Legal matters: how to find and retain a lawyer in Türkiye yourself
This page exists because some of the questions we receive are legal questions, and we are not allowed to answer them — nor should you want a document company to. ROSTU gives no legal advice, employs no lawyers for clients, lists no lawyers, and neither takes nor pays any fee for a legal referral. What we can do is tell you, in your language, how the system works and how to find a lawyer on your own.
When you need a lawyer, not a document company
- Your residence or work permit was refused, cancelled, or you have an entry ban, an overstay or a deportation decision. These have short appeal deadlines (often 15 days for administrative court actions).
- You are asked which company structure, shareholding or contract is best for you, or you need a shareholders' agreement.
- A bank, customs or tax matter has become a dispute, a penalty or an investigation rather than a questionnaire.
- You are buying property, signing a long lease, or giving a power of attorney with broad powers.
- Family law: divorce, custody, inheritance, recognition of a foreign judgment.
- A criminal matter of any kind, or a request from a prosecutor or the police.
- An employment dispute — unpaid wages, dismissal, injury.
- Anyone asks you to sign something you do not understand, in a language you do not read, and the other side will not wait.
In all of these we will prepare and translate documents if you ask, but we will tell you first to retain a lawyer, and we will not offer a view on what you should do.
How to find one — step by step
- Use the official lookup. The Union of Turkish Bar Associations (Türkiye Barolar Birliği) keeps the register of all practising lawyers: barobirlik.org.tr → "Avukat Arama". Search by name or by Bar (İstanbul has three: İstanbul Barosu and İstanbul 2 Nolu Baro; others serve Anatolian-side districts). Every lawyer has a Bar registration number (sicil no.); ask for it and check it.
- Ask your own network, consulate or community for names of lawyers people have actually used for a matter like yours, then verify each name in the register. Consulates often publish lists of lawyers who speak your language; those lists are informational, not endorsements.
- Check practice area and language. Immigration, commercial, tax, family and criminal law are different practices. Ask directly: "How many cases like mine did you handle in the last year?" and "In which language will we communicate and sign?"
- Get a written fee agreement (avukatlık ücret sözleşmesi) before work starts: scope, fee, what is excluded, court fees and expenses, how you will be informed. The Bar Union publishes a minimum tariff each year; fees above it are normal.
- Sign a power of attorney at a notary if the lawyer will act for you. You attend in person with your passport; vekaletname harç ₺307.90 per signature plus the notary's tariff items, paid by you at the counter. A sworn interpreter at tariff is required if you do not read Turkish. We can book this visit and bring the interpreter as a document service — the choice of lawyer and the content of the power of attorney are between you and the lawyer.
- Pay the lawyer directly, against the lawyer's receipt (serbest meslek makbuzu). Never through a third party, and never through us.
Why we do not list, match or refer lawyers
The Attorneyship Act (Avukatlık Kanunu) art. 35 reserves the giving of legal opinions and representation to lawyers registered with a Bar; art. 48 and the Bar Union's Advertising Prohibition Regulation (as amended 09.08.2024) forbid lawyers from obtaining clients through intermediaries, from paying or receiving referral fees, and from allowing third parties to advertise or link to them for that purpose. Both the intermediary and the lawyer face criminal liability. There is no exception for websites, platforms or "partner" arrangements.
We take this seriously for its own sake, not only because of the sanction. A document company that steers you to a lawyer has an interest in that lawyer; the lawyer has an interest in the company. You deserve a lawyer whose only obligation is to you. The Bar lookup gives you that.
The lawyer who advises us on our compliance is retained by us, paid by us, and not available to clients through us.
Free and low-cost legal help
- Adli yardım (legal aid) — each Bar runs a legal-aid office for people who cannot afford a lawyer in civil and administrative matters; apply at the Bar with proof of income. İstanbul Barosu: istanbulbarosu.org.tr.
- CMK duty lawyer — in criminal matters a lawyer is appointed free of charge on request at the police station, prosecutor's office or court.
- Tüketici Hakem Heyeti — consumer disputes below the annual threshold are decided by district arbitration committees without a lawyer and without a fee.
- UNHCR / ASAM / SGDD and Bar refugee units — for persons under international or temporary protection, free legal counselling exists through these bodies and the Bars' migration units.
- Your consulate — cannot represent you but can explain local procedure and provide lists of lawyers who speak your language.
Official texts
- Law 6458 on Foreigners and International Protection — mevzuat.gov.tr
- Law 6735 on International Labour Force — mevzuat.gov.tr
- Turkish Commercial Code 6102; Attorneyship Act 1136; Notaries Act 1512 — mevzuat.gov.tr
- Göç İdaresi notices — goc.gov.tr
Questions
Why won't you just give me the name of a good lawyer?
Because Turkish law forbids it. The Attorneyship Act (art. 48) and the Bar Union's advertising rules prohibit lawyers from obtaining clients through intermediaries and prohibit third parties from referring clients for payment; both sides face criminal liability. Independent of the law, a lawyer you found yourself owes nothing to us — which is how it should be.
How do I check that someone is really a lawyer?
Every practising lawyer in Türkiye is registered with a provincial Bar. The Union of Turkish Bar Associations provides a public lookup at barobirlik.org.tr where you can search by name and see the Bar and registration number. Ask for the number and check it.
What does a lawyer cost?
The Bar Union publishes a minimum fee tariff each year; most lawyers charge above it, and foreign-language work costs more. Ask for a written fee agreement before work starts. You pay the lawyer directly; we are never involved in the payment.
Can you translate documents for my lawyer or my court case?
Yes — that is document work. Sworn and notarised translation of evidence, contracts, foreign judgments and civil documents at the published per-page rate, with the notary's tariff paid by you at the counter. See notarised translation. We do not comment on what the documents mean for your case.
Related: our standard · about ROSTU · document services
Need documents prepared for a legal matter?
Opens in WhatsApp. Document services only; for advice, retain a lawyer as described above.