Professional notice
Turkey
ELIG GÜRKAYNAK ATTORNEYS-AT-LAW is without a doubt the standout name for competition matters in Turkey. The team is led by Gönenç Gürkaynak and consists of 45 specialists who devote more than 90% of their time to competition law matters. Burcu Can was promoted from counsel to partner in January 2019, rounding out the senior team of five partners, one counsel and – uniquely in Turkey – one full-time in-house competition economist.
ELIG’s impressive roster of international clients means the firm has worked on some of the world’s biggest mergers. The team advised Monsanto as it was acquired by Bayer, which Turkey’s competition authority approved subject to the companies’ adherence to divestments imposed by the European Commission. The firm also advised The Walt Disney Company on the local aspects of its acquisition of businesses from 21st Century Fox; Thales and Gemalto on their hardware security merger; and Whirlpool and Nidec as the latter acquired the former’s compressor manufacturing business.
The firm has some big-name clients on the behavioural side, too. It represented Google during the competition authority’s Android probe, and is assisting the company with resulting compliance obligations. The team advised Mercedes-Benz Turkey during the national enforcer’s investigation into whether the automaker abused its dominance, which ended in August 2018 without any finding of wrongdoing. ELIG also assisted Mey İçki in obtaining block and individual exemptions from the Turkish authority related to the distribution of its retail alcohol products.
ELIG Gürkaynak Attorneys-at-Law is an eminent, independent Turkish law firm based in Istanbul. The firm was founded in 2005.
ELIG Gürkaynak is committed to providing its clients with high-quality legal services. We combine a solid knowledge of Turkish law with a business-minded approach to develop legal solutions that meet the ever-changing needs of our clients in their international and domestic operations.
The firm builds and maintains close working relationships with a number of international law firms and collaborates with them to serve mutual clients on a range of transactions.
All members of the ELIG Gürkaynak team are fluent in English and speak a variety of other languages. Many ELIG Gürkaynak team members have obtained their graduate degrees in law schools in the US, the UK, Switzerland, France and Turkey. In addition to membership of the Istanbul Bar, Mr Gönenç Gürkaynak, a founding partner of ELIG Gürkaynak, is also qualified in New York, and is further qualified as a solicitor of the Law Society of England and Wales, currently as a non-practising member.
ELIG Gürkaynak’s key practice areas are corporate law, mergers & acquisitions, competition law, anti-corruption, white collar irregularities and compliance, EC law, Internet law, technology, media & telecommunications law, data protection & privacy law, banking and finance law, litigation & arbitration, energy, oil & gas law, administrative law, real estate law, anti-dumping law, pharma and healthcare regulatory, employment law and intellectual property law.
ELIG Gürkaynak delivers the top competition law practice in Turkey with 45 competition law specialists, out of a total of 90 lawyers at ELIG Gürkaynak. In addition to unparalleled experience in merger control issues, ELIG Gürkaynak has vast experience in defending companies before the Turkish Competition Board in all phases of antitrust investigations, abuse of dominant position cases, leniency handlings, and before courts on issues of private enforcement of competition law, along with appeals of the administrative decisions of the Turkish Competition Authority.
During the past year, ELIG Gürkaynak has been involved in over 85 merger clearances by the Turkish Competition Authority, more than 35 defence project investigations, and about 15 appeals before the administrative courts. ELIG Gürkaynak also provided more than 75 antitrust education seminars to employees of its clients.
ELIG Gürkaynak has a significant practice in Turkey focusing on internal investigations and white-collar criminal matters. Among other things, the practice advises clients in connection with Turkish corporate compliance issues under the relevant OECD Convention, FCPA, the UK Bribery Act and Turkish anti-corruption laws. This includes all matters relating to data privacy, employment law, anti-corruption policies and other related aspects of the Turkish legal regime.
ELIG Gürkaynak represents local and multinational conglomerates in M&A projects as well. The M&A team have vast experience and capability in handling multiple and significant M&A transactions, reorganisations, joint ventures and spin-offs. The firm’s corporate team has a solid practice in providing commercial and corporate law services to corporations, advising foreign clients during their entry to the Turkish market, and daily operations thereafter.
Unlike many local firms in Turkey, ELIG Gürkaynak has a recognised and significant practice in media, internet and new media, and telecommunications law. The practice mainly covers domain name disputes, website agreements, movie distribution agreements, internet copyright and internet trademarks, internet-related litigation, regulatory counselling, notice and takedown or judiciary decision enforcement assistance and localisation of telecom agreements and licenses to be signed with carriers.
ELIG Gürkaynak also has a solid track record and knowledge of litigation before Turkish civil and administrative courts. ELIG Gürkaynak is well equipped to handle all types of civil legal disputes before the Turkish courts.
Number of Lawyers: 90
Key Contact:
Gönenç Gürkaynak,
Founding Partner
Tel: +90 212 327 1724
Email: [email protected]
For further information, please visit www.elig.com
Firm contact details:
Çitlenbik Sokak No:12,
Yildiz Mahallesi,
Besiktas 34349,
Istanbul / Turkey
Tel: +90 212 327 1724
Fax: +90 212 327 1725