Interview with: Turhan Mergen, Partner

1) What do you see as the main points that differentiate [law firm name] from your competitors?

The vast majority of the professionals included in the ecosystem of our office are senior academics and lawyers who have worked together in many different fields of law for many years. One of the biggest advantages of this long years of working together is the formation of a common language and perspective in approaching client relationships and works.  We enjoy the confidence that our office consists of teammates who, although they have different perspectives, know how to unite at the right point for the realisation of the best interests of the clients.

Although our position in terms of the services we provide to our clients is that of “outside legal counsel”, we aim to approach our clients as if we were an extension of their legal departments at all stages of the professional relationships. We believe that this perspective not only contributes to the internalisation of our clients’ business by our firm but also helps us build a more ‘real’ professional relationship with our clients. In connection with this, we are against the notion that “partner is the final reviewer”; all members of the core team assigned to a project – from partners to legal interns- are equally committed to delivering the client’s goals and protecting their interests at all phases of the work or project we undertake.

 

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

From 2020 until now, we have always talked about the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the commercial and economic new order that will emerge after the pandemic. Now, we are literally experiencing the post-pandemic era and the much-mentioned “new order” is being established very quickly. At this point, it is obvious that the most prominent factor of change is centred on technology. Therefore, we anticipate that the practices related to IT law, data law and electronic commerce law will increase. In this context, we expect that the number of start-ups offering IT and e-commerce solutions will continue to increase at a greater pace, while the mergers and acquisitions will continue, albeit less intensively. Also, considering the economic developments in Turkey, we anticipate that disputes regarding dividend distribution, labour-employer disputes and debt restructuring matters will increase.

 

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

With the awareness that incorporating technology into our profession has become a necessity rather than a choice, we have started to do all our reporting and follow-ups through legal software since the beginning of 2023. We were already using various software, especially in litigation-related works, however we have started to use more advanced software and incorporated legal technology more into our daily practices. This helps us to ensure an uninterrupted and structured information flow with our clients at all times.

 

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

Absolutely. We believe that one of the most significant impacts of technology on the legal profession has been in the field of communication. The replacement of physical meetings that require weeks of advance planning with online meetings that can be scheduled a day or sometimes even a few hours in advance has made client-law firm interaction much more effective. There is no doubt that this situation is favourable for both parties for many obvious reasons.

However, the diversification of legal technology products has also been an important development for both the law firms and clients. Although the legal profession has historically been rather on the traditionalist side, it is an undeniable fact that legal technology needs to be incorporated into law firms’ practices. Both the law firms and independent practitioners must recognise this fact and adapt themselves to this new situation. In this era where data has become gold, the law firms should be able to consult with their clients through data and offer them the opportunity to reach a conclusion, again, based on data. As Diri Sevi Mergen, with the help of various software we use, we can easily consolidate all the data we obtain from the works we do for each of our clients and present them in any form our clients wish. This provides them with a great insight and convenience in terms of structuring their investments and transactions in Turkey.

 

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

As providing value-added services to our clients is the reason of existence of Diri Sevi Mergen, it is hardly an easy task to give a specific example in this regard. However, we always take into account the national and regional developments and uncertainties affecting the Turkish market, from our most routine daily works to the most sophisticated project works we are involved in, and we provide our clients with consultancy services that will enable them to make the right decisions in the long term. In addition, we also advise our clients on good business practices by drawing conclusions from the disputes in which they have been previously involved. Differently put, we do not hesitate to switch to the commercial side and provide advisory services to our clients.

 

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

Stability is undoubtedly one of the most fundamental expectations clients have of a legal service provider. What we understand from stability is to continuously develop and progress in the areas we serve while maintaining the goal of providing the highest standards of service. We believe that only to the extent that this is achieved, will a law firm be able to provide our clients with the benefit of being able to correctly design their business strategies and become a solution partner in the true sense.

As Diri Sevi Mergen, we plan to continue the restructuring process that we started in 2023 as a rational growth. In the next 3 years, depending on national and regional developments, we will grow in a measured manner and strengthen our expertise in many different areas.