Associate — Corporate & Commercial (0–3 years)

GEMS Schindhelm; Fatih; On-site; TRY 180,000 - 300,000; Full time

Job summary

GEMS Schindhelm, Istanbul, seeks an associate to support partners on international client work across corporate, M&A, trademarks, employment, real estate, and data protection. You will draft and review contracts in Turkish and English, handle corporate housekeeping, and prepare litigation files.

The role requires excellent Turkish drafting and strong English, with German being a bonus. This is an office-based position with direct mentorship from partners from day one.

Qualifications

• Law degree from a recognised university, completed legal internship, and admission to the Istanbul Bar (or admission pending).
• 0–3 years of post-qualification experience; recent graduates are welcome to apply.
• Excellent written Turkish — clear, precise legal drafting is the core of this role.
• Strong written and spoken English; German is a significant advantage but not required.
• Confident use of Microsoft Word; familiarity with UYAP, MERSİS and legal research databases is an advantage.
• Accuracy, organisation, and the ability to carry a file independently once handed over.
• Office-based position; remote or hybrid working is not available.

Responsibilities

• Drafting and reviewing contracts, corporate documents, legal opinions and correspondence in Turkish and English.
• Handling company formations, capital increases, share transfers and other corporate housekeeping.
• Preparing and following litigation and enforcement files.
• Conducting legal research on Turkish law questions raised by foreign clients and their advisers.
• Corresponding directly with clients and with member firms of the Alliance.
• Attending to courthouse, trade registry, notary and sworn-translation matters where a file requires it.

Skills

Turkish writing

English writing

German advantageous

Education

Law degree

Istanbul Bar admission (or pending)

Tools

Microsoft Word

UYAP

MERSIS

Job description

About the law office

GEMS Schindhelm is the Istanbul member of the Schindhelm Alliance, a network of commercial law firms present in 13 European countries. The practice advises German, Austrian and Swiss companies on their Turkish operations, covering corporate and commercial law, M&A, trademarks, employment, real estate, inheritance and data protection. The firm also acts as legal counsel to the Austrian Embassy in Turkey. The Istanbul office is partner-led, which means an associate works directly with the partners and with the client from the first day, sees a file from instruction through to completion, and is closely mentored rather than passing through several layers of seniority.

The role

You will support the partners across the full range of the firm's work for its international clients. In practice this means:

• Drafting and reviewing contracts, corporate documents, legal opinions and correspondence in Turkish and English
• Handling company formations, capital increases, share transfers and other corporate housekeeping
• Preparing and following litigation and enforcement files
• Conducting legal research on Turkish law questions raised by foreign clients and their advisers
• Corresponding directly with clients and with member firms of the Alliance
• Attending to courthouse, trade registry, notary and sworn-translation matters where a file requires it

What we are looking for

• Law degree from a recognised university, completed legal internship, and admission to the Istanbul Bar (or admission pending)
• 0–3 years of post-qualification experience; recent graduates are welcome to apply
• Excellent written Turkish — clear, precise legal drafting is the core of this role, as your work forms the basis of the firm's German-language advice
• Strong written and spoken English
• German is a significant advantage, but is not a requirement
• Confident use of Microsoft Word; familiarity with UYAP, MERSİS and legal research databases is an advantage.
• Accuracy, organisation, and the ability to carry a file independently once it has been handed over
• This is an office-based position; remote or hybrid working is not available.