Ongoing Corporate Legal Counsel: what the review can cover
Hukuk&Co can arrange a consultation with the lawyer responsible for assessing your matter. The initial review can clarify the issues below, the documents needed and whether further advice, drafting, negotiation or representation is appropriate.
- Recurring management and contract advice
- Legal-risk and dispute coordination
- Retainer scope and escalation arrangements
An initial consultation is not an unlimited engagement. Any document review, written advice, filing, negotiation or proceedings must be included expressly in the agreed scope.
A corporate legal engagement suited to your business
A business seeking a corporate lawyer in Istanbul should explain its ownership, activities, contracts and recurring legal questions. An external-counsel engagement can define instructions, reporting and the matters covered. Transactions, litigation, accounting and tax services should not be assumed to fall within a recurring legal scope unless expressly agreed.
Ongoing Corporate Legal Counsel in practice
Define a retainer around recurring needs
Describe typical contracts, business decisions and disputes, along with expected document volumes and communication needs. A workable engagement identifies who can request advice, the legal areas covered and how instructions are prioritised. Do not assume a recurring fee includes unlimited meetings, every jurisdiction or all court proceedings.
Separate routine advice from projects
An acquisition, investigation or complex lawsuit may need a separate scope and budget. Establish how additional work is approved and how external-provider costs are handled. The retainer should also identify reporting arrangements and the documents needed to make advice useful for the company's actual operations.
Legal, accounting and operational responsibilities
Business advice should reflect the actual activities and decision-makers. Identify the legal entity, ownership, proposed transaction and relevant regulated activities. Where accounting, financial or technical professionals are needed, agree responsibilities and information-sharing arrangements before treating the project as a single service.
| Part of the matter | What to assess | Scope to confirm |
|---|---|---|
| Legal work | Assess structure, agreements, authority and legal risks within scope. | Identify the responsible lawyer and approved deliverables. |
| Accounting and financial work | Accounts, tax calculations, valuation and audit need appropriate providers. | A legal review is not a financial or audit assurance. |
| Implementation | Agree who handles filings, signatures and operational changes. | Registration or a document pack does not confirm every ongoing obligation is satisfied. |
Points to clarify before you proceed
An external legal-counsel arrangement is not an unlimited undertaking. Hours, response arrangements, litigation, transactions and specialist work should be addressed in the engagement.
Explain the result you are seeking and which steps have already been taken. A signed agreement, an existing file or an approaching deadline can change the questions that need attention. The appointed lawyer should identify material gaps in the information rather than assume facts that have not been established.
Documents for an initial assessment
Prepare the following where available. This is an initial-review guide, not a complete filing checklist or a requirement to send sensitive documents through an unsecured channel.
| Record to prepare | Why it helps the review |
|---|---|
| Company and operating overview | Establishes the starting facts and helps connect the records to the correct person, asset or matter. |
| Recurring contract types | Shows the current arrangement or procedural position; include complete versions and attachments. |
| Current disputes or compliance concerns | Helps explain what has happened and which points are supported by available evidence. |
| Expected workload and contact arrangements | Identifies existing steps, unresolved questions and any timing issue that needs assessment. |
Keep complete versions and any relevant attachments. If records are unavailable, in another language or held by a third party, explain that at the outset. Any retrieval, translation or certification work should be scoped separately.
From your first enquiry to an agreed scope
- Describe the matter.
Identify the parties, countries and current stage. State any notice, hearing or transaction deadline. For this assessment, begin by identifying company and operating overview; recurring contract types.
- Confirm the consultation and document review.
Availability, potential conflicts, the responsible provider, meeting format and fee are confirmed. Agree the questions and document set to be considered.
- Assess options and define further work.
The appointed lawyer can explain the next steps supported by the available information. Any legal work beyond the consultation is agreed separately, including its limitations, deliverables and external costs.
Starting from abroad: documents, language and authority
An initial consultation can be arranged online while you are outside Türkiye. Give the appointed lawyer your current location, the countries involved and any existing representation. The initial meeting helps identify what can be considered using copies and which later steps require originals, certified documents or authority to act.
Do not assume that remote consultation makes every subsequent procedure remote. The lawyer should confirm any power-of-attorney requirements and whether your personal participation is needed. Translation, certification and foreign-law advice depend on the intended use and should be coordinated under clear arrangements.
Fees, deliverables and timing
A defined scope
Agree the questions, document set, meetings and deliverables before work starts. Identify any exclusions and the approval needed for additional work.
Separate cost items
Professional fees, official charges, translation and external-provider costs should be distinguished. Ask what is included and when payment is due.
A realistic next step
Timing depends on the records, third parties and relevant procedure. No completion date or outcome is promised by an initial enquiry.
For ongoing corporate legal counsel, the first discussion should identify the immediate task and what information is missing. If the matter changes, ask for confirmation of the revised scope and any fee implications before further work is undertaken.
Questions about ongoing corporate legal counsel
Does a monthly engagement include every court case or acquisition?
Only if the agreement expressly includes that work. Ask for clear inclusions, exclusions and arrangements for additional matters before relying on a retainer for a particular project.
What should I prepare for the first assessment?
Start with company and operating overview, recurring contract types. Add a short timeline and identify the decision, transaction or question you want assessed. Ask how to share sensitive records before sending them.
Can I begin while I am outside Türkiye?
An initial consultation can be online. Further steps depend on the matter, required documents and authority to act. Personal attendance, certified documents or qualified local counsel may be needed; these are assessed separately.
What work is included in the consultation?
An initial consultation is not an unlimited engagement. Any document review, written advice, filing, negotiation or proceedings must be included expressly in the agreed scope.
How are fees and external costs agreed?
The consultation and any further work are priced after the proposed scope is defined. Ask which document review, meetings and deliverables are included. Official charges and external-provider costs are distinguished from professional fees.
Does an enquiry mean the matter has been accepted?
No. Availability, potential conflicts and the service scope must be checked before an engagement is confirmed. Sending documents or a message does not protect a procedural deadline or create ongoing representation.
Which issues should I explain before the assessment?
Describe typical contracts, business decisions and disputes, along with expected document volumes and communication needs. A workable engagement identifies who can request advice, the legal areas covered and how instructions are prioritised. Do not assume a recurring fee includes unlimited meetings, every jurisdiction or all court proceedings.
What should the first review focus on?
An acquisition, investigation or complex lawsuit may need a separate scope and budget. Establish how additional work is approved and how external-provider costs are handled. The retainer should also identify reporting arrangements and the documents needed to make advice useful for the company's actual operations.
Can I get a written assessment as well as a meeting?
A written assessment can be considered under an expressly agreed scope. Confirm the questions, document set, intended audience and deliverable. A consultation does not automatically include drafting or an ongoing written advisory service.
What if another country or professional is involved?
Identify that at the outset. Foreign-law advice, technical assessment, accounting, translation and official acts may need separate qualified providers. The responsible provider, scope and external costs should be confirmed rather than assumed to form part of the initial engagement.
Official references and review status
These sources provide a starting point. The applicable rules and procedure depend on the facts and current law.