1. When did you first get involved with the OBA?
I first became involved with the OBA in 2021, some time after transitioning my practice to Ontario. I decided to take a more proactive role in the organisation and joined the OBA Business Law Section Executive Committee in 2025.
2. What is your role on the OBA Business Law Section?
I am currently serving as a Member-at-Large on the Executive Committee of the OBA Business Law Section. As a new member of the committee, my focus is on learning about the organisation and its various initiatives and identifying where I can contribute.
3. What is/are your specific area(s) of practice?
I have a broad-based corporate and business law practice, focusing on private mergers and acquisitions, partnership and corporate law, and not-for-profits. Additionally, I handle commercial arbitration matters on a selective basis.
4. How long have you been practicing?
I have been practicing for almost 20 years: the first 12 years in my native country, Türkiye, and the last 8 here in Canada.
5. What is the most challenging aspect of your job?
Transitioning to founding my own firm recently has brought new entrepreneurial challenges, alongside the usual complexities of law practice.
6. What is the most interesting or fulfilling aspect of your job?
I find the greatest fulfilment in my work when I help a diverse range of clients – from advising emerging Canadian start-ups on seed or early-stage investments to helping an established small business owner pass the baton to the next generation of ownership, to guiding non-profits through complex governance and programmatic issues. I also have a strong interest in corporate law, so I always enjoy opportunities to learn new information and stay up to date in the field.
7. If you were not practicing in your current area of law, what other area(s) of law could you see yourself in and why?
I hold the highest regard for my fellow litigators, whom I truly consider to be "advocates" in every sense of the word. For that reason, I could see myself in commercial litigation and arbitration.
8. What are you excited for as an executive member of the OBA Business Law Section?
I am excited to foster deeper connections among practitioners and to share insights on the evolving business law landscape as we navigate a moment marked by the restructuring of the international order (outside Canada) and the anticipated transfer of generational wealth from retiring members of our communities to the next generations of owners (within Canada).
9. What is the one thing you would like to see the OBA Business Law Section do this year?
More as a long-term initiative, I would like to see the section collaborate with other sections and branches of the CBA to expand our publication catalogue and provide more practical resources for the profession.
10. Can you mention one exciting thing you have worked on recently?
I volunteered at the Pro Bono Ontario Hotline for the very first time in late December. I would encourage all my fellow business law practitioners to make the jump and volunteer. You will be pleasantly surprised.
11. Where did you go to law school?
I earned my Bachelor of Laws and my Master of Laws in Private Law from Galatasaray University in Istanbul, Türkiye. After coming to Canada, I completed my Global Professional Master of Laws in Canadian Law at the University of Toronto.
12. What was the most helpful thing you learned in law school?
Analytical skills to help me adapt to change – whether this involves changing laws (shortly after I completed my studies, all major Turkish legal codes were amended and restated, often with significant differences) or shifting between jurisdictions (as I transitioned my practice to Canada).
13. What is the one piece of advice you wish someone had given you when you were still a student?
What you learn in law school and what you will actually do as a practicing lawyer are two very different things. This gap is often ignored (and always overlooked) by your instructors. Transitioning from the classroom to the real world will be challenging, but it is achievable. Remember to focus on developing your social skills and other soft skills, as your network and support systems will play a crucial role in helping you achieve your goal of independence.
14. What is your go-to mental health wellness activity?
Spending time with my feline partners for a quick dose of dopamine.
15. What is your go-to coffee order?
Turkish coffee, where available. Anything dark roast and black as my default fallback.
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