Introduction

Hak ve Hürriyet Avukatlık ("we", "us" or "our") respects the privacy of all clients, third parties, suppliers and visitors ("you", "your" or "yours") and is committed to protecting your personal information in accordance with the Turkish Personal Data Protection Law No. 6698 (KVKK), the Turkish Attorney Code of Ethics, and the regulations of the Istanbul Bar Association (İstanbul Barosu).

This Privacy Policy describes how we collect, process, and protect your personal information and demonstrates our commitment to transparency, confidentiality, and professional ethics. By engaging our legal services, visiting our website, or otherwise providing personal information to us, you acknowledge and consent to the practices described herein. If you do not agree with any terms of this Privacy Policy, please refrain from using our website or submitting personal information to us.

Any personal or case-related information we collect about you will only be used for the purposes for which it was collected or as permitted under applicable Turkish law, including KVKK. We comply with the principles of data minimization, purpose limitation, and lawful processing as required by Turkish data protection regulations and attorney-client confidentiality obligations.

What Kinds of Personal Information Do We Collect and Hold?

Personal Information

Under KVKK, personal information is defined as any information relating to an identified or identifiable natural person. The personal information we collect and hold may include your contact details (name, address, telephone numbers, email address), personal identifiers (date of birth, Turkish ID/Kimlik number, passport details), employment information, residential status, and information relevant to your legal matter, including case facts, documentation, and objectives for seeking representation. We also maintain records of all communications, consultations, and interactions with you in accordance with professional record-keeping standards.

Case-Related and Confidential Information

Case-related information means:

• Legal case information, which includes details about your matter such as case history, evidence submitted, correspondence with opposing parties, court filings, procedural timelines, and outcomes; and
• Confidential communications, which encompasses all attorney-client communications protected under Turkish Attorney-Client Privilege and the ethical obligations of the Istanbul Bar Association.

We use case-related information solely to provide competent legal representation, assess your matter, prepare filings, negotiate settlements, and fulfill our professional duties. Such information is never disclosed to third parties except as required by law, court order, or with your explicit written consent.

Other Information

When you use our website, platforms, and any mobile sites (Websites), applications, widgets and other interactive features (collectively, our Apps), or our official social media pages that we control (our Social Media Pages) as well as through HTML-formatted email messages that we send to you (collectively, including the Social Media Pages, Apps and Websites, the Sites), we may collect other information.

The Sites collect other information that may or may not be personal information. Other information includes information that does not reveal your identity, such as browser and device information, server log file information, App usage data, demographic information, location information and aggregated information. When you download and use an App, we and our service providers may track and collect App usage data, such as the date and time the App on your device accesses our servers and what information and files have been downloaded to the App based on your device number. Cookies allow a web server to transfer data to a computer or device for recordkeeping and other purposes. If you do not want information collected through the use of cookies, there is a simple procedure in most browsers that allows you to decline the use of cookies.

Please note that we may use and disclose such other information which is not personal information for any purpose, except where we are required to do otherwise under applicable law. In some instances, we may combine other information with personal information. If other information can be combined with personal information or can be used to build a profile of an individual (in a way which could be reasonably used to identify that individual), such other information will be treated by us as personal information under KVKK.

How We Collect Your Personal Information

We collect personal information about you when it is reasonably necessary for one or more of our professional activities or functions. This personal information is collected in a number of ways, including through the Sites. For example, we may collect your personal information:

• from the Sites, such as when you visit, use or register on our Websites, Apps or Social Media Pages;
• directly from you when you contact, do business or interact with us by phone, email, or in-person consultation;
• from other sources, such as public legal databases, court records, professional referrals, regulatory bodies, government agencies, and statutory authorities; or
• from your representatives, such as other attorneys, legal advisors, translators, or experts engaged on your behalf (with your authorization).

If We Do Not Collect Your Personal Information

The provision of your personal information is voluntary. However, if you cannot, or will not, provide us with the personal or case-related information we reasonably require to represent you effectively, we may not be able to confirm your identity, assess your legal matter, manage our professional relationship with you, contact you regarding case developments, perform our statutory and ethical obligations, or provide you with comprehensive legal services.

Note: where it is lawful and practicable to do so, we will offer you the opportunity of doing business with us without providing us with personal information (for example, if you make general inquiries about our practice areas or request publicly available legal resources).

How We Use Your Personal Information

We will not collect or use your personal information or case-related information unless it is lawful and ethically permissible for us to do so. We collect and use personal and case-related information for the following purposes:

• considering any request or application made by you for legal services offered by us;
• managing those legal services and client relationships that we provide;
• to those involved in maintaining, reviewing and developing our firm's business systems, procedures and infrastructure;
• to establish your identity and verify conflict-of-interest checks;
• to exchange information with courts, administrative bodies, or other legal professionals as required for your representation;
• to our partners in legal transactions, including co-counsel, expert witnesses, translators, and process servers;
• to regulatory bodies, bar associations, and organizations involved in our normal professional practices;
• fulfilling orders or requests for information, legal documents or services (with your consent, if required);
• fulfilling our role as licensed attorneys, including maintaining client records, providing information on our services and legal updates;
• for informational and educational purposes, including communicating information about legal developments (with your consent, if required);
• for the purpose of professional referrals (with your consent, if required);
• monitoring, moderating and improving our Sites;
• conducting, managing and reporting on quality assurance reviews and internal audits;
• managing complaints and professional feedback;
• managing our risks and complying with our legal and ethical obligations;
• providing information to Turkish regulators, government and statutory bodies as required by law;
• providing legal services, or information relating to such services (with your consent, if required);
• assessing or improving our services, as well as for training and quality purposes, including building case profiles, monitoring, recording and analysing professional interactions between you and us; and
• providing information to third parties as authorised or required by Turkish law, a court, or tribunal.

We have a legitimate professional interest in using your information in these ways. It is also fundamental to the nature of the legal services we provide. In some cases, it will be lawful for us to collect and use your personal and case-related information, for example where it is necessary as part of our statutory function as licensed attorneys or because Turkish law permits or requires us to.

Our Sites may contain hyperlinks to websites operated by third parties. We are not responsible for the content of such websites, or the manner in which those websites handle any personal information you provide. In these cases, your personal information may be collected by that third party and not by us and will be subject to that third party's privacy policy, rather than this Privacy Policy. We have no control over, and are not responsible for, that third party's use or disclosure of your personal information.

Direct Marketing & Professional Communications

In addition to the specific circumstances above, we will only use your personal information with your consent (if required under KVKK) when we process your personal information in order to send you carefully selected informational materials about our legal services, legal updates, or educational resources (or those of our professional partners) by email, text or push notification, depending on your account or operating system settings. You have the right to opt out of receiving such communications at any time. If at any time you wish to stop receiving marketing or informational messages from us you can let us know by contacting us. In your request, please indicate that you wish to stop receiving such communications from us.

Use and Disclosure of Personal Information

We do not use your personal or case-related information or disclose it to another organisation unless it is reasonably necessary for one of the purposes described above, having regard to the nature of the information or the circumstances of collection we believe you would expect us to use the information or make the disclosure. For example, if it is required or authorised by Turkish law or court or tribunal, it is necessary to protect the rights, property, health or personal safety of a client, the public or our professional interests, and it is unreasonable or impracticable to obtain your consent, the disclosure is necessary to assist any entity, body or person to locate a person who has been reported missing, we have reason to suspect that activity, or misconduct of a serious nature, that relates to our functions or activities has been, is being or may be engaged in, and we believe that the collection, use or disclosure is necessary in order for us to take appropriate action, it is necessary to obtain third party services, for example to carry out legal research, translation services or document processing (where use of your information by third parties is strictly controlled), it is for one of the purposes expressly permitted under KVKK and Turkish privacy laws or you have provided your explicit written consent.

We exchange case-related information for the purposes of assessing your legal matter and providing competent representation.

For avoidance of doubt, we may disclose your personal and case-related information to:

• any of our affiliated law firms, professional associates and subsidiaries, including those established in the future;
• co-counsel, expert witnesses, translators, and other professionals engaged on your behalf;
• courts, administrative tribunals, and government authorities as required for your representation;
• other licensed attorneys or legal professionals involved in your matter;
• any person who represents you, such as your authorized representatives, family members (with your consent), or legal guardians;
• organisations involved in legal funding or insurance arrangements related to your matter;
• other law firms and legal service providers;
• organisations that help identify illegal activities and prevent fraud, any data processors processing your information on our behalf;
• third parties who provide related services or products in connection with our practice such as our vendors;
• anyone where you have provided us explicit written consent;
• associated professional bodies that may want to share educational resources with you;
• any party assisting us in carrying out the purposes described above;
• parties which participate in joint professional development or educational initiatives with us;
• to claims related providers, such as legal assessors and investigators who help us with case preparation;
• any agent, contractor or service provider who provides verification of identity, administrative, document processing, translation, research or other services necessary to the operation of our practice;
• any person to whom we are, in our belief in good faith, under an obligation to make disclosure as required by any applicable Turkish law;
• government agencies, statutory authorities and industry regulators in Turkey;
• our auditors, consultants, accountants, lawyers or other financial or professional advisers and our sub-contractors or third party service or product providers as may be determined to be necessary or appropriate;
• organisations that provide products or services used or marketed by us; or
• to your employer, former employer, referees or identity verification services (with your authorization and as permitted by law)

International Disclosures

We may use the services of certain third party service providers which may have offices or other operations outside of Turkey. As a result, your personal and case-related information may be disclosed to recipients in those foreign countries. All service providers that have access to personal and case-related information held by us are required to keep the information confidential and not to make use of it for any purpose other than to provide services in accordance with their engagement and applicable Turkish law. We will take all steps that are reasonably necessary to ensure your personal and case-related information is treated securely and in accordance with this Privacy Policy as well as KVKK, including, where relevant, by entering into standard contractual clauses (or equivalent measures) with the party outside Turkey to ensure adequate data protection safeguards.

Your Rights Under KVKK

KVKK grants you specific rights regarding your personal information. You may request to have this Privacy Policy provided to you in an alternative form upon request.

We may exchange case-related information with courts, administrative bodies, or other legal professionals as necessary for your representation. We use such information to confirm your identity, assess your legal matter, evaluate your capacity to engage our services, and manage your case effectively.

The information we may exchange with authorized legal entities includes your identification details, the nature of your legal matter, procedural status, and whether you have met your obligations under any engagement agreement.

If you fail to meet your obligations in relation to any legal engagement that we have provided, or if there is a serious breach of professional conduct, we may disclose this information to the Istanbul Bar Association or other relevant regulatory body as required by Turkish law.

You have the right to request access to the personal information that we hold about you and make a request for us to correct that information if needed. See 'Access and Correction of Personal Information' below for further information.

Sometimes your personal information will be used by authorized entities for the purposes of professional verification or compliance screening. You can contact us at any time to request limitations on how your information is used for such purposes.

You may contact the Turkish Personal Data Protection Authority (KVKK Kurulu) to advise them that you believe that you may have been a victim of data misuse. KVKK must investigate complaints regarding unlawful processing of personal data. You can contact KVKK for more information:

• KVKK Authority – www.kvkk.gov.tr; Phone: +90 (312) 210 03 00; Email: iletisim@kvkk.gov.tr

Updating Your Personal Information

It is important to us that the personal information we hold about you is accurate and up-to-date. During the course of our professional relationship with you, we may ask you to inform us if any of your personal information has changed.

If you wish to make any changes to your personal information, you may contact us. We will generally rely on you to ensure that the information we hold about you is accurate or complete.

Access and Correction of Personal Information

We will provide you with access to the personal information we hold about you, subject to attorney-client privilege and applicable Turkish law. You may request access to any of the personal information we hold about you at any time. We may charge a reasonable fee for our costs of retrieving and supplying the information to you.

Depending on the type of request that you make, we may respond to your request immediately. Otherwise, we usually respond to you within seven days of receiving your request. We may need to contact other entities to properly investigate your request.

There may be situations where we are not required to provide you with access to your personal information, for example, if the information relates to existing or anticipated legal proceedings, if your request is vexatious, or if the information is protected by attorney-client privilege or commercially sensitive.

If we deny you access to the personal information we hold about you, we will explain why in writing.

If any of the personal information we hold about you is incorrect, inaccurate or out-of-date, you may request that we correct the information by phoning us on 1234567890 or by writing to us at info@hakvehurriyet.av.tr.

If appropriate, we will correct the personal information at the time of your request. Otherwise, we will provide an initial response to you within seven days of receiving your request. Where reasonable, and after our investigation, we will provide you with details about whether we have corrected your personal information within 30 days.

We may need to consult with other legal professionals or regulatory bodies as part of our investigation.

If we refuse to correct personal information, we will provide you with our reasons for not correcting the information in writing.

Rights for Residents in the European Economic Area

If you are a resident in the European Economic Area, you have the following rights in relation to your personal information (where applicable under GDPR and KVKK alignment):

• You have the right to request a copy of the personal information we are processing about you. For your own privacy and security, at our discretion we may require you to prove your identity before providing the requested information.
• You have the right to have incomplete or inaccurate personal information that we process about you rectified.
• You have the right to request that we delete personal information that we process about you, except we are not obliged to do so if we need to retain such data in order to comply with a legal obligation or to establish, exercise or defend legal claims.
• You have the right to restrict our processing of your personal information where you believe such data to be inaccurate; our processing is unlawful; or that we no longer need to process such data for a particular purpose unless we are not able to delete the data due to a legal or other obligation or because you do not wish for us to delete it.
• You have the right to obtain personal information we hold about you, in a structured, electronic format, and to transmit such data to another data controller, where this is (a) personal information which you have provided to us, and (b) if we are processing that data on the basis of your consent or to perform a contract with you.
• Where the legal justification for our processing of your personal information is our legitimate interest, you have the right to object to such processing on grounds relating to your particular situation. We will abide by your request unless we have compelling legitimate grounds for the processing which override your interests and rights, or if we need to continue to process the data for the establishment, exercise or defence of a legal claim.
• If you have consented to our processing of your personal information, you have the right to withdraw your consent at any time, free of charge. This includes cases where you wish to opt out from informational messages that you receive from us.

To make a request to exercise any of these rights in relation to your personal information, please email, call or write to us.

How Long Do We Keep Your Personal Information?

We will only retain your personal and case-related information for as long as is necessary for the purpose for which that personal information was collected and to the extent permitted by applicable Turkish laws, including KVKK and the Istanbul Bar Association record-keeping requirements. When we no longer need (or are otherwise obliged under any law) to use personal or case-related information, we will remove it from our systems and records and/or take steps to anonymise it so you can no longer be identified from it.

Security of Personal Information

We use reasonable organisational, technical and administrative measures and security safeguards to protect, as is reasonable in the circumstances, the personal information we hold from misuse, loss, interference and/or unauthorised access, use, disclosure or alteration of information under our control. Where practicable, we implement measures to require organisations to whom disclosure is made to comply with applicable data protection and privacy laws. If a third party is given access to personal or case-related information, we take reasonable steps to ensure that the information is held securely and used only for the purpose of providing the relevant legal service or activity. Unfortunately, no data transmission over the internet or data storage system can be guaranteed to be 100% secure. If you have reason to believe that your interaction with us is no longer secure (for example, if you feel that the security of any account you might have with us has been compromised), please immediately notify us of the problem.

Sensitive Information

We will only collect sensitive information about you with your explicit consent. Sensitive information is personal information that includes information relating to your racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious or philosophical beliefs, trade union membership, genetic data, biometric data, health information, or sexual orientation. For example, if you submit an application with us for representation in a matter involving health-related claims, we may collect your health information for the purpose of assessing your case and may disclose this information to medical experts or relevant authorities only with your explicit written authorization and as permitted by Turkish law.

Privacy Concerns & Complaints

If you would like any further information about our handling of personal information, or to make a complaint about our handling of your personal information, or you believe there has been a breach by us of KVKK or the ethical provisions of the Turkish Attorney Code of Ethics, please lodge a complaint addressed to our Data Protection Officer at info@hakvehurriyet.av.tr.

We will acknowledge your complaint within seven days and aim to resolve the complaint as quickly as possible. We will provide you with a decision on your complaint within 30 days.

If you are unsatisfied with the outcome of your complaint, you may contact us further to advise of your concerns and, if we are unable to reach a satisfactory resolution, you may wish to take your complaint to:

• Istanbul Bar Association (İstanbul Barosu), which can be contacted by phone at +90 (212) 249 99 99, by email at info@istanbulbarosu.org.tr, or in writing to Ordu Cad. No: 58, 34470 Fatih/İstanbul, Turkey; and/or
• Turkish Personal Data Protection Authority (KVKK Kurulu). KVKK can be contacted by phone: +90 (312) 210 03 00. Website: kvkk.gov.tr

Further Information

You may request further information about the way we manage your personal or case-related information by phoning us on 1234567890 or by writing to us at info@hakvehurriyet.av.tr.

Variations to the Privacy Policy

We reserve the right to modify this Privacy Policy at any time by publishing an updated version of this Privacy Policy on our Website and taking any further action as required by Turkish law, after which, your continued use of the Website or your provision of any further personal information will indicate your acknowledgement to the modified terms of this Privacy Policy.

You may request this policy in an alternative form by phoning us on 1234567890 or by writing to us at info@hakvehurriyet.av.tr.

This Privacy Policy was last updated on 14 April 2026.