Partners
Turgan Gürmen
Competition, Compliance, Litigation, Investigations
Turgan is the founding partner of GTO with over 30 years of experience.
Graduated from Galatasaray High School, then from Istanbul University Law Faculty in 1995, he is registered with the Istanbul Bar.
During his tenure in Kaleağası Law Office, he obtained his DES degree from l’Université Libre de Bruxelles in 1996 and continued to work in Brussels on EU acquis communautaire and competition law until 1999.
Upon his return, he became a name partner in Kaleağası & Gürmen Law Office which constitutes backbone of GTO Law & Consultancy. Simultaneously he served as an of counsel competition adviser to Sabancı Holding and affiliates.
Turgan has unparalleled expertise in Turkish commercial and competition law, as well as litigation (particularly in competition law cases). He represented clients in numerous investigations and transactions. His expertise are mainly in life sciences, automotive, financial services, FMCG and retail. He also conducted numerous corporate investigations especially in relation to fraudulent activities and diversity and inclusion disputes.
Turgan has excellent command of English and French.
Ali Cihangir Topkar
Competition, Compliance, Risk Management, Investigations
Ali Cihangir has almost three decades of experience in the application of antitrust and competition rules, international trade disputes as well as corporate investigations.
Graduated from Galatasaray High School, then from the University of Birmingham in 1994 in EU Studies, he began his career as a strategic planning and competition expert at Koç Holding.
He represented Koç Holding in EU affairs in Brussels for Industry and Business Association (TÜSİAD) and in Paris for ICC in 1998-9. He also participated in BusinessEurope consultations on behalf of TÜSİAD.
In 2000, Ali Cihangir joined forces with Turgan Gürmen to provide counsel to companies on international trade disputes and competition law matters.
He provided counsel to international companies on numerous WTO cases including in industries like agriculture, transportation and consumer durables as well as investigations in the automotive, entertainment and pharmaceutical industries.
Having been involved in competition matters even before the establishment of Turkish Competition Authority, Ali Cihangir has a deep knowledge of the Turkish market, business practices and legislative framework. His approach to solving problems has been pivotal in many ground-breaking cases.
Ali Cihangir has excellent command of English and French.
Ceyda Tabak Metin
Corporate, Commercial, M&A, Competition
Ceyda is the founding partner of GTO with 20 years of experience.
Graduated from Lycée Notre Dame de Sion, then from Galatasaray University, she was registered with the Istanbul Bar in 2003.
She worked for the Industry and Business Association (TÜSİAD) as legal expert in Istanbul until 2005 and as a researcher in Brussels until 2006.
In 2006, she obtained her LL.M degree from the College of Europe in Bruges, Belgium.
Between 2006-2012, she worked at the Istanbul Office of a top tier international law firm, on corporate&commercial, M&A and competition law cases.
In 2012, she set up Tabak&Ongan Law Office, which created the basis for GTO, with Burak Ongan.
Ceyda has key expertise in Turkish corporate, commercial and competition laws as well as international contracts. She has been involved in and headed several M&A deals. She has advised many foreign clients for their investments in Turkey and has expertise in building a bridge between Turkish and foreign parties in complex transactions.
Ceyda has excellent command of English and French.
Burak Ongan
Corporate, Commercial, M&A
Burak is the founding partner of GTO and acts for 20 years as a qualified lawyer.
Graduated from Galatasaray High School, then from Galatasaray University, he was registered with the Istanbul Bar in 2003.
He obtained his LL.M degree on private law from Galatasaray University.
From 2003 to 2012, Burak gained extensive experience on international transactions and litigation while working at top tier Turkish law firms representing foreign clients.
In 2012, he set up Tabak&Ongan Law Office with Ceyda Tabak Metin.
Burak has key expertise in Turkish corporate, commercial law, international contracts and litigation. Combination of his litigation and transactional expertise enables Burak to understand and resolve international disputes with a unique perspective. He has also been involved in and headed several M&A deals.
Burak has published a book and several articles on license agreements.
Burak has excellent command of English and French.
