Gökçe

Gökçe is an independent full service law firm based in Istanbul. Gökçe offers a broad range of legal services to meet the needs of its diverse client base, ranging from rapidly expanding international companies to emerging growth companies.

Established in 2010, Gökçe was founded with a particular focus on providing services for start-ups and in the field of technology law.  Today, Gökçe is recognized as one of the pioneers in the sector and is renowned in the Turkish legal market as “digital business experts.” The firm has experienced exponential growth, both in terms of its team structure and its client portfolio. Over the years, Gökçe has established a strong reputation in digital businesses, enabling it to lead projects encompassing various areas such as information technology law, internet law, financial technologies, personal data protection law, data analysis, telecoms, electronic communications law, digital forensics, and cyber security law,

The firm's stellar reputation has attracted a diverse clientele, including Global 2000 Forbes enterprises, alongside the traditional renowned companies, tech start-ups, and venture capital firms that have been with us since our inception. This growth has transformed Gökçe into a full-service law firm.  Many key clients continue to entrust their technology-related matters to us, a testament to our strong relationships and trustworthiness earned through our longstanding reputation and continued expansion

In 2019, Gökçe became the Turkish representative of Interlaw, a highly-ranked international law firm network.

Main areas of practice
Technology and internet and media: Gökçe’s tech and internet and media team’s reputation is built on delivering commercial and practical legal advice to clients active in the digital sphere in various industries. Team members’ deep understanding of the intricacies of technology involved ensures clients’ commercial interests. Gökçe advises clients on matters of intellectual property, consumer law, e-commerce laws and data protection compliance. Team members frequently provide mentoring to emerging growth companies at leading start-up incubators and accelerators including İTÜ Çekirdek and Endeavor Turkey.

Clients such as Sony, Hilton, Nimo.tv (HUYA), Edenred, Evreka, Trendbox, Figopara, Pixsy, Nely, Spotify, Facebook, McAfee, all widely recognized game changers in their respective industries; and Gram Games (a Zynga company), Masomo and Miniclip, all prominent actors in the e-gaming industry.

Corporate, M&A and venture capital:  The corporate, M&A and venture capital team of Gökçe focuses on smaller to middle-market cross-border and domestic corporate transactions in various industries; advising on a range of corporate issues including drafting and negotiating of all types of commercial contracts, corporate compliance as well as corporate governance issues and M&A transactions. Clients include Farasis Energy (Ganzhou), BBraun, Hilton, WorleyParsons, Palsgaard, Doğuş Holding, Kıraça Holding and Çelebi Holding.

Team members are also highly adept in growth investment transactions and represent founder-led technology companies, from early stage all the way up to growth phase and exit. Gökçe recently advised:

• FIT Solutions (Foriba) founders on the sale of their shares to Sovos, a leading global tax compliance and regulatory reporting software company
• Gram Games, a leading Turkish mobile game company on the $250m acquisition by Zynga Inc
• Four Mobile in the acquisition by Tencent owned mobile games developer Miniclip
• Gameguru on the sale of one of its most-downloaded hyper casual games (namely, Slap Kings) to Lion Studios
• Panoroma Bilisim founders on the sale of their shares to Verifone,  multinational corporation providing electronic payment transactions
• Various emerging growth companies on financing by private equity giants and growth/venture capital investors such as EBRD, IFC, Revo Capital, Endeavor, 500 Startups and Growth Circuit
• Evreka, an outstanding waste collection solutions SaaS company
• Layer, a leading technology company engaged in machine learning operating systems
• Figopara, a major fintech company acting as intermediary for trade finance transactions
• Spirohome, an innovative medical device company
• TraceItUp, creator of a next generation delivery management platform
• V-Count, provider of visitor analytics solutions

Banking and finance and capital markets: Gökçe has extensive experience in banking and finance and capital markets transactions, particularly in project financings. It represents leading Turkish and foreign financial institutions in respect of a large spectrum of financing transactions. Members of Gökçe’s team have been involved in high volume transactions in a variety of forms and experienced in structuring of complex financing models and security packages, drafting, establishment, release and enforcement of such securities. Team members have represented İş Bankası, Vakıfbank, Halkbank, Ziraat Bankası, OdeaBank, TSKB, T-Bank, Fibabanka, Gedik Yatırım, Worldpay, CBH Compagnie Bancaire Helvétique, Bereket Group, Nurol Holding, , Çelebi Holding and Yüksel Holding on various project finance and financial restructuring transactions including energy sector, infrastructure, real estate project financing, acquisition financing and other types of asset financing.

Gökçe  advised Odeabank on a complex refinancing transaction with the full security package of Turkish law and regularly provides legal advice to Worldpay and MBaer Merchant Bank in respect of various banking and capital markets products provided to Turkish residents on a cross-border basis.

Dispute resolution: Gökçe has profound knowledge and experience in litigation, especially in commercial and IP related disputes. Gökçe represented N11(Doğuş), Peninsula Hotels, NRC International, Sovos Foriba, Celebi Aviation, BBraun, V-Count, Alfatek-Mesar, SITA Information, Nimo.tv (HUYA), Figopara, Trendbox, Seacor Holdings on various commercial disputes.

Employment: Gökçe’s employment team advises numerous clients including Alpla, Biopipe, Evreka, Gram Games (a Zynga company), Usla, Yemekhane, Sovos Foriba, Alictus  and various company directors/managers on:

• Termination of employment
• Employment disputes
• Settlement of disputes
• Social Security disputes

Debt recovery and debt collection: Gökçe has a wide practice of debt collection activities including foreclosure proceedings, primarily conducted for high volume commercial receivables of its clients. Gökçe represents Çelebi Aviation, Alpla, FIT Solutions and Seacor Holding, Yemekhane, Geniks Kongre, Özak Global, Pars Güvenlik and B-Braun.

Criminal law and fraud: Gökçe’s criminal law team represents clients in complex criminal law matters in relation to commercial fraud, white-collar, financial, cyber, reconstruction crimes and data protection offenses. Gökçe’s criminal law clientele includes Çelebi Hava Servisi and various high-net-worth individuals in Turkey.