Team size: nine

How do you suggest in-house lawyers build strong relationships with business partners?

The in-house counsel role is a fairly new position in Türkiye, especially as a mandatory one. The role of in-house counsel varies even among companies in the same industry and with similar corporate structure. As such, even relationships within the company are still evolving rapidly.

For in-house lawyers to build strong relationship with business partners, the first step is to build strong relationships within. The legal profession is still somehow viewed with reservations in Türkiye, and imperative trust between parties require a period. There is also a misconception where it is believed that the lawyers are keen on insisting on “what has to be” rather than “what can be done?.” Such negative partialities are best overcome by cooperating with the administrative body directly.

Once a level of trust has been well established within the ranks of a company, especially with those in administrative authority, the relationships with business partners may flow in a more natural manner. As an in-house counsel, it is well beyond doubt that the priorities of such counsel lie with those of the company. It may be safely said that the in-house counsel is a better judge of the internal dynamics, and that knowledge may be as good as gold when dealing with individuals rather than a corporate body.

What do you think are the biggest risks facing your industry now and how are you preparing your company and team to face these risks?

Automotive industry, as the locomotive line of business of our holding company, has been dominated by internal combustion motors for over a century. Through the course of such a great length of time, the advances in technology gradually had an impact on the manufacturers. However, with the turn of the century, electric motors are becoming increasingly the norm as opposed to the minority choice and such changes in consumer behaviour impact the manufacturer acutely.

Now we can more or less accurately estimate a final production date for the internal combustion engine related products. So, the biggest risk facing the industry will no doubt be the obsolete products, the factories, manufacture lines, experts as well as the technology itself albeit may not seem so pressing at the moment.

The electric motor requires a whole different technology and process than the internal combustion motor, which shall entail a substantial amount of investment. With the evolving financial instruments and the expanding of fintech, our legal department is active in researching the new regulations of finance with a fair understanding of the changing financial climate.