Tell us about your career choice and journey. And what made you decide to get into law?
In my high school years, I did not dream of becoming a lawyer with great enthusiasm, but I believe that studying law greatly improves life vision and gusto. I believe that the fact that it is a field that touches the whole of life, that you can touch and benefit the lives of many people in addition to knowing your own rights, causes a sense of spiritual satisfaction. For this reason, when I look back today, I can say that I am glad I chose this profession despite all its difficulties. On the other hand, the business lines and sectors that a lawyer can work in after undergraduate education are quite wide. This paves the way for you to practice your profession for many years in a dependent or independent manner. As I have seen from my close circle, I have friends who are lawyers and work in different business areas in a different sector after practicing as a lawyer for a while. To summarize; I believe that having a law degree provides many gains to a lawyer in terms of analytical thinking, having options in different business lines, and creating a view and consciousness about life and society.
What are the most important factors when considering a career in law?
If you are planning a career in law, you need to like reading, learning, being open to innovations and constantly updating yourself, and you need to have good human relations and communication. As a lawyer who has been practicing law for many years, it is one of the basic building blocks of this profession that you should have a good command of the changing legislative updates and be able to correctly understand the demands of your clients, whether they are real persons or merchants, and guide them with their risks. On the other hand, I believe that specializing in one area of law is also a differentiating factor among your colleagues, which you can of course understand by experiencing many areas that interest you in practice. For this reason, it will be of great benefit to work in boutique offices where you can experience work in different areas from your student years. In addition to practice, I believe that post-graduate master's degrees, certificate programs and other academic investments will provide many gains on the way to becoming a good and preferable lawyer. Finally, I recommend my young colleagues to have a very good command of at least one foreign language, especially English. At this point, your knowledge of legal English will take you a few steps forward on the career ladder.
You are currently studying a second master’s degree at Brussels School of Competition. Did you find competition law, or did competition law find you when being inspired to become a lawyer?
If you are practicing as an in-house lawyer, you are obliged to ensure that the organization you work for complies with the legislation. For this reason, I believe that areas closely related to compliance such as personal data protection and competition law are important. I completed my first master's degree at Bahçeşehir University after completing my undergraduate education with a thesis in the field of private law, mainly in the field of personal data protection law. Subsequently, my interest in competition law started with the certificate trainings I received in the field of competition law and the companies I worked for, and I realized that I was interested in this field. I am of the opinion that competition law is at the intersection of economics and law, that companies need competent lawyers in this field, and that a corporate lawyer should establish a close relationship with economics in order to analyze the legal risk of the company correctly. On the other hand, since competition law is a very dynamic, applicable and global field, I decided to take an education in this field. The fact that the Turkish legislation and resources within the scope of competition law and the European Union legislation are very parallel played a major role in my decision to take this education at a Brussels-based university that specifically provides this education. Thus, it enabled me to closely follow the European Union Law practices and to develop my vision by having the chance to receive training from competent foreign academics and practitioners. Of course, I believe that all these and similar trainings enable you to make an innovative and value-adding contribution not only to yourself but also to the functioning of the institutions you work in.
You worked as a private practice lawyer at Kireççi Law Firm until 2019 before moving in-house where you have continued as legal counsel. What has been your experience as a woman working in both private practice and in-house environments?
My opinion is that it is important for every newly graduated colleague to first work in boutique offices and see various jobs in various sectors. This will also give you a direction as to which area of law you want to work in. Following this path, I started my career in a law firm and later chose to work as an in-house lawyer. Both have different pros and cons, but the benefit of working in an organization is that you are more familiar with the sector that your organization is affiliated with and therefore you know the areas that that sector touches better. In addition, your working hours, benefits and job descriptions are set. On the other hand, working in different departments of the company teaches you to work closely with many people and to look at situations from a commercial and managerial perspective. In short, your perspective in managing situations broadens.
What are your reflections on the culture of diversity and inclusion in the legal profession in Türkiye?
I think BA Business Development Agency's active presence in Turkey has contributed a lot to the Turkish legal community and its diversity. Bringing together lawyers of different seniority in multiple areas of the industry, organizing conferences and events in different areas, has enabled colleagues to connect with each other and develop their vision. Turkey is a country with high potential both commercially and geographically. This enables Turkish lawyers to collaborate more quickly and easily with their foreign counterparts. I think companies such as BA Busines Development Agency have also been a great support in this direction.
How do you see the new generation of women lawyers?
Compared to my own term, I observe that my young female colleagues know better which field they want to work in and follow the opportunities in this direction more closely. My general observation in this regard is that they participate in various competitions organized by universities, try to identify their areas of interest by working in different law offices and companies, and at the same time contact various colleagues from the sector, which is very good for their personal and career development. Many of my colleagues at the beginning of their careers or trainees ask me for my opinion in the form of mentoring. I think it is very valuable to even have a mentor-mentee awareness in this direction.
If you weren’t a lawyer, what would you be?
If I wasn't a lawyer, I would be a clinical psychologist, because I like to listen to people and offer my opinion and solutions to their problems if they ask for my opinion. I think I have high empathy skills, so I like to think about a subject in detail, to look at different perspectives and to bring people together with different perceptions and ways of thinking. As a matter of fact, your perception forms your thinking and your thinking forms your behavior. However, the basis of the lawyer's profession is that you are expected to be able to find fast and accurate solutions to the demands/problems asked of you and to develop this muscle. Therefore, I think both professions are similar in this sense.
Which women have inspired you the most?
I am lucky that I have had the opportunity to meet many women who can inspire me in life and become a family. From my mentors with whom I did my internship, to my close friends and my esteemed female colleagues in the legal community, I am surrounded by precious women who share their opinions with me whenever I need them, enlighten my path, and act as a big sister and sisterhood. For this reason, I value the mentor and mentee relationship very much and I try to support my young colleagues as much as I can. Although it is not right to mention a specific name as I cannot distinguish any of them from each other, one of the most important examples for me in this regard is my mother, who inspires me with her intelligence and compassion, who works at the basis of everything and stands on her own feet, and from whom I draw my strength.
What motivates and inspires you?
Doing and producing works that touch life and benefit people motivates me. All my relatives who make me feel lucky with their presence are a source of inspiration for me.
In your career so far what achievement are you most proud of?
In general, it pleases me to see that the results of the work I do find their counterpart in life. Although my primary duty as an in-house lawyer is to provide preventive legal counseling, I am happy to take part in the preparation of procedures in accordance with the rights of people and the law in places where people receive services within the company I work for. On the other hand, my most unforgettable moment was making a defense in the hearing of a case in the Supreme Court of Appeals to overturn the adverse verdict in favor of a favorable verdict. This moral satisfaction is worth all the fatigue.
How do you manage your current work / life balance?
Due to the nature of our profession, we have a tiring, stressful, solution and time-oriented job. For this reason, I try to use the working hours carefully and concentratedly during the day, aiming to have my evenings to myself. However, of course, this can be disrupted in urgent matters. I believe that prioritizing and scheduling your work and keeping an agenda makes it easier. I also believe that mind-emptying hobbies in private and social life make people happier and more concentrated on their work.
What advice would you give to female students who are about to enter the legal industry?
As I have made similar points in my answers above, I recommend that they work hard and diligently, get to know themselves, invest in themselves academically and socially, learn a foreign language, trust and value themselves. Set your goals, increase your zest for life and love yourself. Make it a point to have an opinion about the world. Don't forget to seek the opinions of your professional elders and review their criticisms.