Legal Referrals & Co-ordination in Türkiye — K&L Global

K&L Global co-ordinates qualified Turkish lawyers for commercial contracts, employment disputes, property, and intellectual property. We manage the workstream, not the legal advice.

What requires a licensed Turkish lawyer

Certain tasks in Türkiye can only be performed by or with the involvement of a licensed Turkish lawyer (Avukat) or notary (Noter):

• Drafting and advising on commercial contracts (sales      agreements, distribution agreements, licensing agreements)

• Shareholders' agreements (Ortaklık Sözleşmesi)

• Employment dispute representation before Turkish Labour Courts      (İş Mahkemeleri)

• Intellectual property registration and enforcement (trademarks,      patents, industrial designs) — through the Turkish Patent and Trademark      Office (Türk Patent ve Marka Kurumu — TÜRKPATENT)

• Real estate title due diligence and conveyancing (Tapu ve      Kadastro işlemleri)

• Debt recovery and enforcement proceedings

• Criminal defence and regulatory investigation defence

• Data protection compliance advice under the Turkish Personal      Data Protection Law (KVKK — Kişisel Verilerin Korunması Kanunu No. 6698)

What K&L Global does — Legal Relations

K&L Global is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice. Our role in Legal Relations is to:

1. Identify what you need: We      assess whether the issue requires a lawyer, a notary, a licensed      accountant, or a combination — and advise on the appropriate route.

2. Refer to the right professional: We      refer clients to Turkish law firms in our network that have experience in      the relevant area. Our referrals are based on our experience of working      alongside these firms; they are not commercial referral arrangements.

3. Co-ordinate the workstream: For market entry projects, legal work (such as a shareholders' agreement or an employment contract template) often runs in parallel with formation and      banking. We include the legal workstream in the project plan and keep it on track.

4. Bridge the language gap: We      communicate with Turkish lawyers in Turkish and translate key points for our English-speaking clients. We do not translate official legal documents      — that requires a sworn translator (Yeminli Tercüman) — but we ensure you      understand the substance of what is being advised.

5. KVKK (Data Protection) readiness: For      companies that process personal data in Türkiye, the Personal Data Protection Law No. 6698 requires registration with the Data Controllers      Registry (VERBİS), a data processing inventory, and in some cases a Data      Protection Officer. We advise on whether VERBİS registration is required      and refer to specialists for the compliance work.

Specific areas of legal support

Commercial contracts All commercial contracts in Türkiye should be in Turkish or in Turkish and English in parallel. We advise on whether a contract needs legal review, prepare an outline of the key points to cover, and refer to a qualified Avukat for drafting.

Shareholders' agreements For companies with multiple shareholders — particularly where one is Turkish and one is foreign — a shareholders' agreement governing reserved matters, transfer restrictions, exit rights, and dispute resolution is advisable. This is a legal document prepared by an Avukat.

Employment law Turkish Labour Law No. 4857 is detailed and employee-protective. Dismissal, performance management, and restructuring all carry procedural requirements. We refer clients to employment lawyers when disputes arise and prepare the payroll and HR documentation to support the legal process.

Real estate See the Real Estate Investment and Rental page for detail on the Turkish property purchase process. Legal due diligence on title is a matter for a qualified Avukat or a licensed real estate lawyer (Gayrimenkul Avukatı).

Intellectual property Trademark and patent applications in Türkiye are filed with TÜRKPATENT (https://www.turkpatent.gov.tr). We refer clients to IP lawyers for these applications. If your business relies on a brand or technology, we recommend securing Turkish IP protection early — before market entry, if possible.