Legal Research Services

At Bıçak Law Firm, we provide comprehensive, evidence-based legal research services that support informed decision-making, strengthen litigation strategy, and enable regulatory compliance across multiple jurisdictions. Our research is guided by academic precision, practical experience, and a deep understanding of how laws are actually implemented by courts, regulators, and administrative authorities. Whether you require a detailed legal memorandum, comparative analysis, precedent mapping or an evaluation of how a specific law is applied in practice, our team delivers clear, reliable and actionable results.

Our Research Capabilities

Comparative Legal Research

Global business requires global understanding. We conduct comparative legal analyses between Türkiye and foreign jurisdictions – including EU Member States, the United Kingdom, the United States, Gulf countries and other emerging markets. Our comparative research highlights areas of convergence and divergence, evaluates regulatory trends, and identifies compliance expectations for cross-border operations. This service is particularly valuable for international investors, multinational companies, foreign law firms and individuals navigating unfamiliar legal systems.

Case-Law Research and Precedent Analysis

Understanding judicial trends is essential for litigation and strategic planning. Our team conducts deep, systematic case-law research across the Turkish Court of Cassation, Constitutional Court, Council of State, regional appellate courts and first-instance courts. We analyze leading precedents, identify interpretative patterns, evaluate the strength of legal arguments, and provide forward-looking assessments of how courts may apply certain rules. When relevant, we also examine European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) jurisprudence to ensure alignment with international human rights standards.

Statutory and Regulatory Research

We provide authoritative research on statutory interpretation, regulatory requirements, administrative procedures, government circulars, guidelines, communiqués and secondary legislation. This includes monitoring legislative developments, tracking regulatory updates, and analyzing administrative decisions that shape real-world compliance expectations. Our statutory research is particularly beneficial for sectors subject to fast-changing regulations, such as fintech, payments, data protection, gaming, export control and foreign trade.

Research on the Implementation of Specific Laws in Practice

One of our core strengths is practical implementation research, also known as “law-in-action” research. This goes beyond theoretical interpretation and examines how specific laws are enforced and applied in real-life situations. We answer questions such as:

• How do courts interpret a new provision in criminal, civil or administrative matters?
• What enforcement patterns exist for AML, fintech, e-money, sanctions or competition law?
• How do regulatory bodies implement the Payment Services and Electronic Money Law (Law No. 6493)?
• What practical challenges arise in the application of public procurement rules?
• How do judges and prosecutors apply evidence rules in digital crime or cyber fraud cases?
• How is the “misleading information” offence (TCK 217/A) interpreted by courts and prosecutors?

This type of research is critical for businesses planning compliance strategies, law firms preparing litigation, NGOs evaluating legal reforms, and policymakers assessing the impact of legislation. It ensures that clients understand not only the law on the books, but the law in practice.

Litigation and Arbitration Research Support

We offer tailored research packages to support complex litigation and international arbitration proceedings. Our services include issue-spotting, procedural research, burden-of-proof analysis, evidence evaluation, drafting skeleton arguments, preparing research binders and analyzing relevant arbitral practice. We also prepare research-based reports on Turkish law for foreign arbitration tribunals and international disputes.

Academic-Style Legal Research and Policy Reports

With decades of academic experience, including published works in international legal journals, we prepare scholarly research and policy analysis for universities, research institutes, governmental authorities and international organizations. These may include human rights assessments, regulatory impact studies, legislative reform proposals, comparative policy papers or in-depth sectoral reports.

Who We Serve

Our research services support a broad and diverse range of clients:

• International and domestic law firms seeking Turkish law expertise or comparative analysis
• Corporate legal departments and compliance teams managing regulatory or litigation risks
• Financial institutions, fintech companies and payment service providers requiring up-to-date regulatory guidance
• Embassies, consulates, international organizations and NGOs needing expert insight on Turkish law
• Investors, private equity and M&A advisory teams evaluating legal risks or conducting due diligence
• Businesses operating in regulated industries, including gaming, technology, e-commerce and energy
• Individuals facing complex cross-border legal questions or rights-based matters

We tailor our deliverables to the specific needs and objectives of each client.

Areas of Law We Cover

Our research spans a wide range of legal fields, including:

• Public Law: Constitutional rights, freedoms, administrative procedures, judicial review and enforcement practices.
• Criminal Law and Criminal Procedure: Digital crimes, evidence assessment, arrest/detention rules, prosecutorial discretion, defenses and sentencing trends.
• Business and Corporate Law: Company formation, shareholder disputes, director liability, mergers and acquisitions.
• Financial Regulation and Compliance: Anti-money-laundering (AML), counter-terrorism financing (CTF), banking rules, e-money institutions, payment services, crypto-related compliance.
• Data Protection and Technology Law: Implementation of KVKK, GDPR compliance expectations, data-breach decisions, AI regulation and platform liability.
• International Law and Sanctions: Export control (BIS, OFAC, CAATSA), dual-use restrictions, cross-border compliance and trade-based sanctions.
• Civil and Commercial Law: Contracts, torts, consumer protection, enforcement law, property and obligations.
• Dispute Resolution and Arbitration: Comparative procedural research, arbitral practice and enforcement of awards.

Our Methodology

Our research process follows a clear, rigorous methodology designed to ensure accuracy, efficiency and practical value.

• Defining the Research Question: We begin with a scoping discussion to understand your objectives, timeline, jurisdictions and desired deliverable format.
• Identifying Relevant Sources: Our research draws from:
  • Primary legislation
  • Regulatory materials
  • Court judgments
  • Administrative decisions
  • Doctrinal scholarship
  • Comparative foreign law
  • International standards and guidelines
• Structured Analysis: We adopt a systematic methodology: issue-spotting, legal interpretation, comparative evaluation, and directional analysis on practical outcomes.
• Practical Insights and Implementation Review: We assess not only what the law says but how it is applied by courts, regulators and administrative bodies.
• Quality Assurance: Every research product undergoes senior-level review by Prof. Dr. Vahit Bıçak or a relevant subject-matter expert within our team.
• Delivery in Client-Ready Format: We provide:
  • Legal memoranda
  • Opinion letters
  • Regulatory summaries
  • Comparative law tables
  • Executive briefs
  • Court-ready research bundles

Urgent research requests can be accommodated.

Why Bıçak Law Firm?

• Experience and Academic Excellence: With over thirty years of experience in legal academia and practice, Prof. Dr. Vahit Bıçak and our team combine scholarly depth with practical litigation insight.
• International Perspective: Our lawyers are trained in both Turkish and foreign legal systems, enabling us to deliver cross-border research that meets international expectations.
• Reliable, Evidence-Based Outputs: All research is rooted in authoritative sources, supported by citations and delivered in clear, analytical language.
• Confidentiality and Integrity: We adhere to strict professional secrecy rules and use secure communication channels for all client information.
• Sector-Specific Expertise: We have substantial experience in highly regulated industries, including fintech, gaming, payments, technology and sanctions.
• Partner-Level Oversight: Every research assignment benefits from direct senior supervision, ensuring uncompromising quality.

Sample Research Questions We Handle

• How do Turkish regulators enforce sanctions and export control rules?
• What is the implementation practice of Law No. 6493 (Payment and E-Money Law)?
• How do courts evaluate evidence in online fraud cases?
• What are the judicial trends regarding public-procurement challenges?
• How are GDPR and KVKK obligations interpreted in recent data-breach cases?
• How do Turkish courts apply the “misleading information” provision under TCK 217/A?

Contact Us

If you have a legal research question, require comparative analysis, or need an assessment of how a specific law is applied in practice, we invite you to contact us. Our team will be pleased to discuss your needs and prepare a tailored research plan.