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Know Your Lawyer: Nazif Karatas of Nazali Attorney Partnership

Know Your Lawyer: Nazif Karatas of Nazali Attorney Partnership

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An in-depth look at Nazif Karatas of Nazali Attorney Partnership covering his career path, education, and top projects as a lawyer as well as a few insights about him as a manager at work and as a person outside the office.

Career:

Nazali Attorney Partnership, Partner, 2022-present

Nazali Attorney Partnership, Director, 2017-2021

Private Education Institutions, Lecturer on Constitutional Law, Criminal Law, and Labor Law, 2006-201

Education:

Marmara University, PhD Candidate, 2009-present

Marmara University, LLM Degree, 2008

Marmara University, LLB Degree, 2001

Favorites:

Out of office activity: Traveling and trekking

Quote: “It’s easy to be good, it’s hard to be fair.” – Victor Hugo

Book: Sophie’s World by Jostein Gaarder

Movie: My Father and My Son by Cagan Irmak

Top 5 Projects:

Advising Bosal Turkey on closure, with more than 250 employees, and managing negotiations with the union (2021-2022);

Advising Cargill on its first union authorization and collective bargaining negotiation process by carrying out the company’s best interest in the process (2021-2022);

Advising Duravit Turkey regarding the collective dismissal process of the employees and the execution of this issue before public authorities, upon the decision of the company to cease production in Turkey;

Managing the collective bargaining negotiation processes of Fritolay and Fruko, within Pepsico Turkey (2018-present);

Advising more than 50 large companies located in Turkey, such as Vakko, Eczacibasi Ilac, Ipragaz, or ThyssenKrupp, on the transition processes to the short-time working practice for employees after the closure, reduction, or temporary suspension of activities caused by the COVID-19 pandemic (2020-2021).

What would you say was the most challenging project you ever worked on and why?

Karatas: It was a very difficult period for me and my colleagues when advising our clients as employers regarding the closure decision taken in Turkey due to COVID-19, the measures implemented by the government, and the resulting temporary stoppage of activity in most workplaces, across the country, or the decrease in production, due to the large number of workplaces and workers affected by this process. Considering the size of our clients, the volume of work, and the disinformation about short work, I remember that we had a hard time back then, and we worked overtime to clear our clients’ questions, despite the pandemic.

And what was your main takeaway from it?

Karatas: I learned that we can always encounter unexpected events – and in these situations, it is necessary to take a determined stance, without panic, and by taking calculated risks. I realized the importance of taking all the relevant data into account and then making a decision without delay. Because the worst decision is still better than indecision.

What is one thing clients likely don’t know about you?

Karatas: One of my areas of expertise is criminal law. At Nazali, I am responsible for both labor law and criminal law. However, since I spend a lot of time on labor law projects, I think that the clients I work with may not know about my criminal law expertise.

Name one mentee you are particularly proud of.

Karatas: I am especially proud of Zeynel Sahin. After his university education, he could not find what he wanted in business life. I mentored him and provided direct support on Constitutional law, Criminal law, and Labor law trainings, to prepare him for the exams. He first became a Social Security Inspector, then took the exams and became a Tax Inspector.

What is the one piece of advice you’d give yourself fresh out of law school?

Karatas: I would advise that young man to pursue his dreams without giving up, without fear of making mistakes and failure.

This Article was originally published in Issue 9.8 of the CEE Legal Matters Magazine. If you would like to receive a hard copy of the magazine, you can subscribe here.

Nazali Tax & Legal at a Glance

NAZALI offers a broad range of services in the fields of Tax, Audit, Corporate and Commercial Law, Mergers & Acquisitions, Corporate Finance, Banking, Finance and Capital Markets, Protective Legal Services and Dispute Resolution, Personal Data Protection and Privacy, Social Security and Labor Law, Occupational Health and Safety, Competition Law, Intellectual Property Law and R&D, Compliance and White-Collar Crimes, Administrative Law, Real Estate Law, Customs and Foreign Trade, Accounting and Payroll, Financial Incentives and Advisory Services and Public Administration and Compliance through its partners, associates and consultants of different seniorities who have both public and private sector experience.

What sets NAZALI apart from others is that NAZALI offers a truly comprehensive service to its clients with experts from different disciplines working collaboratively as a team under one roof enabling us to evaluate all dimensions of legal matters together with financial and technical matters.

The services that NAZALI provides to its clients include the most appropriate solution with the support of technical departments specialized in their fields. In this context, NAZALI associates are supported by NAZALI technical team and work alongside the experts in the fields of finance, social security and customs matters. NAZALI has set out with the aim of providing the most efficient and comprehensive solution for its clients by adapting to the developing conditions and happily gained the trust of its clients by never compromising the quality of service.

As conditions continuously evolve, NAZALI always aims to further itself remaining true to its motto “GROW WITH KNOWLEDGE” and has set out with the aim of providing the most efficient and comprehensive solution for its clients by adapting to the developing conditions and happily gained the trust of its clients by never compromising the quality of service.

Firm's website: http://www.nazali.com