Legal Advice in Turkey: A Guide for Clients Abroad

Start with the decision you need to make

Useful legal advice begins with a concrete decision: whether to sue, respond to a claim, buy property, accept an estate, negotiate payment or recognise a judgment. Give the lawyer a dated chronology and say what outcome you need. A document review, an initial consultation and full litigation representation are different instructions. Describe any hearing, served notice or contractual deadline at the outset. A first conversation does not replace a filed response or an application to the competent authority.

Which country’s law and which court?

Nationality, habitual residence, the asset’s location and contractual jurisdiction provisions can point in different directions. Turkish private international law, including Law No. 5718, determines applicable law and international jurisdiction where a foreign element exists. The fact that one party is Turkish does not settle every question. A Turkish lawyer can address the Turkish part of the matter; independent advice abroad may be needed to determine whether a Turkish order can be used there. For an inherited Turkish apartment, distinguish succession, title registration and tax. For a foreign divorce, distinguish civil status from enforcement of maintenance.

Choose the relevant procedure

The appropriate starting point might be a family court, a civil court, an enforcement office, a trade registry, a land registry or an administrative authority. A demand letter is different from an enforceable payment order. A mediation prerequisite may apply to a proposed commercial money claim. A legal review of a sale contract does not itself transfer ownership. Ask the lawyer to identify the legal route, its prerequisites and the evidence still needed before budgeting for a case. If proceedings already exist, provide the complete file number and all served documents rather than an isolated screenshot.

Prepare a useful document bundle

Organise contracts with annexes, invoices, payment records, correspondence, official notices, judgments and available registry documents by date. State where each foreign document was issued and whether an original or a certified copy is available. A foreign judgment may need proof of finality and service in addition to authentication. Explain name changes or conflicting transliterations early. The lawyer should first determine what the receiving authority requires before you order translations or certification. Foreign public documents may use an apostille where the Convention applies, or another legalisation route where it does not.

Authority and working from abroad

A consultation can often begin remotely. Acting before Turkish institutions usually requires suitable authority, and some acts need specific powers or a particular notarial form. Review the proposed wording before a consular or foreign-notary appointment. Check which originals must reach Turkey and who will handle translation. Personal attendance is sometimes required; notably a lawyer’s authority does not replace the spouses’ personal hearing in an uncontested divorce under Article 166/3. Agree how reports and important decisions will be communicated, and identify the time zones for calls and filing instructions.

Understand fees and costs by stage

Ask for a written scope covering initial review, negotiation, mediation, first-instance proceedings, enforcement and any appeal separately. Professional fees, applicable taxes, court charges, experts, translation, international service and travel are different items. A case value can affect charges; an estimate should therefore state its assumptions. Do not assume that recovery of costs from the other side will reimburse every amount you pay. If settlement occurs early, the fee agreement should explain the effect. Payment for advice buys defined professional work; it is not a promise that a court or registry will accept the position.

Example: an unpaid invoice from a Turkish customer

An overseas supplier sends the signed contract, delivery evidence, invoice, due date and correspondence acknowledging the balance. Counsel checks the debtor’s correct legal identity, governing law, jurisdiction, limitation and whether there is a dispute about performance. The proposed route might involve negotiation, enforcement or a commercial claim after any required mediation. If the debtor objects to an ordinary payment order, a further remedy has its own requirements and deadlines. The supplier can then make an informed decision based on evidence, costs and collectability instead of treating the invoice alone as a guarantee of recovery.

Contact and professional identity

Turkey Legal’s professional contact is Av. Murat Adar, with an office in Bağcılar, Istanbul and the supplied Istanbul Bar registration number 21499. Use the official bar directory to verify the identity of the lawyer you propose to instruct. A website offered in several languages does not establish that every language is personally spoken by that lawyer or that the office is licensed in another country. Agree the consultation language and whether interpretation is needed. For an initial enquiry, state your country, issue and nearest deadline; the contact number works with the international +90 country code.

Questions about this procedure