Understanding Legal Service Agreements in Turkey: A Guide for Foreign Clients

Identify the client and legal provider

Start with the parties to the engagement. Is the client an individual, a company or another organisation? Who is the responsible lawyer? If an assistant, platform, introducer or coordinator is involved, identify that role and any separate service.

For Hukuk&Co, the website operator and the appointed lawyer have distinct roles, as explained in Working With Us. The engagement should make clear who provides legal advice and representation. A brand name should not leave the legal provider or payment responsibility uncertain.

For businesses, clarify which entity is receiving advice and who can instruct or approve work. A company’s engagement does not automatically mean that every shareholder or manager receives personal advice on the same matter.

Define the scope and deliverable

Describe the work in concrete terms. A consultation, opinion, contract review, negotiation, application and court instruction are different tasks. Identify the questions, document set, meeting arrangements and deliverable where relevant.

For proceedings, ask which stage is included and whether interim work, appeals or enforcement are covered. For recurring counsel, define the subjects, expected volume, reporting and separately quoted projects. A broad phrase such as “all legal support” can hide different expectations if no practical limits are agreed.

Make fees, expenses and payment terms understandable

Record the fee basis, currency, VAT treatment, payment timing and recipient. Distinguish professional fees from official charges and external-provider expenses. Ask how estimates are communicated and what approval is needed for additional work or spending.

The Attorneyship Law addresses legal-work and fee arrangements, including minimum-fee constraints. Written terms are useful for evidence and clarity, but it would be inaccurate to say that every non-written arrangement is automatically invalid. Check the applicable law and circumstances if a dispute arises.

For practical budget questions, read lawyer fees and legal costs in Turkey. Do not infer that a single payment includes every later stage or guarantees a result.

Keep authority to act connected to the scope

A power of attorney addresses authority for specified acts. It does not by itself explain the fee, the agreed deliverable or whether a later project has been accepted. Equally, a service agreement does not remove formal authority requirements for a particular act.

Ask which powers and supporting records are needed, who prepares the proposed wording and which execution route is appropriate. For a company, verify the signatory’s authority and relevant approvals. Use the power-of-attorney guide before commissioning a document.

Agree communication and client responsibilities

Identify the responsible lawyer, the routine contact and the people authorised to instruct. Agree the working language, reporting arrangements, document channel and route for urgent developments. Ask whether a written summary, report or translation is included.

Client responsibilities may include supplying accurate records, explaining missing information, responding to requests and promptly forwarding new notices. Discuss these expectations in practical terms. An important date should be connected to clear responsibility and acceptance, rather than left in an informal message.

Where another professional or overseas lawyer is involved, clarify who coordinates and which work sits outside the Turkish instruction. Information-sharing and confidentiality arrangements should fit the participants and the matter.

Define how changes and further work are approved

A new party, additional documents, a changed objective or a different procedural route may affect the original proposal. Ask how the lawyer will explain the impact and obtain agreement before undertaking further work. Keep the revised scope and fee confirmation with the original terms.

For continuing support, clarify how a new request is classified as included work or a separate project. This is especially useful where several employees or family members communicate with the legal team. A request from someone without authority should not be assumed to expand the engagement.

Understand ending the engagement and handover

Ask about notice, file records, original documents, authority and pending dates if either side needs to end the working relationship. Fee consequences of withdrawal or dismissal depend on the applicable law and circumstances. Do not assume free cancellation, an automatic full refund or that revoking authority resolves every contractual issue.

If a replacement lawyer is being considered, coordinate the procedural position and handover. Identify any step that still needs acceptance and avoid a gap caused by assuming the new enquiry has taken over. Keep communications factual and retain the records needed to understand the agreed work.

Review the proposal before accepting

Read the terms in a language you understand and ask for an explanation of unfamiliar wording. Check that the fee and scope match the proposal discussed. Clarify any distinction between a translation supplied for understanding and the operative agreement.

Keep the final agreed version, changes, payment records and related authority documents. If a clause is unclear or the arrangement is complex, seek individual advice before accepting it. This guide explains questions to consider; it is not a universal contract template or an assessment of a particular agreement.

The 25 questions before hiring can help organise the remaining discussion.