Paksoy

Firm Details:
Founding & Senior Partner: Serdar Paksoy
Number of partners: 12
Number of lawyers: 70+
Languages: English, French, German, Turkish

Firm Overview:
Paksoy is an independent full-service law firm in Istanbul, Turkey, focused on helping clients in a wide range of legal areas, cross-border investments, international business transactions, investigations, compliance and disputes. Established in 1997, Paksoy stands today as one of the strongest local legal brands in Turkey focusing on numerous practice groups and sectors. Paksoy has lawyers and specialists from a background of varied sectors and industries, including international accounting and consultancy firms, industry regulators and private practice.

Main Areas of Practice:

-Anti-Corruption & White Collar Crime

-Anti-Dumping, Customs & Trade Disputes

-Antitrust & Competition

-Aviation

-Banking & Finance

-Capital Markets

-Compliance & Investigations

-Consumer Law

-Corporate & Commercial

-Data Protection & Cybersecurity

-Emerging Technologies

-Energy & Natural Resources

-Healthcare & Pharmaceuticals

-Information Technologies & Internet Law

-Infrastructure, PPP & Construction

-Insurance & Private Pensions

-Intellectual Property

-Islamic Finance

-Labour & Employment

-Litigation & Dispute Resolution

-Maritime

-Mergers & Acquisitions

-Privatisations

-Project Finance

-Real Estate

-Restructuring & Insolvency

-Tax & Fiscal Services

-Telecommunications, Media & Technology

Antitrust & Competition:
Paksoy advises on antitrust clearance for M&As, represents clients in filings and negotiations with the Turkish Competition Authority, provides assistance in antitrust investigations and counselling with respect to commercial contracts.
Contact: M Togan Turan, Partner

Banking & Finance:
Paksoy has considerable experience in B&F work advising international and domestic investment and commercial banks, ECAs, borrowers and sponsors on financing projects for major infrastructure investments and other types of lending.
Contact: Sera Somay, Partner

Capital Markets:
Paksoy advises financial institutions, investment banks, underwriters, managers and issuers in domestic and international markets on equity, debt and equity-linked transactions, including initial and secondary public offerings, debt offerings, securities transactions and regulatory matters.
Contacts: Omer Collak, Partner; Okkes Sahan, Partner

Compliance & Investigations:
Paksoy advises clients on anti-bribery, corruption and whistleblowing reviews and assists on investigations carried out by administrative authorities, regulators, tax authorities and customs administration as well as on compliance checks in connection with FCPA and UK Bribery Act.
Contact: Serdar Paksoy, Founding & Senior Partner

Corporate & Commercial:
Paksoy advises clients on general corporate and contracts law and corporate governance issues.
Contacts: Elvan Aziz, Partner; M Togan Turan, Partner; Stéphanie Beghe Sonmez, Partner; Nazlı Bezirci, Partner; Nihan Bacanak, Partner; Serdar Ildırar, Partner

Data Protection & Cybersecurity:
Paksoy advises clients on data protection matters in the context of local requirements and GDPR by assessing databases, preparing policies, notices and consent forms, revising contracts, advising on domestic and international data transfers, and assessing commercial offers, applications and processes to structure them in compliance with data protection legislation. The firm also provides compliance advice on TOMs, and breach prevention and notification.
Contact: Stéphanie Beghe Sonmez, Partner

Energy & Natural Resources:
Paksoy advises global and domestic clients on major projects in connection with concession and license-based energy and natural resources deals and is very active in electricity, oil and gas industries working on a wide range of issues.
Contact: Sera Somay, Partner

Healthcare & Pharmaceuticals:
Paksoy advises clients in the pharmaceuticals, biotechnol­ogy, medical devices, nutritional supplements, clinical re­search and private hospital sectors, from product inception to commercial sale and licensing, on compliance programs (promotion, public procurement) and on M&A transac­tions.
Contacts: Elvan Aziz, Partner; Stéphanie Beghe Sonmez, Partner; Nihan Bacanak, Partner

Information Technologies & Internet Law:
Paksoy advises clients on legal aspects of business procedures digitalisation and emerging technologies including IoT, cloud usage, robotics, AI, blockchain and cryptocurrency. The firm assists clients with implementing new payment systems legislation and its outcomes such as open-banking, structuring e-commerce offers in the digital environment, online customer on-boarding and content management. Paksoy also advises on planning, implementation and supervision of IT projects including outsourcing, licensing and service agreements.
Contacts: Stéphanie Beghe Sonmez, Partner; Sera Somay, Partner

Infrastructure, PPP & Construction:
Paksoy has significant experience covering all aspects of PPP investments such as project contracts, authorisations, public and administrative law, litigation and regulatory framework. Paksoy advises contractors and owners in projects involving construction, operation and maintenance of complex structures, including public structures, mining sites and shopping malls.
Contact: Sera Somay, Partner

Insurance & Private Pensions:
Paksoy represents domestic and multinational players in the non-life insurance, life insurance, reassurance and private pension sectors, advising on sector-specific requirements and regulatory matters, and representing investors on major M&A and bancassurance transactions.
Contacts: M Togan Turan, Partner; Stéphanie Beghe Sonmez, Partner; Nazlı Bezirci, Partner

Islamic Finance:
Paksoy advises conventional and Islamic financial institutions, investors, and corporate borrowers on all aspects of Islamic finance. The firm has been at the forefront of Islamic product development in Turkey, working with all major market makers.
Contact: Sera Somay, Partner

Mergers & Acquisitions:
Paksoy provides advice to clients on cross-border transactions and domestic investments in a wide range of sectors, representing investors from strategic investors to PEs. The firm works on a variety of investment structures including full acquisitions, minority investments, mergers, spin-offs, joint ventures, business transfers and asset deals.
Contacts: Elvan Aziz, Partner; M Togan Turan, Partner; Stéphanie Beghe Sonmez, Partner; Nazlı Bezirci, Partner; Nihan Bacanak, Partner; Serdar Ildırar, Partner

Labour & Employment:
Paksoy provides clients with advice on all aspects of individual and collective labour law, including localisation and drafting employment agreements and bylaws, as well as termination related documentation and outsourcing agreements.
Contact: Elvan Aziz, Partner

Litigation & Dispute Resolution:
Paksoy acts for clients in litigation and arbitration work covering areas of contract, tort, fraud, shareholder disputes, mergers, procurement matters, product liability, employ- ment, competition, bankruptcy and insolvency. The firm appears before civil and administrative courts, arbitration tribunals, tax tribunals and regulatory authorities.
Contacts: Serdar Paksoy, Founding & Senior Partner; Simel Sarıalioğlu, Partner

Project Finance:
Paksoy has extensive experience in project financing, gained through representing the lenders, sponsors, project companies, institutional investors, contractors and operators in various types of projects including power, oil and gas, mining, infrastructure, healthcare and shopping mall projects.
Contact: Sera Somay, Partner

Real Estate:
Paksoy handles a wide variety of real property transactions including all aspects of real estate development projects including joint venture and revenue sharing systems, sale and purchase of property, long-term leasehold contracts, construction loans and leases of residential and commercial properties.
Contact: Elvan Aziz, Partner

Tax & Fiscal Services:
Paksoy provides clients with advice on all types of taxation events on corporate, income tax, VAT and stamp duty as well as transfer pricing, expatriate taxation and international tax structuring.
Contact: Sansal Erbacioglu, Partner