Could you share with us the story of your path to becoming an in-house counsel? What motivated you to choose this career path?

It would be a massive lie if I said it was easy. Being an in-house counsel has been my dream job since my first day at college. To get my dream job, I did what I knew best: work hard. I have reviewed many contracts, especially those reviewed by my older colleagues, to improve my skills, read articles, attended countless symposiums, and collected many certificates.

I started working as a legal trainee in a huge metallurgy company here in Türkiye called Çolakoğlu Metalurji in 2016, during my last year at college. I was thrilled because I had reached my dream job. I could not even explain my feelings on my first day, and then I was sure that being an in-house lawyer would make me thrilled. That was what I wanted to be since college, so this internship proved I was on the right track. I worked as a secondee lawyer in law firms, and now I am an in-house counsel at Koton, a Turkish retail company.

I worked in law firms and companies, and thus, experienced different areas and duties. In the end, working as an in-house counsel, dealing with day-to-day business, makes me feel good and motivates me. Being a part of a giant company, dealing with complex day-to-day issues, and helping them out are the most valuable parts of a lawyer.

I have faced many obstacles, but despite all those things I have been through, I am happy to be an in-house counsel.

In your role as an in-house counsel, what are the main responsibilities and tasks you handle on a day-to-day basis?

I am dealing with day-to-day leasing issues and compliance processes, coordinating with the external law firm, and reviewing contracts or protocols contracts in the company. I work with other departments, especially with the construction department.

What are some of the key challenges you have faced as a rising star in-house counsel, and how have you overcome them?

Every single day has its difficulties and risks for lawyers. I started at this company six months ago. We were dealing with four big projects, and I was involved in all of them. I may not be a junior as a lawyer, but I was brand new in the company. Although I was delighted to be a part of these four big projects, I was scared because I was trying to get used to the company and company processes. However, by staying calm, understanding, and interpreting the processes correctly, we completed three of these four projects. We have closed the signature stage of the last one. I am sure you will learn the good news of Koton very soon. I am glad to be involved in these projects; it is enough to say that I am an in-house counsel.