Dispute resolution

Mesut Çakmak’s practice focuses on advising clients on local and international commercial and financial transactions and disputes, involving, among others, strategic sectors such as power, oil & gas, mining, transportation, defense and public health. He has represented lenders and sponsors in the development and financing of many major projects in these sectors, including recent large scale PPPs in Turkey. Mesut’s practice also extends to the representation of his clients in mergers and acquisitions, banking and capital markets transactions in the aforementioned sectors. Mesut is also a recognized legal expert in local and international arbitration as well as administrative and commercial litigation. He has represented clients before local and appellate courts in highly complex disputes relating to corporate law, construction law, company law, contractual conflicts, product liability, tax litigation, and regulatory and administrative law matters. Mesut has also represented investors in international arbitrations pursuant to various arbitral procedures, including ISTAC, ICC and ICSID rules.

Founder and Senior Partner

Founding Partner

Partner

Managing Partner

Partner Okan Demirkan has significant experience in arbitration and litigation, energy and infrastructure, ethics and compliance. Okan has been heavily involved in arbitration proceedings concerning major infrastructure projects and has successfully represented several international clients as well as local entities, both in institutional and in ad hoc arbitration proceedings concerning disputes arising from build-operate-transfer (BOT) model investments, share purchase agreements, shareholders agreements, EPC contracts, sales contracts and licensing contracts. With significant experience of more than 20 years in international arbitration, he has been extensively involved in numerous ICC, DIS, SAC, LCIA, ISTAC and UNCITRAL arbitration proceedings where he serves as counsel, arbitrator or expert witness. He also regularly acts as presiding arbitrator, sole arbitrator or co-arbitrator in institutional as well as ad hoc arbitrations. He is also a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (FCIArb) and the Swiss Arbitration Ambassador to Turkey. In addition to international arbitration, Okan represents domestic and international clients in a wide range of litigation matters, including commercial disputes, employment-related disputes, intellectual property claims, administrative disputes, enforcement and set-aside lawsuits, as well as criminal proceedings in relation to white-collar crimes at all levels of the Turkish courts. Between 2004 and 2010, Okan was extensively involved in all legal issues surrounding the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan Crude Oil Pipeline Project (BTC), where he played a key role in regulatory, real estate and litigation issues. In addition to BTC, Okan has advised clients in connection with the Nabucco Gas Pipeline and the Samsun-Ceyhan Oil Pipeline. In 2011, Okan took an active role in the Shah Deniz Stage 2 Natural Gas Sales Project, where he led the KDK team advising on the project’s legal structure in Turkey, including intergovernmental agreements, Turkey’s natural gas market legislation and on related commercial and public international law matters. In 2012, Okan led the KDK team in the Firm’s key role in the Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline Project (TANAP). In this multibillion-dollar project, the KDK team drafted the Host Government Agreement and negotiated it along with the Intergovernmental Agreement. Okan Demirkan is a prominent figure in the area of ethics and compliance. He has conducted several investigations related to various regulatory and anti-bribery / anti-corruption allegations. Among the Firm’s clients, he represents various leading individuals, multinational and domestic companies, such as Fatih Terim and the Terim Family, Porsche, ArcelorMittal RZK, Hepsiburada, DHMI (Republic of Turkey, General Directorate of State Airports Authority), Bahrain Middle East Bank, Bedeschi, Coca Cola İçecek, Deloitte, OMBI SRL, XCMG, Dikey Vitamin, Liebherr, SOCAR AQS, Transamine, AS Mintos Marketplace,  Mak 4 You, X Trade Brokers, Atlas Ship Supply, Abdi İbrahim, Agence France-Presse, Alsim Alarko, Arempa, Galatasaray, Gates Corporation, Global Founders Capital, Hinduja Bank, Inveon, LR Health & Beauty Systems, Marelli, Mitsubishi Corporation, Odea Bank, Oliver Samwer, RAY Sigorta, Roxcel, Ströer SE, Terumo Europe, Upfield, VHV Allgemeine Sigorta, Vinmar and Vossloh AG.

Partner

Ayşe Hergüner Bilgen is one of our firm’s founding partners and oversees our Dispute Resolution, Intellectual Property, and Employment & Labor practice groups. Ms. Hergüner Bilgen is one of the most well-respected names in Turkish litigation, and is known for her resolute composure and ability to develop practical real-world solutions for complex disputes. Her experience spanning a term of over forty years and her level of acquaintance with Turkish court procedures continuously prove to be a key asset during complex dispute proceedings touching upon multiple practice areas. Her experience also covers settlement proceedings occurring during and outside of court proceedings. She represents foreign and domestic clients who are confronting a wide range of legal issues, primarily involving commercial and administrative litigation, tax litigation, bankruptcy and enforcement, family disputes, labor disputes, as well as criminal investigation and defense.

Partner and Head of Dispute Resolution

Elif specializes in dispute resolution and provides legal assistance to clients at every step of the dispute resolution process. She has a particular focus on administrative, employment and commercial law disputes in Turkey that also have international elements and represents both domestic and international clients in a wide range of litigation matters. She assists clients in various fields such as construction, power plants, energy investments and wholesale trade. Elif has been involved in a number of significant cases and arbitration proceedings for many high profile clients and has also led several employment disputes at the mediation and settlement stages. She is also experienced in enforcement actions and collection proceedings.

Partner

Partner, Head of Litigation

Partner

Founder

Partner

Partner and Mediator

Counsel Begüm Biçer İlikay has strong experience in dispute resolution, compliance and investigations. Begüm represents domestic and international clients before the Turkish Courts, execution offices and other public authorities in a wide range of litigation matters, including commercial and corporate-related disputes, employment-related disputes, administrative lawsuits, enforcement lawsuits, criminal proceedings in relation to white-collar crimes as well as execution and bankruptcy proceedings. She also provides Turkish law advice in connection with disputes pending before foreign courts. In the past years, Begüm has been extensively involved in major intra company disputes arising from SPA and SHA provisions. She has vast experience in execution and bankruptcy proceedings as well as enforcement of foreign court judgments and arbitral awards. Begüm is also experienced in advising on the compliance of clients’ business practices with local and international anti-corruption and anti-bribery regulations and conducting internal investigations. She was involved in several major investigation processes. Among the Firm’s clients, she represents various leading individuals, multinational and domestic companies, such as Fatih Terim and the Terim Family, ArcelorMittal RZK, Hepsiburada,  QTerminals, SOCAR AQS, Coca Cola İçecek, Accessorize, Abalıoğlu Holding, Dikey Vitamin, AS Mintos Marketplace, Ströer SE, Mitsubishi Corporation,  LR Health & Beauty Systems,  Vinmar,  Gates Corporation, Alsim Alarko, Global Founders Capital, Oliver Samwer, Turkven Private Equity, Terumo Europe, Trabzonspor, Gano Excel, Nolan Group, Roxcel, Odea Bank, Rapro Kimya, Huntsman, VHV Group and PVcase. Begüm co-leads the actions of the Firm's French Desk together with Okan Demirkan.

Managing Associate

Managing Associate Asena Aytuğ Keser has been with the firm since 2011 and is a managing associate. Her practice focuses on dispute management; business crime and anti-corruption; employment; insurance and reinsurance; administrative, tax and regulatory and construction and real estate. Asena advises and represents both national and international clients in various commercial and corporate disputes before courts and arbitral tribunals, including high profile compensation cases, M&A and shareholders disputes, real estate and construction disputes and enforcement of foreign court judgments and arbitral awards. She has a specific focus on business crimes and she handles various disputes where the dispute contains the application of both civil and criminal law principles.  Asena also represents many clients in regulated markets and her experience in dispute management also expands to administrative and tax law related disputes. She is also experienced in employment law. She provides consultancy and represents clients in relation to a wide range of employment law issues including preparation and negotiation of employment contracts, terminations, personnel management, reemployment and unjust competition actions. Combining her experience in dispute management with insurance law, Asena focuses on the litigation aspect of the firm’s insurance & reinsurance practice. She represents and advises many clients in both local and London insurance market, loss adjusters, international law firms and brokers for handling and management of disputes concerning various types of insurance, carrying out settlement processes, assessment of claim amount and liability of respected parties as well as of policy coverage.

Executive Lawyer