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Clifford Chance

Clifford Chance

Turkey

With over thirty years of experience in Turkey, we have a broad understanding of the local market. 

Our clients include leading Turkish and international corporates, banks and financial institutions, investors and government entities.

Our high-profile domestic and international work has built our market-leading reputation and we combine our vast experience in the Turkish market with the reach and resources of the firm's international network.

An international capability grounded in local know-how

We keep a long-standing commitment to Turkey that has given us a deep understanding of the Turkish market and unparalleled expertise in relation to cross-border transactions. After more than 30 years of advising domestic and international clients on Turkey related matters, we have been operating on the ground in Istanbul since 2011, first in cooperation with Yegin Ciftci Attorney Partnership and then with CIFTCI Attorney Partnership. Our Istanbul Office focuses on a wide range of infrastructure, energy, M&A, corporate, finance and capital markets work where we already enjoy a strong reputation.

The highest level of service across the entire legal spectrum

A local presence and established relations with key players in the Turkish market are key for successfully completing transactions. We have built our capability to match our clients' business needs work in a wide range of industries, operate all over the world, and need to act decisively when opportunities or issues arise. We meet these needs with our top-grade experience, technical skills and on the ground capability. We use our industry experience, global reach and innovative thinking to help them reach their business goals.

Our Istanbul office is an integral part of our network

We know how to use the right resources to get the best results for clients on domestic matters and on international transactions where we regularly form extended teams with colleagues from our international network. We have close working-relationships with colleagues from around the globe to deliver practical advice on complex issues. We use our international reach, technical excellence and client-friendly approach to deliver complex transactions and build longstanding client relationships.

Our English law capability and, through CIFTCI Attorney Partnership, our local law expertise, sets us apart in the Turkish market. Our ability to offer both Turkish and English law advice in one single firm streamlines the process for our clients and provides significant efficiency savings. Our lawyers have excellent knowledge of local market trends and practice. We are the go-to law firm for banking and finance, project finance, mergers and acquisitions and capital markets.

A team with a proven track record

We take a one firm approach to our clients' needs with integrated cross-practice and cross-border teams working together to achieve success. We know how to make our resources, which include 3,500 lawyers across our international network, work for all our clients and can call on the specialised skills of globally-recognised, top-ranked lawyers to help them reach their business goals. Our lawyers have first-hand experience of the technical and practical aspects of the Turkish market and are familiar with international best practice, used to complexity and to working in extended teams.

Unrivalled experts in key growth sectors in Turkey

Over the last decades we have been working on a number of landmark deals and high-profile cases and hold an unrivalled expertise in key growth sectors in Turkey

  • Energy & Infrastructure: We have an in-depth understanding of the regulatory environment and commercial drivers. We regularly advise sponsors and banks on the development and financing of PPP Healthcare projects and those that include ports, airports, tunnels, hospitals, bridges, roads and railways.
  • Technology, Media & Communications: We bring the right mix of industry knowledge and experience to your TMT transactions. The team provides transactional and regulatory advice in connection with mergers and acquisitions, compliance, anti-trust and competition, financing and capital markets.
  • Consumer Goods & Retail: We support our clients in this sector in all key areas of their business, from strategic growth and divestments to commercial relationships, regulatory compliance, strategic acquisitions, disposals and major financings.
  • Private Equity: We have market-leading experience in all aspects of private equity transactions and regularly advise both local and international players on buyout and growth capital transactions across numerous sectors. We represent a wide range of global, regional and emerging markets financial investors, including private equity houses, banks, specialist infrastructure and private equity real estate funds and other financial institutions.
  • Banks: We have a world leading Banks sector group and are involved in many of the market's ground-breaking deals. The ongoing market turmoil continues to drive M&A activity across the sector as institutions seek to reshape their operating models or capitalise on new opportunities. We have a pre-eminent reputation for advising significant number of banks on complex strategic acquisitions or disposals. Our specialist knowledge of the sector and its issues enables our lawyers to provide results driven commercial advice to banks on some of their most complex transactions and to help them address some of their most challenging business issues.
  • Healthcare, Life Sciences & Chemicals: Our deep understanding of the healthcare, life sciences & chemicals industries is integral to our ability to offer the highest quality advice and solutions wherever we operate. We focus on industry sectors so that we can provide you with: access to our combined knowledge, expertise and experience by sector; and lawyers who know the risks and challenges within your industry and who proactively bring insights to you. Our sector approach ensures that our lawyers truly understand the healthcare, life sciences & chemicals industries with their regulatory and commercial challenges.
  • Transport & Logistics: Through our work with leading transport and logistics companies, their advisers and their suppliers, we have developed the industry knowledge required to provide specialised support. As an interdisciplinary group with a global presence, we can field an informed and highly qualified team of lawyers in major markets around the world including Turkey.

Recent highlights

TO BE UPDATED
  • The lenders, in relation to the financing of the design, construction, maintenance, repair, operation and transfer of the Gebze- Orhangazi- Izmir motorway (including the Izmit Gulf Crossing and Access roads)
  • A consortium in connection with the tenders for the financing, design, construction, maintenance, repair, operation and transfer of Kurtköy-Akyazı and Kınalı-Odayeri sections of the Northern Marmara Motorway Project (European and Asian Sections of the Northern Marmara Motorway) 
  • The lenders on the financing for the development of Kızıldere III Unit Geothermal Project of Zorlu Holding
  • The lenders on the financing of the Gebze-Orhangazi-Izmir motorway (including the Izmit Gulf crossing suspension bridge) in Turkey
  • The finance parties in the privatisation of Turkey´s state-owned oil and gas firm Türkiye Petrolleri 
  • HSBC in connection with the financing of Elazıg integrated health campus using the first ever greenfield project bond structure in the Turkish PPP market 
  • Garanti Bank and the syndicate of lenders on the USD 1 billion project finance facility for the development of Galataport Project in Istanbul
  • A consortium in connection with the privatisation of 8 Motorways and the Bosphorous Bridges together with their connection roads and additional facilities
  • HSBC as structuring bank, and Dubai Islamic Bank, HSBC, and Standard Chartered Bank as joint lead managers and book runners in connection with the Rule 144A/Reg S Sukuk issuance by the Republic of Turkey of US$1.25 billion 
  • IFC in Turkey’s first mortgage covered bond in local currency to boost green mortgages
  • EBRD in an inflation-linked bond issued by Turkey's largest utility group, EnerjiSA Enerji
  • European Bank for Reconstruction & Development, Türkiye Garanti Bankası and Denizbank on the financing of Energaz and the expansion and development of its gas distribution network 
  • Ajinomoto in the acquisition of 100% shares in Kükre Gıda in two tranches
  • Partners Group in connection with its minority stake investment in Enerya Elektrik, an electricity distribution company within STFA Group
  • SOCAR Turkey in connection with the proposed acquisition of OMV Petrol Ofisi, one of the largest private companies and Turkey’s leading fuel products distribution company
  • QNB Group in Euro 2.7 billion acquisition of National Bank of Greece’s majority stake in Finansbank and its subsidiaries (Finans Invest, Finans Portfolio, Cigna Finans, Finans Leasing, Finans Factoring and PSA Finance and others) 
  • IFC and EBRD in connection with a minority stake investment in Odeabank, a joint stock company in which Bank Audi SAL holds the majority shares
  • IFC, in connection with its structured minority equity investment in Martur Car Systems, one of the world’s leading suppliers in automotive seat production
  • IFC and EBRD on their respective acquisition of minority stake in Fibabanka
  • IFC, in connection with a minority stake investment in F.I.T. solutions, an innovative fintech company
  • The shareholders of Millenicom, a leading telecommunication company in Turkey, with respect to the sale of their shares to EWE, one of the largest energy companies
  • Carrefour on the reorganisation of its partnership with Turkish company Sabancı Holding

Awards

We have won numerous awards, recent highlights including:

  • Turkish Deal of the Year: PFI, 2016 for Elazıg integrated health campus PPP using the first ever Greenfield project bond structure in the Turkish PPP market
  • European PPP Deal of the Year: Infrastructure Journal, 2016 Elazıg integrated health campus PPP
  • Infrastructure Finance Deal of the Year: Bonds & Loans Awards Turkey, 2017, GalataPort Financing
  • Trade & Export Finance Deal of the Year: Bonds & Loans Awards Turkey, 2017, TOFAS ECA-Covered Loan Facility
  • Islamic Capital Markets Deal of the Year: Bonds & Loans Awards Turkey, 2017, AlBaraka Turk Participation Bank, Basel III-compliant Tier II Sukuk
  • Turkey Client Service Law Firm of the Year – Chambers Europe Awards 2016

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