Team – Yarsuvat & Yarsuvat

Prof. Dr. DUYGUN YARSUVAT

Attorney
İHSAN ÖMÜR YARSUVAT

Attorney
ELİF YARSUVAT

Attorney
NURCAN ÇÖL

Attorney
BURÇİN ŞİŞMANYAZICI TUZLACI

Attorney
EMRE DÜZENER

Attorney
DOĞUKAN ÇEK

Attorney
FATMA KURT

Attorney
AYTUN HANER

Attorney
YİĞİT KAYNAR

Attorney
EMİNE NAZ BULUT

Attorney
GÖKÇE İPEK ÖZTÜRK

Attorney
ALİZE SARAÇOĞLU

Attorney
ABİDİN BOZKAYA

CPA
MÜJGAN TARÇIN

Executive Assistant & Client relations
DERYA OKUMUŞ

Executive Assistant & Billing
NEVRİYE FUAT

Accounting
CENGİZ UĞURLU

Accounting
NURHAN ÇAKMAK

Reception & Logistics
RUKİYE BEKTAŞ

Reception & Logistics

Prof. Dr. DUYGUN YARSUVAT

Attorney

(18.8.1937 – 10.9.2021)

Prof Dr. Duygun Yarsuvat was the managing partner of the Firm, and the second generation in a family of lawyers. A graduate of the University of Istanbul, School of Law (JD equivalent and PhD) and Columbia University (LLM), he taught criminal law, penal labor law and media law at the University of Istanbul’s School of Law and School of Political Sciences, and at the law faculties of the Galatasaray University, the Marmara University, Bilgi University and Yeditepe University. From 2004 to 2008, he served as the Rector of the Galatasaray University in Istanbul, which was preceded by a 4 year term as the Dean of the Law School. Between 2006 and 2010 he served as the Chairman of the Association of Turkish Criminal Law (Turk Ceza Hukuku Dernegi). He has also been the Turkish representative for the Association before the Association of International Criminal Law (AIDP).

Prof. Yarsuvat led the criminal practice group of the Yarsuvat Firm. In addition to his reputation of a highly sought after scholar and professor, in his private practice he made a name as defense attorney in various highly publicized, intricate white collar cases, including matters of capital markets law, directors’ liability, cross-border transactions allegedly running afoul of local customs and/or banking laws. His team has been successfully defending CEOs, directors and managers of multinationals in claims arising from their companies’ day-to-day operations. While Prof. Yarsuvat always assumed the role of lead counsel, orchestrating the defense and leading the defensive team, in many cases, as a barrister, he also actively participated in hearings, and personally argued cases before the court.

For three consecutive terms he served as the Chairman of the Galatasaray Alumni Association, and also chaired the Galatasaray Club’s Board of Trustees. In 2014 – 2015 he has been elected as the president of Galatasaray Sports Club and proudly celebrated the team’s championship during his term.

Yarsuvat & Yarsuvat Law Firm will continue to carry out its services in the high standards of ethical conduct, integrity and professionalism that Prof. Yarsuvat set for us.

İHSAN ÖMÜR YARSUVAT

Attorney

Mr. Ömür Yarsuvat leads the Firm’s corporate and commercial practice groups. He is a graduate of the University of Istanbul, School of Law (JD equivalent, 1985) and Columbia University, School of Law (LL.M., 1987), following which he spent the first eight years of his professional life practicing law in New York. In 1994 he returned to Istanbul and joined the Firm. Since then, he worked on matters, which became relevant and in demand in Turkey at any particular point in time.During the 1990’s, as private power opportunities first arose in Turkey, he advised foreign investors in the establishing of one of the first three Turkish private power generation facilities. As Turkey started to re-build its transportation infrastructure, the Firm’s clients took an active interest in various public tenders, which led to several build-operate-transfer projects and concessions in related industries. Mr. Yarsuvat led the legal teams that advised the clients in such tenders and concessions. He developed an expertise in, and rendered extensive legal advice on public procurement and administrative law related to concession rights, and public tenders. As such large-scale projects often require outside financing, Mr. Yarsuvat also assisted these clients in project finance issues.

The concession projects Mr. Yarsuvat worked on require an understanding of multiple disciplines. The most obvious examples of this are investments in the telecommunications, gaming, and transportation services industries. These are often affected by administrative law, commercial law, corporate law, and capital markets law. Mr. Yarsuvat built and led legal teams to satisfy in full the requirements of such intensive projects. He also developed a significant understanding of each such discipline, which allows him to provide his clients with overall advice and team-leading services to oversee, in all legal aspects, the client’s project.

In parallel to his professional practice as a lawyer, for over ten years Mr Yarsuvat taught contracts law, corporate law and introduction to law at the Bosphorus University in Istanbul and for two years international business transactions at the Bilgi University School of Law. In parallel to his professional practice as a lawyer, for over ten years Mr Yarsuvat taught contracts law, corporate law and introduction to law at the Bosphorus University in Istanbul and for two years international business transactions at the Bilgi University School of Law.

Since 2019, he is also serving as the honorary consul of Republic of Ecuador, in Turkey.

Mr. Yarsuvat is fluent in English. Being a graduate of the German High School in Istanbul with an Abitur degree, he also speaks German. He is a member of the alumnae associations of Columbia University, Istanbul University School of Law, and the German High School in Istanbul. As an avid sailor, he is a member of the Turkish Offshore Racing Club where he also served as member of the Board for a two year term. Other memberships include the Istanbul Classic Car Club and the Galatasaray Sports Club.

ELİF YARSUVAT

Attorney

Ms. Elif Yarsuvat is the third generation in the Yarsuvat family of lawyers. She received her law degree from the University of Istanbul, followed by an LLM from the Leiden University. Her post-graduate studies focused on EU law.

Following a six-year tenure at the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, Elif returned to Turkey to join the Firm where she became involved in a substantial criminal law and employment law practice. She currently works on several high profile cases on white collar crime and human rights violations.

Elif has also become the managing attorney for the Turkish subsidiaries of a number of multi-national clients. In this respect, Elif assumed the supervision and coordination of services the Firm renders to such clients in all disciplines of law. She, in particular, oversees the employment law practice group’s work for her clients. Her work currently focuses on employment law, privacy laws and criminal law.

Elif speaks English, French, as well as Italian, as she is a graduate of the Italian High School in Istanbul. In her free time, Elif enjoys classic and jazz music concerts. She is a trained pianist and singer.

NURCAN ÇÖL

Attorney

Ms. Nurcan Col is a senior criminal litigator with over 30 years of expertise. She started her carrier as a trainee judge, followed by a twenty year tenure of judge of criminal law. She is familiar with jurisdictions in Turkey, particularly because of her assignments to several such jurisdictions during her twenty years of judgeship.Following her retirement in 2001, she joined the Tekirdag and Istanbul Bar Associations, and moved on to private practice with the Yarsuvat Firm.

Ms. Col handles primarily white collar criminal cases, involving media law, directors’ liability and environmental liability. Her years as a judge give Ms. Col the ability to understand and anticipate, in the cases which she now litigates, the view from behind the bench. She is very familiar with the practices of public prosecutors and special prosecutors, which, more often than not, has proven to be the difference between a successful defense and otherwise.

Representative clients of Ms. Col include the directors and key officers of the Turkish subsidiaries of various multinational corporations, journalists, professors, high ranking military personnel and researchers.

In addition to her criminal litigation practice, Ms. Col also assumed the role of mentor to many of the Firm’s full time interns and summer associates.

BURÇİN ŞİŞMANYAZICI TUZLACI

Attorney

Ms. Burcin Sismanyazici is a litigator, with a special emphasis on intellectual property matters. She is admitted to practice before the Turkish Patent Office and handles most of the Firm’s trademark and other intellectual property filings. As such, she also oversees administrative and judicial objections and the ensuing legal processes in filing disputes.Ms. Sismanyazici also handled a number of recognition and enforcement cases involving foreign judgments and foreign arbitration awards. Turkish inbound and outbound business has increased substantially over the last decade. With that the number of disputes that are presented to international arbitration or to non-Turkish courts have also increased. These are often between shareholders, investors, co-venturers, or parties in a vertical relationship such as a license, franchise, etc. Burcin has gained considerable expertise in recognition and enforcement requests related to judgments and awards that may need to be enforced against a Turkish party. Because not all States benefit from equal treatment in respect of enforceability of their judgments and awards, Burcin’s expertise is also instrumental in the underlying contract negotiations, with a view to smoothen the enforcement process in case a dispute arises.

A graduate of the Bilgi University, School of Law in Istanbul, Burcin has been with the Firm since her graduation in 2004. She speaks English.

In her free time, Burçin constantly cooks and dreams of being a professional patissier one day

EMRE DÜZENER

Attorney

Mr. Emre Düzener is an associate with the Firm and works primarily on civil and criminal litigation and employment law matters. A graduate of the Bilgi University, School of Law ( LL.B, 2009 ). He is also seeking an LLM degree from the University of Marmara, School of Law. On criminal law matters, he works closely with Dr. Yarsuvat and Ms. Kira.

In his free time, Mr. Duzener enjoys playing soccer. He is a member of the Turkish Criminal Law Association and the Fenerbahçe Sports Club.

DOĞUKAN ÇEK

Attorney

Mr. Çek is a graduate of the French-spoken Saint Joseph French High School (2007) and of the Marmara University School of Law (2012). After completing his discretionary and mandatory internship periods at Yarsuvat & Yarsuvat, he joined the Firm. He is assisting foreign and local corporations, as well as individuals, on Turkish employment law. He handles mediation and litigation of civil law disputes. His practice also includes analysing, drafting, negotiating collective bargain agreements and assist clients in strategic planning of the process.

Beyond the world of law, Mr. Çek is drawn to history and archeology, and engages in travel in pursuit of said interests, in a country which boasts an abundant supply of either interest areas.

FATMA KURT

Attorney

Ms. Fatma Kurt is a senior associate specializing on corporate and commercial law. She received her law degree from Galatasaray University, School of Law as the valedictorian of class 2002. She obtained Turkish Education Foundation (TEV) scholarship to pursue LLM studies at New York University (NYU) School of Law and obtained her degree in 2006. She is a PhD candidate at Galatasaray University, School of Law with her thesis on “Shipbuilding contracts”.

Fatma is combining her strong academic knowledge with her legal practice since 2002. She has worked in the field of maritime law and gained expertise in transportation, logistic and maritime construction contracts. She handled international litigation and arbitration cases involving complex legal issues. Fatma assists foreign investors in various matters, starting from incorporation of the company to their civil and commercial matters in Turkey. Her practice also includes corporate and shareholder issues, energy market regulations and public tender provisions.

Fatma has published articles in legal reviews on following titles: “Prohibition of lex commissoria”, “The Maritime Law provisions in the Draft Commercial Code”, “Builder’s legal mortgage”. She is a co-author of articles, “Translation of International Convention for the Unification of Certain Rules of Law Relating to Bills of Lading, 1924”, “Views and Suggestions on the Commercial Code Draft”, “Efficient Use of Expert Evidence before Specialized Maritime Court”.

Fatma is a member of the Galatasaray University Alumni Association and a mentor at Turkish Education Foundation. She speaks Turkish, English and French.

Fatma, who is a native of Antalya, travels to her hometown whenever she finds the opportunity and dreams of running a small farm and a winery one day up the hills of Antalya.

AYTUN HANER

Attorney

Ms. Aytun Haner is an associate who works primarily on employment law matters. She also works together with the commercial law and real property law practice groups.

Graduated from the Başkent University Law School in Ankara, Aytun was admitted to İstanbul Bar, in 2014. She also studied legal English at King’s College London.

Aytun enjoys travelling to explore different cultures and lifestyles. Her hobbies include dance, in particular, folkloric dance.

YİĞİT KAYNAR

Attorney

Mr Yiğit Kaynar’s primary field of expertise is human rights law. He works as part of the criminal law practice group and has experience in handling criminal law matters with international elements.

As a registered trademark attorney, he handles trademark litigation as well as filings before the Turkish Patent and Trademark Office. Yiğit also advises clients on data privacy matters, including compliance with data privacy regulations.

Yiğit received his LLB (2009) and LLM in Human Rights Law (2010) from the University of Nottingham in the UK. Upon his return to Turkey, he successfully completed the Turkish law equivalency courses and joined the Firm after completing his mandatory intership.

Outside of law, Yiğit’s primary interest lies with music. As a child, he was classically trained in piano at the State Conservatory of Istanbul. He later turned his focus on the electric and acoustic guitar, which remain his passion.

EMİNE NAZ BULUT

Attorney

Ms. Emine Naz Bulut focuses primarily on corporate law and commercial law, with a particular emphasis on M&A transactions. She regularly advises clients for M&A processes in a broad range of sectors, including payment systems, food and software industries. She has experience with handling extensive due diligence reviews and preparation of transaction and closing documents. She also advises the Firm’s local and foreign clients on corporate documentation and filings.

After studying economic and social administration at the University of Strasbourg for one year, Emine studied law at Bahcesehir University. During her undergraduate studies, she attended Jean Monnet University in Saint Etienne, France, as part of the Erasmus exchange program.

As a graduate of Galatasaray High School in İstanbul, Emine speaks Turkish, English, as well as French. An enthusiast of nature and travel, Emine has already traveled to 120 cities in over 25 countries and is planning to discover more.

GÖKÇE İPEK ÖZTÜRK

Attorney

Ms. Gökçe İpek Öztürk is an associate who focuses primarily on real property law and commercial law. She advises the Firm’s client on corporate documentation, as well as dealing with relevant litigation processes.

After studying law at Yeditepe University, she completed her legal internship at Yarsuvat & Yarsuvat. As a graduate of St. Georg Austrian High School in İstanbul, she speaks English and German.

İpek’ primary interest is Latin dances. In her free time, she also enjoys painting and playing ukulele.

ALİZE SARAÇOĞLU

Attorney

Ms. Alize Saraçoğlu is an associate at the firm, specializing in employment law. She provides legal counsel on a wide range of workplace-related matters, offering strategic solutions tailored to multinational clients’ needs.

She earned her law degree from MEF University, where she also pursued a minor in Data Science and Artificial Intelligence, equipping her with a multidisciplinary perspective on the intersection of law and technology. During her academic years, she actively engaged in various student organizations and professional associations, demonstrating a strong commitment to both legal scholarship and community involvement.

Alize completed her mandatory legal internship at Yarsuvat & Yarsuvat Law Firm, where she gained invaluable experience and became an integral part of the team.

Beyond her professional pursuits, she enjoys playing the violin and tennis, reflecting her dedication to both artistic and athletic disciplines.

ABİDİN BOZKAYA

CPA

Mr. Bozkaya is one of the Firm’s cornerstones, having been involved with Yarsuvat & Yarsuvat business for over twenty-five years. A CPA, he is in charge of the corporate filings of the Firm’s corporate clients. He also is the principal contact person for commercial registry and Ministry of Commerce relations. Finally, Mr. Bozkaya is also the Firm’s controller and tax advisor

MÜJGAN TARÇIN

Executive Assistant & Client relations

DERYA OKUMUŞ

Executive Assistant & Billing

NEVRİYE FUAT

Accounting

CENGİZ UĞURLU

Accounting

NURHAN ÇAKMAK

Reception & Logistics

RUKİYE BEKTAŞ

Reception & Logistics