Interview with: Dr. Aziz Bora Durmaz, Managing partner

Dr. Aziz Bora Durmaz discusses how Durmaz Avukatlık Bürosu is combining legal precision with business insight to guide clients through complex matters.

 

What do you see as the main points that differentiate Durmaz Avukatlık Bürosu from your competitors?

Durmaz Avukatlık Bürosu brings together academic excellence, international experience, and practical business sense. Our team includes lawyers admitted in multiple jurisdictions with strong backgrounds. We offer personalized, partner-led services with a focus on strategic thinking—our clients see us not only as legal advisors but as trusted business partners. Our firm’s boutique size ensures agility and close attention to every client matter, while our network and expertise allow us to handle high-stakes transactions and disputes.

 

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

We expect to see continued growth in cross-border investments, and regulatory compliance work. As businesses adopt AI, expand into new markets, and respond to ESG-related obligations, they are seeking advisors who can translate complex legal frameworks into actionable strategies. We anticipate further regulatory developments in both AI and ESG, which will likely drive increased demand for our regulatory practice. Türkiye’s developing economy also presents attractive opportunities for international investors, and we expect a noticeable rise in inbound cross-border investment transactions in the near future.

What’s the main change you’ve made in the firm that will benefit clients?

We are committed to staying at the forefront of legal technology, complementing our academic and practical strengths. To this end, we closely monitor developments in legal tech and actively implement every viable solution that enhances our efficiency and service delivery. Most recently, we introduced a structured knowledge management and case tracking system to ensure faster turnaround times, improved documentation, and real-time updates for clients. Additionally, we have reorganized our team into sector-focused pods to deliver more targeted insights—enabling us to stay ahead of industry trends and provide strategic, tailored legal advice rather than generic solutions.

 

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

Absolutely. We’ve integrated secure client portals, AI-assisted legal research tools, and automated workflows to streamline communications and reduce costs. Clients today expect efficiency, transparency, and flexibility—technology enables us to deliver on those expectations while maintaining the depth and quality of legal analysis.

 

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

Recently, one of our clients acquired all shares of a limited company, which required the evaluation of over 500 agreements under a tight deadline. Despite the lean size of our team, our ability to combine legal expertise with advanced technology enabled us to complete the contract review within just two days. We delivered a comprehensive due diligence report, allowing our client to meet its closing schedule without delay. Had we not invested in legal tech solutions in advance, meeting this deadline would have been significantly more costly—if feasible at all. This experience reinforced our belief that strategic adoption of technology is essential not only for efficiency but also for creating tangible value for clients.

 

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

More than ever, clients are seeking clarity, consistency, and strategic foresight from their legal advisors. Our goal is to strengthen our position as long-term partners to our clients, while expanding our capabilities in every practice area. In three years, we aim to transform our firm into one of the most institutionalized law firms in Türkiye—establishing ourselves as the go-to firm for cross-border transactions that require tailored and sophisticated Turkish law advice.