Interview with: Levent Lezgin Kilinç, Founding Partner

1) What do you see as the main points that differentiate Kilinc Law and Consulting from your competitors?

There is many key differentiators that set us apart from our competitors. Firstly, our firm’s commitment to delivering personalized and comprehensive legal solutions tailored to each client’s unique needs stands out prominently. To achieve our client-centric goals, we personalize our services through in-depth consultations, aligning client concerns and goals with their long-term objectives and risk tolerance. Additionally, we provide flexible service options, ongoing support beyond legal matters like strategic planning and strong, trusting relationships based on transparency, and collaboration.

Secondly, our team comprises highly skilled and experienced legal professionals with deep industry knowledge across various sectors, from corporate law to dispute resolution, covering a wide spectrum of legal field. We as Kilinc Law & Consulting believe that this enables us to provide comprehensive legal services that address a diverse array of client needs, ensuring thorough coverage across different subject areas and delivering tailored solutions to meet every aspect of our clients’ legal requirements. Thus, in Kilinc Law and Consulting, our 18 specialized departments, staffed with experienced professionals with their strong academic backgrounds distinguishes themselves through sectoral expertise and accessibility.

Another significant point that sets Kilinc Law and Consulting apart is our extensive network throughout the Gulf Region and Europe. With offices strategically located in Qatar, Kuwait, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and London, we are well-positioned to address all international needs and requests of our clients, providing seamless support and expertise across borders. We believe that this is another point that sets us apart, as this network enables us to expedite the process of international connections for the client, introducing them to valuable contacts to foster continuous and stronger bonds.

In this manner, I believe that Kilinc Law and Consulting is a law firm where clients can find personalized legal solutions for both their local and international needs, delivered by experienced and accessible members of our team. We pride ourselves on our clear and effective approach, ensuring that our clients receive the highest quality of service and support.

 

2) Which practices do you see growing in the next 12 months? What are the drivers behind that?

In the aftermath of the devastating earthquake that struck in February 2023, the construction sector is poised for significant growth over the next 12 months. The urgent need for infrastructure reconstruction and rehabilitation presents a prime opportunity for expansion within the construction industry. As communities strive to rebuild and fortify their infrastructure against future seismic events, there will be heightened demand for construction services, particularly in seismic retrofitting, structural reinforcement, and resilient building design. Furthermore, the Energy sector is also expected to experience notable growth in the coming year, driven by various factors including the aftermath of the earthquake and regional instabilities affecting energy prices and supply chains. The seismic activity may lead to increased investment in renewable energy projects, as governments and stakeholders seek to diversify energy sources and bolster resilience against disruptions in traditional energy infrastructure.

Also, regional instabilities may prompt a greater emphasis on energy security, driving investments in domestic energy production and alternative supply routes to mitigate geopolitical risks. Moreover, the effects of regional instabilities on energy prices and supply chains are likely to spur innovation and investment in energy efficiency measures and technologies. Companies may prioritize initiatives aimed at reducing energy consumption and optimizing resource utilization to mitigate the impact of fluctuating energy costs and supply disruptions.

So, the anticipated growth in the construction and energy sectors over the next 12 months will be fueled by a combination of rebuilding efforts post-earthquake, shifts in energy market dynamics due to regional instabilities, and the imperative to enhance resilience and sustainability in the face of emerging challenges.

Defence industry is also a huge economic trend while technological advancements in the sector are at a high speed and export and import rates reached at all time high value. This is why it can also be seen as a growing sector and may create various business opportunities.

Thus, the high demand in the construction and energy sectors, leads the increase in investment intentions and is likely to spur a rise in M&A projects, both domestically and internationally since 8 billion USD worth of M&A deals has already been concluded in 2023. So essentially with the post-election atmosphere as Türkiye entered a new economic positive agenda, growth of economic volume will not be a surprise for these sectors.

This openly shows that Türkiye is a great market for the sectors I mentioned and their potential to grow at a high speed. That is why as companies seek to capitalize on the expanding opportunities within these sectors, M&A transactions offer a strategic avenue for consolidation, expansion into new markets, and diversification of capabilities. So we expect that the growth in both sectors is expected to create opportunities for lawyers, like us, and investors alike, fostering economic expansion and innovation.

 

3) What’s the main change you’ve made in the firm that will benefit clients?

In response to the evolving landscape of legal services, we as Kilinc Law & Consuling undergone significant transformations in 2024 aimed at enhancing client satisfaction and efficiency. One of the foremost changes involves the adoption of cutting-edge technology to streamline our operations and better serve our clients. With this adoption, our goal is to have a more efficient operational procedure that maximizes the ratio of time to cost, ensuring that we achieve a service of value.

Moreover, recognizing the importance of safeguarding client data and documentation, we’ve invested in the development of a proprietary software solution tailored to our specific needs. This innovative platform not only ensures the secure storage of sensitive information but also facilitates seamless access and retrieval, enabling us to deliver prompt and precise legal services while maintaining the utmost confidentiality. These strategic initiatives show our commitment to optimizing our processes to meet the evolving needs of our clients effectively all while ensuring the security and protection of their data

In tandem with our technological advancements, we’ve also implemented strategic changes aimed at further enhancing the client experience and maximizing outcomes. Among these improvements is the establishment of service teams dedicated to providing personalized attention and tailored solutions for each client’s unique needs. This client-centric approach fosters stronger relationships and ensures that every client receives the highest level of support and guidance throughout their legal journey. Also we have invested more to host a variety of academic and networking events to provide our clients with opportunities to connect with professionals from various sectors, and for our colleagues to delve into complex legal topics.

In this manner, with the aforementioned changes, we as Kilinc Law & Consulting aim to optimize our services to benefit our clients in the most efficient and expeditious manner possible.

 

4) Is technology changing the way you interact with your clients, and the services you can provide them

Yes, we as Kilinc Law and Consulting, embrace innovation and technology to enhance the delivery of legal services. We leverage advanced legal research tools, case management systems, and secure communication platforms to optimize efficiency and effectiveness. By staying at the forefront of legal trends and advancements, we provide forward-thinking solutions that anticipate and address our clients’ evolving needs.

Indeed, as technology plays a pivotal role in revolutionizing the legal industry, it allows us to offer innovative services that were previously unavailable or impractical because of its high cost and accessibility. For instance, leveraging emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, we are now conducting legal research with unprecedented speed and accuracy, which enables us to provide more comprehensive insights to our clients.

As Kilinc Law & Consulting, we also leverage automation systems for routine tasks to streamline our workflow, resulting in enhanced efficiency and enabling us to dedicate more time to delivering high-value services. By embracing technology in this way, we are better equipped to adapt to the dynamic landscape of legal services, ensuring that we remain agile and responsive to our clients’ needs.

Furthermore, technology facilitates seamless communication and collaboration with our clients, allowing for quick access to information and timely updates. These advancements not only optimize our internal processes but also enhance the overall client experience by providing greater convenience, transparency, and accessibility, which enables us to reach our goal of maintaining our position at the top of the legal landscape.

 

5) Can you give us a practical example of how you have helped a client to add value to their business?

One notable example of how we added value to a client’s business is our assisting a client performing in energy sector navigating complex regulatory requirements for international expansion. The client, seeking to enter new markets in the Gulf Region, faced numerous legal hurdles, including compliance with local labor laws, intellectual property regulations, and import/export restrictions, as well as negotiation, preparation, and finalization of multifaceted complex SPA and SHA’s.

To streamline the process, our team conducted a comprehensive assessment of the regulatory landscape in each target country. This involved leveraging our extensive network in the Gulf Region and consulting with local experienced solution partners, as well as conducting our own detailed examination. Through this collaborative approach, we identified potential risks and opportunities, allowing us to develop informed strategies for navigating the regulatory environment effectively and prepare related agreements in details and negotiate with the counterparty in conformity with the client’s needs.

We then developed a tailored legal strategy that addressed these challenges while maximizing the client’s competitive advantage. Thus, the client successfully established operations in the region, achieved seamless market entry and ensured compliance with all relevant regulations. As a result, the client was able to expand its global footprint, increase market share, and enhance overall profitability.

We also not only maintained our relationship with the client until the completion of the project, but also strive to expand their networks to create additional opportunities for its investments.

In this context, leveraging our extensive network, we added value on the business of the client in gaining an understanding of the potential challenges they may encounter in the region, facilitated their access to local regulations, ensured compliance, and provided extensive throughout the M&A processes.

 

6) Are clients looking for stability and strategic direction from their law firms – where do you see the firm in three years’ time?

Yes, clients, particularly those with significant operations in the Gulf region, are increasingly seeking stability and strategic direction from their law firms since there is a huge trend of investment to the region for their impressive commercial centers with different kinds of incentives they may offer. or instance, Saudi Arabia has embarked on ambitious investments in the construction and infrastructure sectors as part of its Vision 2030 initiative, while Qatar is poised to become one of the most attractive investment centers in the region. So this is especially crucial in a dynamic and complex environment like the Gulf, where businesses face various legal and regulatory challenges.

This is why we understand the importance of stability and strategic guidance for all of our clients. With the help of our extensive network, I believe that we are well-placed to provide localized expertise and support to clients operating in the relevant region.

In three years’ time on the other hand, we envision our firm as the go-to legal partner for businesses in Türkiye, in Europe and in the Gulf who are seeking stability and strategic direction. We see ourselves further solidifying our position as a trusted advisor, known for our unwavering commitment to our clients’ success and our ability to navigate the legal complexities effectively.

We also believe that with 18 departments staffed by experts in their respective fields, we have the breadth and depth of expertise necessary to address our clients’ diverse legal needs comprehensively. Our firm’s focus on specialization ensures that our clients receive tailored solutions that align with their strategic objectives.

We recognize the importance of maintaining and strengthening these relationships by providing consistent, high-quality legal services and strategic guidance and In the coming years, we aim to further enhance our services, leveraging technology and innovation to better serve our clients’ evolving needs.

We also intend to expand our geographic footprint internationally and especially in the Gulf region, to ensure our clients that we are accessible wherever they may operate.

Overall, we see our firm playing a pivotal role in the legal landscape, where we offer stability, expertise, and strategic direction to our clients navigating the complexities of their investments legal procedures. Through our unwavering commitment to our clients and our relentless pursuit of excellence, we are confident in our ability to continue delivering value and driving success in the years to come.