PRACTICE AREAS

Karkın & Yüksel is a full-service law firm providing a diverse range of legal services, particularly with respect to corporate transactions, mergers & acquisitions, litigation and arbitration, energy, intellectual property, employment, real estate, white collar crime to  multinational companies and international law firms including a wide range of advocacy and legal consultancy services offers.

Our focus includes major international and local corporations operating in various sectors such as energy, banking, insurance, telecommunications, IT, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, aviation, maritime, transportation, construction, chemicals, retail, foods, manufacturing, recruitment & outsourcing.

Our combined sector and practice area approach enables us to remain at the forefront of legal and commercial developments, so that we can work with our clients to identify opportunities and anticipate challenges. Karkın & Yüksel combines legal skills with an understanding of our clients’ business needs to deliver a constructive and accurate service. We see our clients as our business partners and seek to add value beyond our legal service. Our breadth and depth of legal disciplines mean that we can tap into a vast range of know-how on any type of deal in any sector.

As a leading Turkish corporate law firm, we advise and represent enterprises and entrepreneurs covering the main areas of business and needs. This means putting our clients’ interests and priorities at the very heart of everything we do. And, in a world of ever-accelerating change, that demands unwavering sector focus combined with quality practice specialism. Our lawyers are fully immersed in the world our clients operate in; genuine experts in their fields, knowledgeable about the issues you currently face, and those that may lie just around the corner.

For more information about our services you can use the side menu.

Administration Law

Karkın & Yüksel offers services in the Administration Law practice with its internal and external team of experienced lawyers. Administration law is a far-reaching law practice introducing rules in relation to the activities and organisation of an administration and the governing of persons related with the administration. It is, therefore, closely linked to several law practices, predominantly Energy, Telecommunication, Public Procurement and Environment legislations.

Administration Law requires special expertise in dispute resolution. Due to its nature, it is important that potential issues be identified and addressed at the time of establishing an administrative action.

Our administration law practice provides advice in full compliance with worldwide accepted standards at every stage of an administrative action. Our team is highly expected in handling the resolution of disputes that might arise due to administrative actions and ensures the dispute resolution process is handled in collaboration with the academics working for the partnership.

Arbitration

Karkın & Yüksel has a leading International Arbitration practice and a long track record of achieving successful outcomes for our clients in high-value, complex disputes. Our attorneys bring a wealth of know-how and practical experience allowing for the provision of top-rate, comprehensive and pragmatic legal advice from the moment a dispute arises to its final resolution.

If a dispute which is subject to an arbitration clause does arise, the team has extensive experience in overseeing all manner of arbitrations. We advise on small scale single issue disputes to complex and high value cross-border disputes for individuals and companies, working with and against some of the leading barristers and firms both in the UK and internationally.

The Arbitration practice has extensive experience in providing assistance to sector-leading businesses, operating both locally and internationally, in all aspects of dispute prevention and aiming to resolve issues prior to trial.

We act for clients in various industries including, but not limited to, telecommunication, insurance, healthcare (pharmaceuticals and medical devices), construction, manufacturing, infrastructure, real estate investment trusts, aviation and shipping, packaging, informatics, automotive and spare parts, investment management, tourism sectors as well as government entities in their high profile and complex arbitration and dispute resolution matters, tax disputes, and white collar crime matters. We also offer retainer services for compliance and regulatory advice on a day-to-day basis.

International and local companies from a variety of sectors retain our lawyers for their most significant litigation matters. Our Arbitration team focuses on high-profile administrative, commercial, employment, intellectual property, tax, and criminal litigation cases pertaining to multinational companies as well as complex commercial and investment proceedings. We provide training, daily advice and conduct audits especially in the areas of competition, tax, employment, and pharmaceutical law. Our team also has expertise in providing cross-border compliance assistance to our multinational clients.

Our Arbitration team represents leading Turkish and global companies in local and international arbitrations including investment arbitrations. We provide cross border services, whether it is a corporate arbitration procedure (ICC, JCAA, LCIA, ICSID and UNCITRAL), representation at a hearing, or in preparing a petition.

Banking & Finance

The Banking and Finance practice provides advice and assistance to banks and other financial institutions on general banking matters, including but not limited to commercial lending and leasing transactions of all kinds, secured and unsecured loan facilities, Islamic financial instruments, mortgages, syndications, letters of credit and bank letters of guarantee, consumer lending programs and retail bank products, collection of receivables, bankruptcy and reorganization proceedings, compliance with regulatory requirements, asset purchases and sales, and insurance litigation.

Karkın & Yüksel provides a comprehensive range of full legal services in all areas of the law with particular emphasis on corporations, mergers & acquisitions, energy, competition/antitrust, intellectual property, pharmaceuticals, banking & finance, employment, real estate and litigation-arbitration.

Construction Law

Karkın & Yüksel, with its internal team and external counsels, holds extensive experience in Construction Law. We offer legal services not only during the establishment of construction contracts but also at any stage of a dispute arising from construction contracts. Subsequent to drafting, revising and reviewing of a construction contract, our team continues to provide legal services during the performance of contract.

We also advise our clients in case of a dispute. At the very beginning of a dispute resolution procedure, we help our clients identify their claims and formulate the legal basis for such claims before representing our clients during amicable settlement procedures as well as court and arbitration proceedings.

Compliance & Investigations

We provide clients with the necessary compliance services such as compliance trainings, internal investigations, and civil and criminal litigation. Our lawyers thoroughly handle all phases of the company’s compliance process. As part of our compliance practice, we use substantive skills in all relevant areas of the law to assist our clients with issues avoidance such as via the preparation of compliance programs and the development of legal policy.

We investigate allegations of improper conduct, including those involving tax and accounting irregularities, corruption, fraud, cartels and price fixing, and regularly help our clients develop innovative solutions to problems identified as a result of the investigative process.

Capital Markets

The firm provides legal advice to local and international public companies across all aspects of capital market transactions including mandatory tender offers and requests for exemptions from such tender offers.

Karkın & Yüksel holds extensive experience in providing legal services for public offerings of many Turkish companies, preparing necessary due diligence work and the drafting and reviewing of offering circulars and application for all required permits. The firm also provides legal assistance for the issuance and sale of structured products, derivatives and similar capital market instruments. Our firm represents corporate clients and banks before the Turkish Capital Markets Board for capital market transactions and provides legal services to ensure full company compliance with capital market requirements.

Corporate & Commercial

Our firm’s corporate practitioners advise on every phase of a company’s business and growth, such as incorporation, capital financing, licensing and commercial agreements, public and private securities offerings, mergers & acquisitions and day-to-day company representation.

Ongoing corporate and commercial advice to our wide variety of clients also includes providing all methods of dispute resolution legal services, including business and employee-related disputes, negotiation, arbitration and representation before the court.

Energy & Natural Resources

Karkın & Yüksel represents a broad range of interests in the energy and natural resources sector, providing clients with a comprehensive sector offering.

The firm has experience in providing full legal support to influential international and Turkish companies and their respective energy projects in Turkey.

The firm also provides legal advice on mining for all regulatory matters licenses and permits to search and operate mine fields, transfer of licenses, state rights and mergers and acquisitions in mining industry.

Employment

Employers from all industries turn to our firm for assistance in developing and implementing employee relations policies designed to minimise risk and avoid litigation. Therefore, the employment practice group provides proactive counselling to lead them through laws and regulations governing employment matters. Such advice involves providing information on relations with sub-contractors, drafting company regulations, preparations and implementations of employment contracts and non-competition agreements.

Employers also rely on the firm for guidance on employment issues pertaining to multinational mergers and acquisitions. Our firm advises on employee benefit matters in the broadest sense as well as executive compensation. The firm provides major international companies with full legal assistance concerning their implementation of employee offering plans, stock options and similar rights.

In the event that a dispute becomes inevitable, clients are assisted by our firm’s lawyers. We represent clients in job security and indemnification-related claims from employees, in dealing with the inspections of the relevant labor authorities and issues raised by trade unions in addition to claims arising from workplace safety related issues, overtime payments, notice and severance pay requests etc.

Enforcement & Bankruptcy

Execution, Enforcement & Bankruptcy Law covers an area of study which ensures that the right holders should obtain their rights through a court decree or without the need for a court decision.

Karkın & Yüksel has a dynamic team who is capable of offering this service to clients. Additional support is also obtained from the external counsels who advise our office on the resolution of the problems relating to the enforcement and bankruptcy law.

Information Technology

Our firm provides legal advice on technology licensing, software agreements and e-commerce. Lawyers of our firm advise and act on most recent practices of IT Law such as online safety, anti-spam, anti-phishing and hacking actions.

Our firm has vast experience in representing the clients in litigation cases for the protection of IT assets and rights. Further, the firm represents and advises global corporations on IT-related intellectual property and content clearance issues, legal compliance, data protection, registration and enforcement matters.

The firm closely monitors the advancements in the IT sector and follows up the statutory changes and adoptions. In this respect, we assist our clients to establish and maintain relationships with the governmental authorities as well as the relevant non-governmental organizations and associations.

Intellectual Property

Our firm’s intellectual property team helps our clients build and profile business-aligned intellectual property assets, and leverage these assets effectively in strategic business relationships and transactions.

We advise and assist clients in drafting and negotiating intellectual property licensing agreements.

Our firm also provides tailor-made intellectual property strategies to its clients. Such assistance covers the evaluation on positioning of the industrial rights in the Turkish market, such as advising on possible legal actions that can be taken regarding third parties’ infringements against well-known marks. In assisting our clients in this respect, we perform our evaluation considering not only the possible legal consequences but also their business priorities.

Further, our firm is also actively involved in trademark and patent litigation in order to cease infringements of third parties and to challenge administrative obstacles before the trademark and patent registration.

On the other hand, we provide services to our clients within the context of the administrative processes followed before the Turkish Patent Institute, i.e. applications for registration and renewal of trademark, patent and other industrial rights, oppositions regarding third parties’ applications etc.

We also advise our clients to create public awareness on intellectual property right protection and to provide cooperation with the government authorities and the rightholders’ associations. International Trade & Customs.

Litigation

Karkın & Yüksel focuses on the litigation of high-profile commercial, administrative, tax and criminal litigation cases of multinational companies. Lawyers of our firm have handled litigation cases both for plaintiff/complainant and defendant sides by preparing petitions and attending hearings at all courts including the Court of Appeals and Council of State. Our firm also provides legal assistance in obtaining preliminary injunction relieves and attachments, and in recovering debts through enforcement proceedings. Our firm gives special importance to assisting its clients in settling disputes amicably between the related parties.

Lawyers of our firm lead in international and national arbitration proceedings, from the beginning of the proceedings until enforcement of the arbitral awards, which often involves complex fact patterns and multiple issues of law.

Subsections of this practice area are: Arbitration, Administrative, Commercial, Consumer, Criminal, Debt Recovery, Employment, Intellectual Property and Tax.

Media & Telecommunications

Our firm advises and acts across all areas of broadcast and media regulations. Our lawyers have advised business, media operators, investors and investment bankers and handled all types of commercial, corporate and financing transactions, including corporate, mergers and acquisitions in this sector. Our firm provides legal assistance in licensing, broadcasting (terrestrial, cable and satellite), programming, sponsorship, and advertising and trans-frontier advertisements.

Karkın & Yüksel represents established and start-up telecommunications entities on a broad range of technological, transactional and regulatory matters. Our firm provides assistance on concession contracts, first and second type telecommunication licenses, roaming, interconnection, regulatory compliance, competition infrastructure and technology arrangements, operating conditions, fees, tariff structures, and consumer rights

Mergers & Acquisitions

Our Mergers and Acquisitions team is structured on a multidisciplinary foundation. In addition to the corporate and securities attorneys who have primary transactional responsibility, the group also encompasses array of sophisticated practitioners who support these transactions in the fields of litigation, intellectual property, labor and employment law, environment, real estate, information technology and tax.

We advise clients on their role as both bidders and targets in takeovers as we have extensive experience from due diligence reviews and bidding phase until the completion of takeovers.

Our lawyers have experience working on many substantial and complex mergers and acquisitions transactions on both seller and buyer sides. This includes preparing tailored due diligence and research reports, the drafting, negotiating and reviewing of share purchase and shareholders agreements, the acquisition of all necessary permits and the close of the transaction.

The firm is also quite active in joint ventures, public acquisitions and spin-offs projects.

Pharmaceuticals & Healthcare

Karkın & Yüksel’s pharmaceutical and healthcare clients rely on our regulatory background in their domestic and international business transactions. We have the capacity to represent major global innovator pharmaceutical companies and medical devices companies regarding their day-to-day business, which heavily involve guidance and legal advice on relevant rules and procedures specific to the pharmaceutical sector. We are also able to represent our clients before the Ministry of Health regarding regulatory matters and advise them on how best to fit their business processes with the appropriate administrative transactions and applications in Turkey.

Lawyers of the firm also advise and act on corporate governance matters and operations of pharmaceutical and healthcare, including policy development and regulatory compliance taxation, and intellectual property matters specific to these sectors.

Furthermore, we actively take roles in criminal, civil and administrative proceedings to protect the interests of our clients before the third parties and the government agencies.

Real Estate

Understanding the complex issues that are involved in every project, we assist our clients in evaluating business, financing and tax strategies, drawing from the firm’s varied legal specialisms.

Our firm provides legal assistance across every facet of real estate law, both routine and complex transactions, including but not limited to sale and purchase of immovable property, financing, establishment and release of all rights in rem on immovable property like mortgage, usus fructus etc, attending negotiations for such and preparation of all immovable property related contracts.

We hold significant experience in the formation and management of lease contracts throughout their duration term. We also represent our clients in litigation if any dispute arises out of real estate relations. Our firm advises and acts on analyzing and solving title to ownership problems as well as in real-estate related litigation and foreclosure procedures. The firm also provides legal assistance in real estate due diligence process and in dealing with title deeds, cadastre offices and municipalities.

Tax Law

Tax law encompasses not only legal issues but also an extensive amount of accounting and finance. Our tax advisors have far-reaching legal and technical tax expertise and are fully equipped to offer legal advice to our clients in taxation of corporate restructuring transactions, tax investigations and transfer pricing.

Our services include tax litigation, providing technical support in tax ruling application process, preparation of documents and lists during tax inspections, assessing tax inspection reports, providing tax consultancy during the reconciliation phase, international and domestic tax planning, tax restructuring, tax consulting at stage of tax investigation, transfer pricing, customs investigation and disputes.

Our firm is also able to offer services such as tax due diligence prior to M&A, and tax restructuring and planning during M&A based on national and international regulations and bilateral tax treaties.

White Collar Crime

As part of our white collar crime practice, we provide specialised legal advice to corporations, business entities and individuals on criminal liability issues such as fraud, misappropriation, forgery of documents and unfair competition, criminal investigations, legal proceedings and criminal litigations, abuse of trust by employees and directors and liabilities of directors and managers. Our practice also represents and defends corporations, business entities and individuals when they are facing criminal investigations, are subject to potential charges or are involved in litigation.