Kolcuoglu Demirkan Koçakli

Managing Associate Aslıhan Balcı has significant experience in corporate and commercial law as well as contracts. She advises domestic and foreign capital companies in Turkey across a wide range of industries, including retail, textile, consultancy, audit and chemicals. Aslıhan provides legal advice to clients on restructuring projects, corporate governance-related matters as well as complex shareholder disputes arising from companies’ management and control issues. Among the Firm’s clients, Aslıhan advises leading companies and private equity firms, such as, QTerminals, Turkven Private Equity, Mediterra Capital, TPI Composites Inc, Huntsman, Aptar Group, Cummins, Boyner Group, Bunzl and TOSAF.

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.

Counsel With significant experience in corporate and commercial law and M&A, Begüm İnceçam Kolcuoğlu has been heavily involved in several M&A transactions, including Turkey’s landmark deals. Her M&A experience includes a variety of transaction types, involving joint ventures, public and private companies active in different sectors such as energy, insurance, retail, electronics and financial services. She has been advising multinational corporations, leading private equities as well as local entities, such as Vitol, Petrol Ofisi, Talanx Group, Mediterra Capital, Turkven Private Equity, İş Private Equity, HDI Insurance, Logo Software and Bedminster Capital both in their cross-border and local transactions. In recent years, Begüm advised Vitol, one of the world’s largest energy companies, on its acquisition of Petrol Ofisi, Turkey’s leading fuel products distributor, from OMV AG for USD 1.45 billion; and Talanx Group, a leading German insurance group, on its acquisition of a majority stake in Liberty Insurance, a Turkish non-life insurance company. More recently, she advised HDI Insurance, one of Turkey's leading insurance companies and a Talanx AG subsidiary, on its acquisition of a majority stake in Fiba Emeklilik ve Hayat, a prominent life insurance and pension company in Turkey; Vitol, and its Turkish subsidiary Petrol Ofisi on the acquisition of BP’s Turkish downstream fuel operations; and Mediterra Capital, one of Turkey’s prominent private equity firms, on its partial exit from Uğurlu Balık, a leading sustainable Turkish sea food producer, through a share sale to E20 Investment Limited, which is a well-resourced agribusiness investment company based in the United Arab Emirates.

Partner Bihter Bozbay İnan has significant experience in M&A, joint ventures, corporate and finance transactions. She advises leading private equity and investment firms, such as Turkven Private Equity, Mediterra Capital, MIC Capital, True Value Capital Partners, Oakley Capital, Bain Capital, as well as international and local corporations, such as Doğan Holding, BluTv, team.blue, NN Group, HDI Insurance, Tavuk Dünyası, BioIVT LLC, Elif Holding, Bunzl, Vinmar Group, Vansan, BMS Group, R Vent Medikal, Glasshouse and Clonera Bilişim. She leads the Firm’s M&A team in numerous transactions involving various sectors. Bihter advises clients on all aspects of their investments, from entry to exit and with any add-on investments, both in Turkey and abroad. Bihter also advises on banking and finance projects involving domestic and international corporations and financial institutions, including the Deutsche Investitions-und Entwicklungsgesellschaft, Barwa Bank, İşBank, NEF, Merrill Lynch, Eurobank Tekfen (Burgan Bank), Odea Bank, Garanti Bank, Vakıfbank, Wittur, Landesbank Baden-Württemberg and Samsung C&T Corporation. Bihter’s transactional experience sees her advising across a variety of attractive sectors, including media and entertainment, technology, financial services, insurance, food, healthcare, chemicals, packaging and manufacturing. In recent years, Bihter advised BluTV, Turkey’s first SVOD platform, and its shareholders in connection with  the sale of a minority stake to Warner Bros. Discovery, a global media giant based in the USA,  as well as the subsequent sale of the remaining stake to Warner Bros. Discovery; team.blue on several acquisitions of Turkey’s outstanding hosting and domain name registration service providers; Vinmar International, a global leading marketing and distribution company based in Texas, USA, in connection with the acquisition of several leading Turkish companies operating in chemical industry; MIC Capital Management 39 RSC Ltd, a fund owned by Abu Dhabi state investor, Mubadala, in connection with its investment in Getir B.V. by way of share subscription; Turkven, one of Turkey’s leading private equity funds, on its acquisition of a minority stake in Alterna Gıda, a fast-growing healthy snack manufacturer; and BMS Group on its entry into the Turkish markets, including the acquisition of BMS Insurance Brokerage. More recently, she advised HDI Sigorta, one of Turkey's leading insurance companies and a Talanx AG subsidiary, on its acquisition of a majority stake in Fiba Emeklilik ve Hayat, a prominent life insurance and pension company in Turkey; Mediterra Capital on the sale of its shares in Paycore, a prominent payment services provider, to Param, the largest full-stack payment service provider of Turkey; and R Vent Medikal, a sector-leading healthcare medical device company based in Izmir, and its shareholders on the sale of R Vent Medikal to Plastiflex Group NV, a leading company in the production of tubing systems and components for medical and industrial applications.

Managing Associate Büşra Özden is experienced in corporate and commercial law as well as real estate and construction law, with a particular focus on real estate investment and acquisition structuring, project development, real estate development agreements, construction, design and engineering contracts and PPP contracts, privatization agreements, land concessions, collateral agreements, real estate law, lease law, zoning law, energy law, tourism law and retail law as well as real estate aspects of M&A transactions. Büşra represents both domestic and foreign clients, including banks and financial institutions, private equities, real estate investors, project developers, energy companies, data center operators, port operators, REITs, construction companies, shopping mall investors, retailers, hospitality and leisure companies. Among the Firm’s clients, Büşra advises leading companies and private equity firms, such as Abu Dhabi Ports Company PJSC, Porsche, Merlin Entertainments, QTerminals, Vitol, Petrol Ofisi, Glencore, Karadeniz LPG, Rönesans Holding, Marriott International/Design Hotels, Deloitte, Odea Bank, TPI Composites, Bozzetto Group, Tosaf, Pfizer, VNG Properties, Duracell, Monsoon, Otto Group, Vava Cars, Yu Group, Huntsman Group, Logo Software, Alterna Gıda,  Söke Un, Elba Bant, Losta Turizm, Boston Consulting Group, Turkven Private Equity and Mediterra Capital.

Partner Gökçe İldiri Coşgüner has significant experience in domestic and cross-border acquisitions, with an emphasis on private equity transactions, and advises various sector leader clients in various industries/ sectors, retail, software development, financial institutions and private equity funds, such as Turkven Private Equity, Mediterra Capital, True Value Capital Partners, Clonera Bilişim, BMS Group, Southeast Europe Equity Fund II, Boyner Group, Tavuk Dünyası and Glasshouse. Gökçe has represented various domestic and international clients and private equity funds in connection with the drafting and negotiation of a wide range of transaction agreements, including share purchase, option, pledge, escrow and shareholders agreements. Her M&A experience includes a variety of transaction types involving joint ventures and private companies active in different sectors, such as food production, manufacturing and technology. In recent years, Gökçe advised Mediterra Capital, one of Turkey’s prominent private equity firms, on its exit from Söke Değirmencilik, a leading flour producing company, to the strategic buyer, Ulusoy Un; Turkven, one of Turkey’s leading private equity funds, on its acquisition of a minority stake in Alterna Gıda, a fast-growing healthy snack manufacturer; BMS Group on its entry into the Turkish markets, including the acquisition of BMS Insurance Brokerage; and Boyner Holding, Turkey’s leading retail group, on Param’s investment in and strategic partnership with Hopi, its loyalty and consumer platform.

Partner

Partner İnci Karcılıoğlu has significant experience in corporate law, contracts, joint ventures, capital markets law, compliance and employment law. In addition to providing legal assistance on companies’ operations, she primarily assists international clients on the full breadth of structuring matters related to inbound investments in Turkey, from incorporation to liquidation. She provides advice to clients on shareholder disputes, including minority issues and governance matters. Between 2008 and 2015, İnci was heavily involved in a dispute between the shareholders of a leading telecommunications company listed before the BIST and NYSE, where she advised the company’s controlling foreign shareholder on corporate and capital markets law-related issues. From 2010 to 2015, she was seconded to a major chemicals company on a part-time basis, where she performed the duties of in-house counsel and advised on all legal aspects of the company’s day-to-day business. During her secondment, İnci assisted the client in the pre-trial proceedings of a major patent infringement claim against it in the US, attended depositions conducted in Turkey and coordinated the discovery proceedings. More recently, Inci has been advising the majority shareholders of a USD multi-billion FMCG company, which is among the 100 highest revenue companies of Turkey, in connection with disputes between family members with respect to the company’s management and control. İnci advises clients across a wide range of sectors, including telecommunications, retail, FMCG, audit services, chemicals, education, facility management and IT. She has a growing client portfolio consisting of leading domestic and multinational firms, such as Deloitte, Huntsman, Magneti Marelli, Bridgestone, Eti Girişim, Züber, Duracell, Logo Software, Boyner Holding, Hedef Filo, PERI, Mediterra Capital, Turkven Private Equity, DEWI (UL International), Bozzetto Group, Vansan, Söke Değirmencilik, Bunzl and LR Global Holding.

Counsel

Partner. Melis Öget Koç has significant experience in M&A, energy and infrastructure and banking and finance law, as well as in several other regulatory matters. Melis advises her clients on all aspects of their M&A transactions from due diligence reviews to the drafting and negotiation of a wide range of transaction agreements. She has led several transactions involving target and vendor companies in a variety of regulated sectors, such as energy, aviation, healthcare, fintech, pharmaceutical, insurance, mining, agricultural and nutrition products, as well as in information technologies. She represents various private equity funds and sector-leading clients, such as Hedef Filo, Akemi, Deloitte, Vito Energy, Abu Dhabi Ports Company PJSC, QTerminals, Logo Software, Mediterra Capital, Turkven Private Equity, İş Private Equity, Glencore, ORIX Corporation, Momento and Bedminster Capital. In recent years, Melis advised QTerminals, a leading Qatar-based terminal operating company, on its acquisition of Port Akdeniz, a subsidiary of Global Holding; Mediterra Capital, one of Turkey’s prominent private equity firms, on its acquisition of PayCore, a company engaged in payment services; Glencore, a prominent Swiss-English Company, in connection with its exit from Karadeniz LPG, a company active in the liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) market; advised Momento, a prominent Turkish employee rewarding and customer loyalty solutions provider, on its 50% sale of Momento to Turk Holding, a leading holding company investing in the fintech sector. Most recently, she advised Logo Software, Turkey’s largest software company in relation to its investment in Loki Cyber Security; Logo Technology in relation to the subscription made from TechOne Venture Capital to Logo Siber after its merger with Loki Cyber Security, a start-up focused on cloud-based cyber security solutions.   In addition to her M&A expertise on regulatory sectors, Melis advises her clients on several other regulatory matters, and has broad experience in drafting and negotiating a wide range of contract types depending on the needs of the relevant sector, including the energy and infrastructure sectors. She advises foreign and local companies on their business practices’ compliance with complex regulatory regimes under Turkish law, liaises with related oversight agencies in Turkey in representing her clients with their filings and assists them on their permitting and licensing procedures. She also has particular expertise on financing transactions in the aviation sector, and she has led various projects in this area which involved cross-border financial lease projects. She is experienced in drafting and negotiating transaction documents and handling the registration procedures with the competent authorities in Turkey in the aviation sector.

Competition Law Counsel Neyzar Ünübol leads the Firm’s competition law practice, providing services in all aspects of competition law, such as cartel and abuse of dominance investigations, individual exemption applications, M&As, joint ventures and design and application of merger remedies. She also designs and implements specialized competition law compliance programs for various multinational and local companies and delivers competition law training that is tailored to clients’ needs and the characteristics of the sector in which they operate. She advises various sector-leading clients and private equity funds, such as Duracell, Vitol, HDI Fiba InsuranceLogo Software, SonicWall, Upfield, QTerminals, Gratis, Boyner Group, Talanx (HDI Insurance), ORIX Corporation, team.blue, Turkven Private Equity and Mediterra Capital.

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.

Of Counsel Dr. Okan Gündüz has significant experience in dispute resolution, corporate law, commercial law, contracts law, competition law, employment law, consumer law, public tenders as well as compliance investigations. He has been advising multinational and domestic companies acting in various sectors, including healthcare and life sciences, energy, technology and education. With over 20 years of experience, Okan represents clients in a wide range of litigation matters, including commercial disputes arising from agency, distribution, sponsorship, sale and purchase agreements; unfair competition; intellectual property rights; recovery of large-scale debts; insolvency; product liability; consumer protection and customs fines, as well as employment law disputes and real estate disputes.

Partner Serhan Koçaklı leads the Firm’s corporate and commercial as well as real estate and construction practices. He advises a number of foreign capital companies in connection with their activities in Turkey on a broad range of issues, including joint ventures, corporate law, contracts and employment in several different sectors, including retail, hospitality, aviation, construction, energy, textiles, chemical and metal industries. He has significant experience in establishing/improving corporate governance structures of family-owned businesses by creating mutually acceptable solutions to address the shareholders’ conflicting interests. Among the Firm’s clients, he advised Vitol, TPI Composites Inc, Deloitte, Cummins, Mediterra Capital, Goodrich Corporation (UTC Aerospace), Vinmar Group, Bunzl, TOSAF, Duracell, Dyson, Decathlon, Folkart, RZK Çelik, Actera, Aldiana, Söke Un, LR Global Holding, Huntsman Group, Italferr, Agence France-Presse (AFP), Otto Group, Boston Consulting Group, Hugo Boss, Comau, UN RoRo, SolarReserve, Spotify, Vansan, Fujifilm, Ajax System, Ruhrpumpen, Züber, AptarGroup, Petrol Ofisi, Porsche, Marriott International/Design Hotels GmbH, Merlin Entertainments, Saya Group, Rönesans Holding, Turkven Private Equity, UL LLC, Alterna Gıda, Elba Bant, Bozzetto Group, Pfizer, Yu Group, Odea Bank, Losta Turizm, Advaita Trade, Alexander Dennis Limited, TDC Parsons Peebles Limited, DM İnşaat, Kent Proje Yönetimi, QTerminals, RWE and Abu Dhabi Ports Company PJSC, all of which are leading companies in their respective sectors. He has been advising the majority shareholders of a USD multi-billion FMCG company, which is among the top 100 Turkish companies, in connection with disputes between family members regarding the company’s management and control.   Serhan has a particular focus on the real estate sector, where he advises on all types of real estate transactions. He has a substantive degree of experience in commercial and industrial property transactions with a specific focus on zoning, construction and structuring matters. Serhan has special expertise on specific legislation governing the real estate aspects of complex projects (e.g., development of mixed-use projects, ports, renewable energy projects, port development projects and tourism facility developments concerning the use of treasury/state-owned land). He has assisted a UK-based retail giant in connection with the development and acquisition of approximately 40 sites throughout Turkey for its hypermarket activities in more than 20 cities. He advises major property developers, investment funds, construction companies, landlords, tenants and other parties involved in property development. Serhan lectures on real estate law in various Istanbul-based university certificate programs.

Managing Partner Dr. Umut Kolcuoğlu has diverse experience and comparative knowledge in a wide range of M&A, finance and capital market transactions, as well as international commercial dispute resolution. He has represented leading private equities, multinational and local corporations, financial institutions and borrowers (such as Vitol, Petrol Ofisi, Abu Dhabi Ports Company PJSC, Cosco Group, QTerminals, team.blue, Likewize Corp. (formerly Brightstar Corp.), Glencore, ORIX Corporation, UTC Aerospace (Goodrich Corporation), TPI Composites, Talanx Group, HDI Insurance, VHV Group, BMS Group, Otto Group, Hugo Boss, BioIVT LLC, Bunzl, Deloitte, Siemens, Hyundai Motor Company, Turkven Private Equity, Mediterra Capital, İş Private Equity, Bain Capital, Southeast Europe Equity Fund II, MIC Capital, Bedminster Capital, Boyner Group, Doğan Holding and Hedef Filo) acting in numerous sectors, including energy, financial services, insurance, retail, ports and maritime, aerospace, hospitality, food, electronics, automotive, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, technology, and manufacturing. Umut also acts as expert witness in international arbitration proceedings involving corporate and commercial disputes between Turkish and international parties. He leads the Firm’s German desk. Aside from his legal practice, Umut serves as an independent board member of various companies. In recent years, Umut advised Vitol, one of the world’s largest energy companies, on its acquisition of Petrol Ofisi, Turkey’s leading fuel products distributor, from OMV AG for USD 1.45 billion; QTerminals, a leading Qatar-based terminal operating company, on its acquisition of Port Akdeniz; team.blue on several acquisitions of Turkey’s outstanding hosting and domain name registration service providers; and MIC Capital Management 39 RSC Ltd, a fund owned by Abu Dhabi state investor Mubadala, in connection with its investment in Getir B.V. by way of share subscription. He further advised HDI Insurance, one of Turkey's leading insurance companies and a Talanx AG subsidiary, on its acquisition of a majority stake in Fiba Emeklilik ve Hayat, a prominent life insurance and pension company in Turkey. He recently advised Vitol and its Turkish subsidiary Petrol Ofisi on the acquisition of BP’s Turkish downstream fuel operations; Mediterra Capital on the sale of its shares in Paycore, a prominent payment services provider, to Param, the largest full-stack payment service provider of Turkey; and Boyner Group, Turkey’s leading retail group, in connection with Param’s (a licensed e-money institution offering payment solutions) investment in and strategic partnership with Hopi, Boyner’s loyalty and consumer platform. He has handled restructurings and finance transactions involving leading banks, borrowers, financial institutions, funds and other public and private companies, such as Chailease International, Mubadala, Boyner Group, Samsung C&T, Mediterra Capital, Deutsche Bank, Barwa Bank, Wittur Holding and Wittur Turkey, Siemens, NEF, Tavuk Dünyası, Hypo Real Estate Holding, Deutsche Pfandbriefbank, Royal Bank of Scotland, Putzmeister, X-Trade Brokers, LR Global Holding GmbH, FMS Wertmanagement, Landesbank Baden-Württemberg, Lloyds Bank and Deutsche Investitions- und Entwicklungsgesellschaft Mbh (DEG). He has led the KDK team in the financial restructuring (under the German Financial Market Stabilization Fund Act) of the Turkish component of a portfolio of loans, securities, derivative instruments and other assets and liabilities, having a nominal amount of EUR 173 billion and was the largest transaction of its kind.