English-Speaking Lawyer in Istanbul
Legal representation and certified sworn translation from one attorney — so nothing about your case is lost between two languages.
Every legal matter a foreigner faces in Turkey runs through two languages at once. The courts, the land registry, the migration directorate and the notary work exclusively in Turkish; you think, decide and sign in English. Most law offices bridge that gap by hiring a translator when one is needed. This practice was built differently: I am an attorney registered with the Istanbul Bar Association and, at the same time, a certified English–Turkish sworn translator — the person arguing your case and the person translating its documents are one and the same.
This page explains what that means in practice: the matters I handle for foreign clients, how an engagement actually proceeds from the first message to the final result, how the work is done remotely when you are not in Turkey, and the questions foreign clients most often ask before instructing a lawyer in Istanbul.
One Lawyer, Two Qualifications
Turkish procedure treats translation as a legal act, not a clerical one. A residence permit application, a title deed signing, a court filing or a power of attorney stands or falls on whether its Turkish text says precisely what its English original intended. When the translation is produced by a translator who has never read the case file, the risk is quiet and real: a term shifts, a nuance drops, and the document that reaches the authority is not quite the document you approved. Because I hold both qualifications, the legal strategy and the certified translation are produced by the same mind — I translate what I am about to file, and I file what I have translated. For clients, the practical result is fewer intermediaries, fewer errors of transmission, and one person who is accountable for both the argument and its wording.
What I Handle for Foreign Clients
The practice is deliberately focused on the matters where foreign nationals actually meet Turkish law. Residence permits, citizenship and every stage of immigration procedure — from first applications to appeals against refusals — are the core of the practice, set out in full on our immigration lawyer in Istanbul page. Property work covers the full arc of buying, owning, renting out and selling Turkish real estate, including due diligence and completion at the land registry — set out in full on our real estate lawyer in Istanbul page. For entrepreneurs and investors, I handle company formation and the legal side of doing business in Turkey. The contentious side of the practice covers criminal defence for foreign nationals, employment disputes and termination claims, traffic accident and insurance compensation, debt collection and enforcement, and cross-border family matters such as the recognition of foreign divorces. Where a matter falls outside these areas, I say so at the first conversation rather than learning on your file.
How an Engagement Actually Works
The process is designed to be predictable from the first message. You describe your situation — by e-mail, through the contact form, or on WhatsApp — in as much or as little detail as you have. I review it and respond with an initial assessment: what the legal position looks like, what the realistic options are, what documents will be needed, and what the engagement would cost. If you decide to proceed, the scope and the fee are recorded in writing before any work begins, so there is no ambiguity about what has been agreed. From that point the matter proceeds on a simple discipline: you receive updates at every procedural step, in plain English, and no significant decision is taken on your file without your instruction. Turkish legal work rewards preparation — files fail on missing apostilles and mistranslated certificates far more often than on the law itself — so the early stage of every engagement is spent getting the document base right.
Working With SP Law From Abroad
A substantial share of the practice is conducted for clients who are not in Turkey at all. Turkish law makes this straightforward: under a properly drafted power of attorney — executed at a Turkish consulate abroad, or before a local notary with an apostille — an attorney can conduct litigation, file applications, complete property transactions and appear before authorities on your behalf. The entire court system runs on UYAP, the national electronic judiciary network, which means your file moves and is monitored digitally regardless of where you are. I prepare the power of attorney text for you in both languages, tell you exactly where to sign it and how to send it, and from that point you follow your own case from your own country. Clients relocating to Turkey often begin the relationship this way — the legal groundwork is completed before they land.
Fees, in Plain Terms
Fee questions deserve straight answers. Every engagement is quoted before it begins, in writing, with the scope defined — what the fee covers, what it does not, and which third-party costs (official fees, notary charges, translation certifications, court expenses) will arise alongside it. Some matters suit a fixed fee; others, particularly litigation, are staged. Turkish bar rules set minimum tariffs that all attorneys observe, and I will tell you candidly when a matter is not worth pursuing at its likely cost — a practice that loses the occasional engagement and keeps the client.
About the Attorney
Selim Polat is the founder of SP Law & Consultancy, an attorney registered with the Istanbul Bar Association (Reg. No. 68892) and a certified English–Turkish sworn translator. His practice concentrates on foreigners' law, real estate, criminal defence, employment and insurance matters for international clients, combining representation and certified translation in a single office in Istanbul. The firm's legal guides — researched, written and signed by the attorney — are published in the Law Blog and cover the questions foreign clients ask most, from residence permits to inheritance.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you handle everything in English? Yes. Advice, correspondence, engagement terms and document summaries are in English. Filings and official documents are prepared in Turkish, as the law requires, and I translate between the two to sworn-translation standard myself.
What is a sworn translator, and why does it matter for my case? A sworn translator is certified before a Turkish notary to produce translations that courts and authorities accept as official. Turkish procedure requires certified translation for most foreign documents — and at the land registry, a sworn translator is mandatory when a party does not speak Turkish. In this practice, that function is performed by your own attorney rather than a third party.
Can you represent me if I am not in Turkey? Yes. With a notarised and apostilled power of attorney, litigation, applications and property transactions can all be conducted on your behalf while you remain abroad, with the file monitored electronically.
How quickly will I get a first assessment? Initial enquiries are answered with a substantive assessment — the legal position, the options and the likely cost — rather than a request to book a paid call. Complex files may need documents before a firm view is possible, and I will say so.
What do you charge for a consultation? The first exchange — describing your situation and receiving an initial view — costs nothing. Where a matter needs detailed document review or a formal written opinion, that work is quoted before it is done.
Which areas do you not handle? The practice does not cover fields outside its focus — for example, tax return preparation, patent prosecution or maritime law. If your matter falls outside my areas, I will tell you at the first conversation and, where I can, point you in the right direction.
Do you work with clients anywhere in Turkey, or only Istanbul? The office is in Istanbul, but representation extends across Turkey. Court filings, enforcement proceedings and applications are handled electronically nationwide, and I attend proceedings in other provinces where the matter requires it.
My documents are in a third language, not English. Can you still act? Yes. The legal work proceeds in English and Turkish; documents in other languages are routed through notary-registered sworn translators for the required certifications, coordinated from this office.
How do I start? Send a short description of your situation through the contact form, by e-mail, or on WhatsApp. You will receive an initial assessment and, if you wish to proceed, a written scope and fee before any work begins.
Describe your matter
You will receive a clear assessment and a written quote before anything begins.