About

Burgan Bank was created in Kuwait in 1977 and has been operating in the Turkish market since it acquired a 99.26% stake of Eurobank Tekfen in 2013. Since that time the legal team has made efforts to develop a closer, more interactive relationship with internal clients by taking regular feedback. ‘We focused on simplification and standardisation of [legal] documents and created a customer-friendly language and process’ says Nesteren Çalışkan, a senior lawyer within the team. Recognising the importance of speediness when dispensing legal and commercial advice, the team has recently focused on making internal sign-off processes faster by creating combined agreements that minimise paperwork. Tolga Erendaç was appointed chief legal counsel in May 2015 and leads a team comprising 10 lawyers and four non-legal staff. Recently, the team has launched a detailed and clearly defined legal guidance manual covering frequently asked questions. This has enabled internal clients to reach a legally reliable answer without having to consult the in-house team. Further developments by the team include setting up a web portal in coordination with the bank’s IT department, which enables top management to reach and review the board of directors’ and board committees’ decks and resolutions in a more efficient manner. The team ensured that litigation and consultancy teams have a close working environment, to combine the theoretical and practical know-how, and to respond to internal clients with effective solutions by regular or ad hoc meetings and workshops. According to Çalışkan, the frequently changing nature of banking legislation has forced providers to renew standard terms and revise the provisions of services, something that the legal team has been asked to take the lead on. The team’s work has also had a direct influence on profit through increasing the number of collections of non-performing loans and correcting ineffective and incorrect practices, reducing overall costs in turn.