CMS' Malgorzata Surdek-Janicka has been appointed as Vice-President of the International Court of Arbitration at the International Chamber of Commerce in Paris. Aside from Surdek-Janicka, 33 lawyers from CEE were appointed as members and alternate members of the court.

Havel & Partners has advised Compass Europe on forming a joint venture with Fipol Deniz Araclari ve Turizm Plastik Sanayi Ticaret AS. Ozderin Law Firm has reportedly advised Fipol on the deal.

With entry into force of the "Law on the Amendment of the Code of Criminal Procedure and Some Other Codes" ["Amendment Law"] published in the Official Gazette dated July 14, 2021, the terms in the Administrative Procedural Law No. 2577 [“APL”] regulating the silence of the administration against the applications filed are shortened by half. In addition, some crucial changes were introduced to the Turkish Penal Code No. 5237 ["TPC"] and the Criminal Procedural Law No. 5271.

Egemenoglu has advised the sole shareholder of Esitas Elektrik San. Ve Tic. A.S. on the sale of the entire share capital of Esitas Elektrik to Arteche Instrument Transformers S.L. Herguner Bilgen Ozeke reportedly advised the buyer.

With the most recent technological developments, Artificial Intelligence [“AI”] and related technologies are being deployed by governments and businesses alike in a wide spectrum of sectors. With applications of AI increasing exponentially in every possible aspect of society, there is no doubt an accompanying aspect of risk, which is nearly impossible to measure. In this article, we try to focus on the possible legal ramifications and liability risks associated with AI decision-making.

International trade has grown exponentially, and international trade undoubtedly means international debt collection. Especially, while the number of financially distressed companies is rapidly increasing due to the Covid-19 pandemic, international debt collection has become more important than ever. Debt collection proceedings are in general similar for both Turkish and foreign companies and individuals. Accordingly, this article highlights the significant points on how a foreign company or individual can collect its receivables in Turkey.

Sertac Kokenek has been promoted to Partner at Esin Attorney Partnership, Baker McKenzie’s Turkish affiliated firm.

According to the Turkish Commercial Code [“TCC”], the governing and representative body of a joint stock corporation is the “board of directors” [“Board”]. Board members are obliged to carry out their duties with the due care of a cautious manager and to protect the interests of the corporation in good faith. Board members can be held liable for the damages incurred by the corporation, the shareholders, or creditors in cases where they fail to fulfil their duties arising from the law or the articles of association. [TCC Art.553(1)]

Interim attachment is a provisional remedy under the Enforcement and Bankruptcy Law No. 2004 [the “EBL”] which individuals or legal entities can request for their monetary claims. Thanks to this institution, the debtor’s assets could be frozen to secure due yet unsecured debts, and as a result, the debtor would be forced to pay its debt.

Turunc has advised Lycian Capital Partners on the formation of its regulated private equity fund.

GKC Partners has advised Hepsiburada.com on its USD 780 million IPO on Nasdaq. Morgan Stanley, JP Morgan Securities, Goldman Sachs, BofA Securities, and UBS Securities acted as the bookrunners. Paksoy advised the banks on Turkish law and Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton reportedly advised on US law.

Baker McKenzie and Esin Attorney Partnership have advised Index Ventures on a USD 155 million Series B investment round in mobile gaming company Dream Games. Kinstellar advised Dream Games on the deal.

Paksoy has advised BNP Paribas, HSBC, and TEB Yatirim on Sasa Polyester Sanayi’s EUR 200 million convertible bond issuance. GKC Partners and White & Case advised Sasa on the deal.

Arbitration is usually a more favored dispute resolution mechanism in the international arena compared to national courts for its many advantages, such as cost efficiency, speed, and confidentiality. That being said, an enforcement procedure also needs to be pursued if and when the arbitral award is not performed willingly by the losing party – which is usually the case. Accordingly, if an arbitral award is rendered in a foreign country or it is considered to be “foreign” according to Turkish law [as explained below], a court process will have to be followed for the enforcement of the award in Turkey.[1]

Former Erdem & Erdem Managing Associate Alper Uzun has been promoted to Partner at the firm.

The Turkish Commercial Code No. 6102 [the “TCC”] designates the Board of Directors [the “Board”] as one of the two compulsory executive bodies of the joint stock corporations (in Turkish: anonim şirket) – the other one is the general assembly of shareholders [the “GA”]. Accordingly, the Board is entitled to take all necessary decisions in order to carry out all business and transactions required to perform the company’s scope of activity excluding those falling within the exclusive authority of the GA stipulated by law and the articles of association [the “AoA”] of the company. That is to say, the Board is designated as the main competent body of a joint stock corporation under Turkish law. 

Egemenoglu has advised shareholders Yasar Kucukcalik and Yilmaz Kucukcalik on the sale of a minority stake of Kucukcalik Tekstil to American textile company Standard Textile. Herguner Bilgen Ozeke reportedly advised the buyer.

Capital Markets Board of Turkey [the "Board"] released a public press on February 1, 2021 regarding the issuance of the Draft Communiqué Amending the Communiqué on Tender Offers No. II-26.1 [the "Draft Amendment”] which envisages to make certain amendments to the Communiqué on Tender Offer No. II-26.1 [the "Communiqué"]. In this respect, while some existing provisions will be clarified with the Draft Amendment, the scope of the circumstances which do not trigger the tender offer obligation and the exceptions to mandatory offers will be expanded.