Erçin Bilgin Bektasoglu

Erçin Bilgin Bektaşoğlu was established in August 2006 by the three name partners, Feyzi Erçin, Burcu Çelikçapa-Bilgin and Dilek Bektaşoğlu-Sanlı. At the time it was founded, the firm consisted of three partners and three associates. In its fifteenth year, the firm now has four partners, ten associates and four trainees.

Feyzi Erçin, Burcu Çelikçapa-Bilgin and Dilek Bektaşoğlu-Sanlı have been working together as a team continuously since 1996. Between 2000 and 2003, they had all become partners at a transport and insurance law firm, which was discontinued in 2006. Having formed the majority of that partnership, they decided to set up their own firm and Erçin Bilgin Bektaşoğlu was established in August 2006 as a litigation firm with a focus on transport and insurance. Since then, the firm expanded steadily, always maintaining its litigation focus. As of January 2012, Sinan Şenol, one of the associates of the firm at the time of its foundation, was promoted to partnership.

Most of the matters handled by the firm are contentious and the focus on insurance has allowed the partners to increase their litigation experience in a variety of areas. Its litigation experience ranges from transport to high profile banking frauds, international trade and product liability claims. The involvement extends to mediation, domestic and international arbitration. All fee earners speak fluent English. Two of the partners and an associate are also fluent in German, as we have a large German clientele. Our offices are conveniently located in Taksim, the centre of Istanbul.

Insurance on both contentious and non-contentious matters is one of the main focuses of the firm. All partners have had extensive insurance and reinsurance experience and act for various Underwriters in Turkey and abroad. The firm provides coverage advice with a broad scope of risks and also frequently acts to defend the Insured. The experience extends to all major types of cover, including property damage, business interruption, third-party liability, D&O policies, product liability, trade credit, fidelity, BBB, kidnap and ransom, terrorism, industrial, commercial and marine risks. Regulatory work is also undertaken. The scope of such work includes, corresponding with the Undersecretariat of Treasury for setting up of insurance bodies, licensing, assisting underwriters in drafting policies and general conditions to be approved by the Treasury and compliance with laws, advising foreign insurers in relation to their marketing within the territory of Turkey.

Aviation is one of the areas Erçin Bilgin Bektaşoğlu is renowned for. The work undertaken covers casualty work, personal injury, cargo claims, regulatory advice, commercial contracts and insurance. Feyzi Erçin leads the aviation team and works very closely with the major London aviation law firms, providing services mostly to the London reinsurance market. He is particularly experienced in claims against airports and aircraft crash litigation. Feyzi Erçin has been a speaker at the IATA Legal Symposium and advised IATA’s local Istanbul offices for a decade.

All partners have extensive experience in dry and wet shipping work. The firm advises on charterparties, bills of lading and related disputes. Partners handle casualty work on behalf of major P&I Clubs, defending significant administrative and third party claims. The firm is regularly instructed in the investigation and handling of major marine casualties, involving fire and explosions, grounding, collisions, oilspills, salvage and general average.

The firm has also seen a significant increase in instructions related to multimodal transport and other logistics services. Transport and logistics department provides legal assistance on contentious and non-contentious matters to both customers and suppliers of the logistics sector. We advise on the structuring and management of carriage by road, multimodal transport, warehousing and terminal operation contracts. Our client profile includes local and international freight forwarders, warehouse operators, port and terminal operators, transport liability insurers, road and rail carriers and corporate clients who operate supply chains. On the litigation side, our experience in the logistics sector covers contractual disputes, recourse actions against sub-carriers and freight forwarders as well as disputes arising from tax and custom liabilities.

Erçin Bilgin Bektaşoğlu has significant expertise in advising foreign buyers, banks and shipyards on shipbuilding, ship sale and securities. Dilek Bektaşoğlu-Sanlı regularly advises banks and financial institutions in all aspects of ship finance and project finance. The finance team, led by her, is continuously involved in major restructuring work and advises leading international banks on the financing of new vessels and yachts.

The firm also advises on drafting and negotiation of all types of commercial agreements including agency agreements, terms and conditions for supply of goods and service arrangements. Burcu Çelikçapa-Bilgin has significant experience in advising on Turkish procurement law, especially in the context of large projects in the defence industry. Energy law is another developing focus of the firm.