Frequently Asked Questions

The first meeting can be held by telephone, video call or in person. We listen to the facts, review the documents you hold and explain which legal routes are open to you, together with the likely timeline and cost. Having the relevant documents to hand beforehand speeds the process up.

For clients living abroad, meetings are held by video call. A power of attorney can be issued at the Turkish consulate in your country of residence. Correspondence is conducted in Turkish or English throughout, with updates at every stage.

Every significant development — hearings, service of documents, expert reports — reaches you the same day. You also receive regular written updates on the overall position, and you can contact the lawyer handling your file directly.

Once a power of attorney is in place, most hearings are attended by the lawyer. You must attend in person, however, in cases where the judge is required to hear the parties directly — such as an uncontested divorce — and where you are to give evidence.

Fees are agreed in a written engagement contract, taking into account the nature and scope of the work, and may not fall below the Minimum Fee Tariff of the Union of Turkish Bar Associations. The fee is discussed clearly and put in writing before the file is accepted.

No. Court fees, service costs, expert and site-inspection expenses are separate from the legal fee and are paid into the court treasury. These costs may be claimed from the unsuccessful party at the end of the case.

It is the fee the court awards in favour of the successful party, to be collected from the losing party. As a rule it belongs to the lawyer and is separate from the fee the client pays their own lawyer.

A power of attorney can be issued at any notary. You attend with your identity document and provide the lawyer's full name, national identity number and bar registration details. Certain matters, such as divorce and recognition of foreign judgments, require a power of attorney bearing a photograph.

Yes. The relationship may be terminated unilaterally at any time by issuing a notice of revocation through a notary. Revocation does not extinguish the lawyer's entitlement to fees already accrued.

Recourse to mediation is a condition of action in commercial disputes, employment disputes, consumer disputes and certain disputes arising from lease relationships. A claim filed without it is dismissed on procedural grounds. In family law matters mediation is, as a rule, not mandatory.

Appeal is a fresh review of the first-instance judgment by the regional court of appeal, on both the facts and the law. Cassation before the Court of Cassation reviews legality only. The statutory periods for both are strict, and once missed the judgment becomes final.

Yes. The parties may settle at any stage. A settlement can be recorded in a protocol outside court or entered into the record before the judge; in the latter case it acquires the force of a judgment and becomes enforceable.