

Ms. Çağlar Köktürk Akoymak joined ASC Law in May 2017 as a Partner in the firm’s Debt Collection Department. At that time, Çağlar was the only licensed attorney in her Department, along with other non-lawyer collection professionals. Under Çağlar’s leadership, ASC Law’ Debt Department has expanded to nine attorneys, with the number of legal interns and other professionals now well over 100.    

Çağlar began her career at Akşam Media (2002-2005), Ciner Media (2005-2008) and Turkuvaz Media (2008-2016), where she worked on a variety of litigation matters as well as providing general consultation on a variety of legal issues, including compliance. Before leaving Turkuvaz, Çağlar was its Legal Affairs Manager, responsible for all legal issues arising out of Turkuvaz’s printed and digital media businesses.  

From the fall 1993 through spring 1995, Çağlar studied Political Science and Public Administration at Ankara’s prestigious Middle East Technical University. Çağlar began studying law in the fall 1995 at the top-tier Istanbul University Faculty of Law, from which she obtain her law degree in 1999. Çağlar continued her formal education in 2003, when she obtained a Master’s in Business Law from Istanbul’s Bilgi University. 

Çağlar is married and has two children, ages of 8 and 13. 

Read interactive PDF version

Tell us about your career choice and journey. And what made you decide to get into corporate and commercial law? 

In my childhood, I was affected and impressed by my relatives running their own business and I found myself interested in businesses and companies. I went to law school with this business mindset, and therefore, corporate and commercial law became a passion for me. When I graduated from university, I oriented my career in this field and worked in corporate and commercial departments of leading law firms.  However, solely graduating from the university was not enough for me. I always aim to develop myself and create something new which was not discussed or addressed before in this field. Thereby, I pursued my LL.M. studies and currently continuing my Ph.D. studies in the same field. 

What are your reflections on the diversity and inclusion culture in the legal profession in Turkey? 

Over the recent years, people in every part of Turkey have made their voice louder on their differences and tried to take place in the society with their uniqueness and incomparableness. Thereby, many issues, that were deemed not to being discussed and sometimes deemed as a “taboo” prior, such as LGBTQ+, gender equality, and refugees have begun to be discussed. This way of living created a necessity for a more responsible business world.   

As law firms face this transaction in which maximum care regarding diversity, inclusion, and wellbeing are expected, legal culture in Turkey has inevitably changed in favor of equity and fairness. As I see, law firms adopt diversity and inclusion policies to create a positive workforce environment and to address clients from every walk of life. In this way, for instance, the rate of increase in the number of women lawyers began to be higher than that of men. However, this is a very basic step, and it is not needed to be mentioned at all. I think that there are still more needs to be met to represent all kinds of groups, especially in leadership positions. 

How is Gökçe Attorney Partnership progressing with its diversity agenda? 

At Gökçe, members of our team are recognized with their unique backgrounds, cultures, and perspectives. We are aware that our team’s creativity and passion is our greatest asset and hold the key for success. From day one, we had the goal of creating a culture of inclusion and ensuring equal treatment in the workplace where our team can bring their whole selves to work.  

We are committed to hiring, development, and advancement of diverse lawyers. For the recruitment, we always look for people who are open to interiorizing knowledge and creativity rather than their school types, religion, or ethnicity. If you also take a glance at the gender diversity at Gökçe, the number of women who hold major leadership positions in our firm has increased over the years signally. These are all due to our dream being to create a business space in which our team members feel belong and where they have the opportunity to improve their legal knowledge professionally. In this way, every member of our team contributes to our work in their unique way, and this helps the exchange of ideas to be strong and the outcome to be unique. 

How do you define the culture at Gökçe Attorney Partnership? 

Collective ideas: Our firm’s culture is rooted in the free expression of different opinions. We always had an open-door policy where we encourage our team members to be themselves, to advance in their own way, and to enhance themselves.  

From day one, we had an appetite for development and innovation. Thus, our client base has become shaped towards innovative and technology companies with open-minded vision. I think, their openness to innovation and differences are the best examples that reflect our firm culture. Besides, to take a concrete and permanent place in the innovation sector, we have to be away from any kind of bias and embrace all the backgrounds, cultures, and perspectives. 

As Gökçe, we also value social responsibility. We encourage our members to be more effective in every part of society. In recent years, we had several aid efforts towards rural schools, set up social responsibility committees. 

You are currently taking a PhD at Istanbul University and working on a thesis entitled “Corporate Social Responsibility of Joint Stock Companies”. In your view, how has CSR evolved in Turkey and how should all companies approach to being more socially responsible? 

Corporate Social Responsibility is one of the most controversial topics. In my thesis, I analyze CSR in detail, particularly in the sense of company law. I think that the CSR agenda in both Turkey and in the world should be handled on a more serious level and should be removed from the umbrella of charity and positioned as a legal mandate rather than a voluntary initiative. By doing so, companies may become truly socially responsible in a meaningful way, apart from charity campaigns and PR activities.  

The development of CSR in Turkey is still at an early stage. Companies are trying to lay down certain principles, especially under the leadership of multinational companies, but I think it is still insufficient. Likewise, academic of its legal aspects are almost non-existent. 

How do you see the new generation of women lawyers? 

Based on my observations, the new generation of women lawyers have broken down the barriers and become more prominent. They vault to leadership positions since they have the ambition. They are also self-confident and not shying away from taking tough decisions. The reason behind all of these can be explained by the recently increased awareness level of women’s rights in Turkey. As Gökçe, we just desire to rocket the opportunities that women should have in a law firm. 

If you weren’t a lawyer, what would you be? 

I would stay in the social science field and probably get into politics. I would use this as an opportunity to raise awareness on the environment, animal rights, and human rights.  

Which women have inspired you the most?  

In different parts of my life, I have had inspired by various strong women, however, of course, my mother is the real motivation and courage. And, nowadays, I follow and am inspired by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. I think by her support to different groups of people, she is paving the way for new generations. I appreciate her attitude in politics.  

What motivates you? 

I’m really driven by outcomes that create added value for society. Because, in this way, I feel like I have an earned place in society. In my belief, this is one of the ways of contributing something new and permanent. 

I also get motived by the idea of raising new generations of lawyers and hopefully being a role model to them. That’s why, in our firm, healthy communication dominates our relationships rather than hierarchic order as well.

What have been your personal highlights during your time as a female lawyer in Turkey?  

I had witnessed my women colleagues face a different kind of difficulties. But I was fortunate enough not to been exposed to any discrimination or difficulty due to being a female lawyer, apart from the problems experienced by lawyers in general. 

How do you manage your current work / life balance?  

I think I’m one of the lucky ones who love what they do for a living. When you love and have passion for your job, the time you spent in your job becomes valuable. Also, we have good chemistry here at Gökçe, so working doesn’t feel like a chore. If you have a workplace that does not restrain your desires, you cannot differentiate your business life from your private life because you only have one life that you enjoy. That’s why I can also make time for my hobbies such as sports, literature. I think with proper planning, maintaining a successful balance between work and life is possible. 

When you look back at your career and the knowledge you’ve gained, what advice would you give to female students who are about to enter the legal industry? 

I want to stress that we aim to provide equal grounds for both women and men. That’s why I wouldn’t have any different advice than the one I would give to male lawyers. The first piece of advice that I can give is not to prevent themselves by creating barriers against their ambitions and intentions. So that, they could have the imagination to draw their dreams in a framework and fill it with their accomplishments. Moreover, the most essential thing, they have to recognize to be sensible towards social and moral issues in every stage of their professional life. Also, to respect the ethical rules and adopt the objectives of being a lawyer.