D&D was established in Istanbul by Yagiz Ali DAGLI and Prof. Dr. Ugur ALACAKAPTAN and has enjoyed a constant growth since then, with an accelerating phase in recent years which led to a strong increase in the number of employed lawyers and associated counsels as well in the diversification of its fields of specialization.
D&D has an outstanding reputation for its high quality service to (mainly Turkish, English, French and Italian) clients of EUROPE, ASIA, AMERICA, as well as within TURKEY.
At present, D&D consists of three partners and more than twenty associate lawyers, counsels and paralegals. All lawyers have diverse backgrounds, training and experience and are at least bilingual.
D&D is one of the most prestigious law firms in Turkey. The firm is recommended by several domestic and international institutions and consulates in Turkey and abroad.
D&D's main object is to provide creative, practical advice at the highest quality of level based not only on the strong legal background, but also on understanding the client's businesses and needs, an the industries in which they operate. The result: creative, prompt and satisfactory solutions and full-legal service to its clients.
At D&D, clients can have access to their contact at the firm at any time, day or night, for routine legal matters or complex matters requiring customized problem-solving.
On a case-by-case basis, D&D's lawyers also cooperate with national and international correspondent law firms, auditors, tax advisers, bankers, brokers, management consultants, etc. Through this approach that aims to meet all needs for complementary services, D&D has inevitably become one of the well - known addresses among its present or potential clients in TURKEY.
D&D advises on most areas of law, from merger and acquisitions, to arbitration cases, to property transactions, to all kind commercial law cases.
AREAS OF PRACTICE
MERGERS & ACQUISITION AND JOINT VENTURE:
D&D's lawyers provided legal advice and assistance on mergers and acquisitions including due diligence investigations, leverage and management buy-outs, joint ventures, restructurings. Transactions involved also include, tender offers, restructurings, spin-offs, leveraged buy-outs, and "going-private" transactions. D&D's lawyers are experienced in representing sellers, international buyers, investors, investment banks and commercial banks in all kinds of mergers & acquisitions and joint venture transactions.
The transactions in which D&D's lawyers involved are multi-jurisdictional in nature. Accordingly, mergers and acquisitions lawyers are adept at coordinating the requirements of corporate and securities laws, stock exchange rules and other regulatory regimes in multiple jurisdictions in order to successfully implement transactions.
CORPORATE AND COMMERCIAL LAW:
Corporate and commercial law is one of the most important practices of D&D. The team constitutes the core of the firm as a whole, and their skills and expertise are enjoyed in each of the firm's practice areas.
D&D's corporate and commercial lawyers advise clients on a complete range of business law matters. Typically, in addition to providing general advice, each lawyer has expertise in one or more specific areas of business law such as business organization, commercial transactions, corporate governance and administration, winding-up procedures and re-organization of company structures, contract law, corporate liability, securities law, and divestitures, domestic trade and international trade, competition law.
D&D's expertise is applied over a broad range of regional, national and international economic sectors including technology, natural resources and energy, finance, manufacturing, communications, transportation, agency and distribution, retailing, franchising, leasing, media and entertainment, and professional services.
D&D drafts for its international and local clients, loan agreements, sale and purchase agreements, license agreements, share purchase and sale agreements, shareholders agreements, service agreements, license agreements, franchising agreements, distributorship and agency contracts, revenue sharing agreements, management agreements, liability agreements, outsourcing agreements, project and turn-key agreements, confidentiality agreements etc.
BANKING AND FINANCE LAW:
Using its extensive experience of working with Turkish and international banks and other financial institutions, international borrowers and lenders, D&D provides a comprehensive and detailed service.
In this context D&D's banking and finance team provides constructive advice and solutions enabling clients to achieve their commercial objectives. The services provided include secured and unsecured lending, structured finance and acquisition finance, operating and term loan facilities, BO and BOT projects and contracts, project financing, lending documentation, portfolio acquisitions and disposals, renegotiation and restructuring of debt, letters of credit and other aspects of import/export financing, guarantees and security on real and personal property for debt obligations
D&D is experienced in the insolvent Turkish Banks' Non Performing Loan Sale organized by the Savings Deposit Insurance Fund of Turkey and examined the commercial loan portfolio of the bank for its foreigner clients. Within this context, D&D has also conducted due diligence investigation and prepared a due diligence and risk analysis report
AVIATION LAW:
D&D provides legal advice and assistance to a number of national and international airline companies and operators, aviation support companies.
The team has particular experience in insurance, supply maintenance and repair contracts, leasing and sub-leasing contracts, aircraft acquisition and aviation litigation.
Aviation law services include:
- sale and purchase of new and used aircraft including commercial jets, light aircraft and helicopters
- leasing arrangements
- sale, purchase and leasing of aircraft engines and avionics
- aviation contract review, tender responses and MRO agreements
- aircraft and engine repossession
- crash and disaster recovery
- insurance and liability issue
- engine transportation and storage
- aircraft decommissioning and environmental issues
MARITIME AND YACHT LAW:
D&D's lawyers represent domestic and international interests in virtually all areas of Marine and Yacht law and offer one of the most diverse ranges of maritime-related legal services in the country and have the depth and experience to handle the full spectrum of legal issues that may arise.
D&D's clients include ship owners and charterers, yacht builders and owners, brokers, shipyards, marinas, repair facilities and ship agents.
D&D advises clients in maritime transactions, litigation, vessel sale and purchase agreements, charter parties, terminal agreements, tonnage contracts, bills of lading, crew issues, vessel arrests, salvage, tug and tow, vessel financing and other commercial transactions.
D&D provides legal service on yacht transactions and yacht construction agreements and litigation.
Ms. Berna Akkor, who is one of the partners of the Firm and head of the team, represents yacht buyers in their contracts with yacht dealers and manufacturers, and assists them in the various sales and use tax issues that can arise from yacht purchases.
LITIGATION
D&D's seasoned experience in the field of litigation and procedural law has been acquired through years of elaborate work representing clients in complex high profile litigation cases. Lawyers in this group represent domestic and international clients in court/execution proceedings and out-of-court restructurings throughout Turkey.
D&D has a specialized group of litigators with bankruptcy experience who provide advice and representation to clients in a variety of bankruptcy and insolvency-related cases.
D&D expertise in the field includes:
- representation before civil and administrative courts
- bankruptcy and insolvency
- commercial disputes
- recognition of foreign court decisions and their enforcement in Turkey.
- administrative and constitutional matters
- environmental liabilities
- products liability claims
- disputes relating to corporate governance, shareholder rights, etc.
- corporate securities and financing
- competition law
- construction and engineering
- creditors' remedies and collections
- forestry, mining, oil and gas and other natural resources issues
- health law and personal injury cases
- taxation
- media law
- labor and employment law matters
- real property and land use disputes
- maritime and aviation law
- intellectual property and high technology issues including copyright, trademark, patent, know-how and industrial design-related matters
- transportation law.
ARBITRATION AND ALTERNATIVE DISPUTE RESOLUTION:
D&D seeks to provide its clients with practical and creative dispute resolution strategies, and to implement them on a timely and cost-effective basis. Lawyers are experienced in negotiation, arbitration and litigation and assisting clients in resolving commercial disputes.
D&D has an effective practice on national and international commercial arbitration, including trial advocacy practice representing national and international parties under the Rules of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), United Nations Commission for International Trade Law (UNCITRAL), London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA) and American Arbitration Association (AAA) or other arbitral institutions.
CRIMINAL LAW:
D&D has a remarkable reputation in handling criminal cases, such as corruption cases in banking, land, trading, business, etc.
D&D is the member of the International Criminal Law Association and the Turkish Criminal Law Association that was founded by Mr. Yagiz Ali Dagli, who is the managing partner of D&D. Mr. Yagiz Ali Dagli especially, has deserved remarkable reputation on criminal law involved in many critical investigations and prosecutions in and outside of Turkey.
The team exercises its best efforts to serve the clients in the legal proceedings from Courts of First Instance up to the Court of Appeal, also in Police Departments and Public Prosecutor Offices for criminal procedures.
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY LAW:
D&D provides legal assistance in domestic and international clients' all range of intellectual property issues with respect to software, know-how, trademarks, patents, licenses, trade secrets, copyrights, domain names etc.
D&D is involved in all aspects of patent and trademark registration with the Turkish Patent Institute, in Europe with WIPO.
With the improvement of information technologies, a new area and its issues have appeared and often fall beyond law that require lawyers to be further specialist on. Because of such inherent technological characteristics of many Internet and E-Commerce matters, D&D provides full range of legal services on e-commerce issues including online contracting, advertising, intellectual property rights as well as privacy rights also covering the EU rules and regulations.
FAMILY LAW:
D&D concerns with these matters then provide services from divorce proceedings to inheritance proceedings.
D&D provides specialized services in this field under the management of Mr. Arif Sarikaya, who is one of the partners of the firm. Strong emphasis is put by the team on peaceful settlements, as allowed in specific cases. Lawyers provide advice to clients in a wide variety of family law matters including the following areas:
- divorce and separation proceedings
- divorce agreements
- inheritance agreements and proceedings
- custody and access disputes
- division of matrimonial assets
- adoption proceedings.
LABOR AND EMPLOYMENT LAW:
D&D lawyers advise their clients on all matters relating to employment and labor law, both contentious and non-contentious. They represent clients in unlawful dismissal claims before courts, and in drafting and interpreting employment and service contracts.
Lawyers advises employers in all aspects of labor and employment law including labor relations, collective bargaining, wrongful dismissal advice, pension and benefits litigation, employment standards, employment equity, workers' compensation, non-competition matters, privacy issues and business immigration.
D&D lawyer prepares necessary documentation and expedites required applications with regulatory bodies of the Ministry of Labor in order to obtain work permit for foreigners.
Mr. Gultekin Özdener, who is one of the partners of the firm and the head of the team, attended to some conferences as speaker on various labor and employment topics and his newsletters were published at various legal magazines.
REAL ESTATE LAW:
The Real Estate Practice of D&D reflects the strength and diversity of the firm. Lawyers have years of experience in providing practical advice to clients in real estate transactions. With this experience, D&D is able to assist its clients with timely and efficient solutions on how best to structure all aspects of the acquisition, financing, subdivision, development, leasing and sale of real property.
D&D's real estate services include:
- acquisition, development, leasing and sale of shopping centers, office buildings, industrial and warehouse projects, single family homes projects and condominium units
- government incentives for hotel projects
- negotiation of leases on behalf of both tenants and landlords
- preparation of real estate lease contracts
- real estate proceedings
- development financing for lenders (and borrowers) on all types of real estate projects
- the structuring of real estate investment companies
- consultancy services for real estate tenders by government authorities and municipalities.
- negotiation with regulatory authorities and environmental consultants in respect of real estate matters
TAX LAW:
The Tax Practice provides strategic tax planning advice and representation on a variety of complex transactions for domestic and foreign corporations, partnerships and individuals. D&D cooperate also with international tax planning institutions and consultants in order to provide more efficient legal service to its clients that invest outside of Turkey.
D&D intervenes in conflicts between tax payers and internal revenue services in cooperation with certified public accountants and financial advisors: corporate and income tax, value added tax, export and import duties, stamp duties, tax returns, tax evasion litigation, tax issues related to corporate and commercial transactions etc.
D&D's lawyers monitor developments in tax legislation and policy that affect its clients and endeavor to keep them informed about significant changes.
MILITARY JUSTICE:
D&D provides legal and administrative advice on all matters of Turkish military justice system. This service includes, but not limited to
- Military service
- Military crimes.
- Military obligations.
- Delay of military service.
- Military service exemptions.
- Military administrative law.
- Code of Conduct.
- International Humanitarian Law.
D&D lawyers are regularly invited to several international institutions, such as Turkish Peace for Partnership Center, NATO Defense Against Terrorism Center and NATO School to attend several conferences and seminars as guest speakers on above-mentioned areas of practice and International Human Rights Law.
FOREIGN INVESTMENT IN TURKEY:
D&D has an outstanding reputation for its high quality service to foreigner companies and real persons that wishes to doing business in Turkey and establishing a company, partnership, branch or liaison office in Turkey. Furthermore, D&D also provides assistance and services to its clients in obtaining government incentives and certain required permits for realization of their investment plans.
The team provides legal service in structuring of company, drafting the articles of association and shareholder agreements and preparing necessary documentation and expediting required applications with regulatory bodies.
D&D's lawyers are member of herein below International Associations and registered at herein below International Professional Listings:
World Jurist Association
ICC (International Chamber of Commerce)
UNCITRAL (United Nation Commission on International Trade Law)
IBA (International Bar Association)
UIA (Union Internationale des Avocats)
International Association of Penal Law
Turkish & French Commerce Association
European Legal 500
Lexis-Nexis Martindale Hubbell
European Network of Correspondent Law Firms
Counsel-Alliance (International Network of Elite Law Firms)
Hieros 3 Gamos
GESICA (Réseau International d'Avocats Indépendants)
FindLaw
International Criminal Law Network
International Society of Military Law and the Law of War
Asociación Europea de Abogados
UN Global Compact
CCR - USA Federal Government
D&B Coding
UNDP - UN Development Program
UNHCR - Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees
UNOPS - UN Office for Project Services
ILO - International Labor Organization
UNESCO
IAPSO - Inter Agency Procurement Service Office
UNGM - UN Global Marketplace.
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