Overview
Pro bono legal services in Turkey can be regarded as a relatively new concept, particularly when compared to the sophisticated and institutionalised pro bono programmes in the United States and Continental Europe. Consequently, the legal regulations and organisations in Turkey concerning the provision of pro bono legal services are not yet well established nor adequate to meet current demands. Specifically, the provisions in the Lawyer’s Act (outlined below) and the priorities of Turkish law firms require further development to make the provision of pro bono legal services more prevalent in Turkey.
At a glance
| Minimum pro bono hours requirement for lawyers? | Specific pro bono licence required? | May foreign lawyers practice pro bono? | Insurance required for law firm pro bono? | Insurance required for in-house counsel pro bono? | Rules to limit advertising pro bono work? | Does pro bono work count to CLE credit? | Limitations for in-house lawyers to do pro bono? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No | No | Yes | No | No | Yes | No | No |
Pro bono practice and opportunities
Under Turkish law, legal services provided by lawyers are governed by the Lawyers Act (Law No: 1136), which was published in the Official Gazette on 7 April 1969, numbered 1136.
Pursuant to Article 9 of the Lawyers Act, an individual accepted as a lawyer is issued a licence, enabling them to practise law. Acceptance as a lawyer takes effect from the moment the licence is granted. The conditions for acceptance as a lawyer are outlined in Article 3 of the Lawyers Act as follows:
- Being a Turkish citizen;
- Graduating from a Law Faculty in Turkey, or graduating from a foreign law faculty and successfully passing exams for courses not taken according to the curriculum of Turkish law faculties;
- Completing a legal internship and obtaining a document confirming the completion of that internship;
- Having a place of residence in the same region as the bar association with which the lawyer is to be registered; and
- Not being in a condition that prevents the individual from practising law according to the Lawyers Act.
There is no additional legislation applicable in Turkey for in-house counsel. Further, if a lawyer is employed by the government or a state-owned enterprise, they are only permitted to act on matters relating to those authorities or companies, as per Article 12 of the Lawyers Act.
Regulatory landscape for pro bono
There are no rules in Turkey that specificallyregulate the provision of pro bono legal services by lawyers.
However, as a general rule, Article 164/4 of theLawyers Act provides that: (i) it is not possible to agree on a fee for legal services that is below the Minimum Attorney Fee Tariff[1]; and (ii) if free legal services are provided for disputes, such services shall be notified to the Management Board of the Bar Association.
There is no separate licence requirement for lawyers in Turkey for providing pro bono legal services.
Foreign lawyers do not require any additional licences to provide pro bono legal services in Turkey. Since non-Turkish foreign-qualified lawyers are not permitted to be registered with a Bar Association, foreign-qualified lawyers may only provide pro bono legal services through their employer or in conjunction with a registered Turkish lawyer or foreign Attorney Partnership.
Lawyers are not required by any rules to work a minimum number of pro bono hours.
Aspiring lawyers are not required to complete aminimum number of hours of pro bono legalservices in order to become licenced lawyers.
In Turkey, there are no mandatory or aspirational pro bono hour targets set by bar associations or any regulatory authority of lawyers.
Lawyers in Turkey do not receive any “Continuing Legal Education” or equivalent credit for pro bono hours worked.
Insurance and advertising
There is no specific requirement for both lawyers and in-house counsel in relation to the professional indemnity legal insurance coverage for pro bono legal services. There is also no difference between lawyers and in-house lawyers. Furthermore, there are no mandatory insurance requirement for lawyers under the Turkish legislation.
Article 55 of the Lawyers Act prohibits lawyersfrom making any attempt or act that may be considered an “advertisement” in order to obtain a “job opportunity”. Since soliciting activities might be deemed as “seeking/obtaining job opportunity”, both advertisement of pro bono legal services and soliciting pro bono clients may also be prohibited under the Lawyers Act.
Pro bono practice and culture
There are no published official reports or statistics with respect to pro bono legal services and/or unmet legal needs. That being said, women’s rights, children’s rights, and disability rights are areas that present more opportunities for pro bono legal services, since such areas widely affect people with low income in the Turkish jurisdiction. Furthermore, refugee rights are another example of unmet legal needs in Turkey, considering the number of refugees who have fled to Turkey in recent years to escape the Syrian civil war.
Although there are no main providers of pro bono legal services in Turkey that are regulated by law or established by government, there are several non-governmental organisations, universities, and law firms establishing pro bono departments.
The Istanbul Bilgi University Human Rights Center is one of the well-known institutions in Turkey providing pro bono legal services.[2]
In particular, the Istanbul Bilgi University Human Rights Center provides legal counselling for clients and helps clients draft contracts and other legal documents. It also conducts research in specific legal fields, as requested by its clients. In addition to the Istanbul Bilgi University Human Rights Center, the Pro Bono Association – established in 2022 and collaborating with Istanbul Bilgi University – is also a small and newly established organisation serving the same purpose.[3]
To the best of our knowledge, there are no such examples in relation to pro bono matters.Commercial legal platforms and tools are emerging, however, that could also potentially be used in pro bono matters, for example:
- AyLex AI, a Turkish AI legal assistant that searches case law decisions, analyses statutes and precedents, and generates draft documents like petitions and contracts.[4]
- DavaHukuk, an AI platform with a legal assistant, that can research case law and automate document creation. Unlike traditional chatbots, the system uses agentic AI to understand the user’s request, autonomously conduct research on relevant case law, and suggest the most suitable legal solutions.[5]
Sources of pro bono opportunities and key contacts
There are no governmental sources of pro bono and/or other pro bono legal services in Turkey.
On the other hand, there are currently very limited non-governmental sources of pro bono and/or other pro bono resources in Turkey. The Istanbul Bilgi University Human Rights Center, however, is one of the most successful non-governmental sources rendering pro bono legal services in Turkey.
Other non-governmental sources of pro bono and/or other pro bono resources in Turkey include:
- The Pro Bono Association, which brings together lawyers or law firms from across Turkey with civil society organisations, enabling them to provide free legal support to civil society;
- Mor Çatı Women’s Shelter Foundation, which provides pro bono legal services in respect of violence against women and provides psychological and legal services via volunteer experts and lawyers;[6]
- Youth Re-autonomy Foundation of Turkey, which provides pro bono legal services aimed at reintegrating children who have been involved in criminal activities back into society;[7] and
- Foundation for Children with Leukaemia, which tries to create solutions for children with leukaemia and associated health problems.[8]
There are no public or private organisations with which a local or foreign attorney can register to learn of such opportunities.
The Istanbul Bilgi University Human Rights Center is the most well-known organisation in the Turkish jurisdiction and may be able to provide further guidance on the types of pro bono opportunities that exist in Turkey from time to time.[9]
A Pro Bono award ceremony was organised by Istanbul Bilgi University in 2017.[10]
References
- See https://www.resmigazete.gov.tr/eskiler/2024/10/20241003-4-1-1.pdf (last visited on 14 January 2025).
- See https://probono.bilgi.edu.tr/tr/ (last visited on 14 January 2025).
- See https://www.probonodernegi.org/ (last visited on 14 January 2025).
- https://www.aylex.ai/?utm_source (Last viewed on 19 February 2026).
- https://davahukuk.com/?utm_source (Last viewed on 19 February 2026).
- See https://morcati.org.tr/ (last visited on 14 January 2025).
- See https://www.tcyov.org/hakkimizda/ (last visited on 14 January 2025).
- See https://en.losev.org.tr/ (Last visited on 14 January 2025).
- See https://probono.bilgi.edu.tr/en/ (last visited on 26 January 2025).
- See https://probono.bilgi.edu.tr/tr/haberler/pro-bono-odulu-sahiplerini-buldu-13/ (last visited on 14 January 2025).
Please note that the applicable rules do not apply specifically or solely to pro bono.
Please note that if in-house counsel are employed by government or state-owned entities, pro bono activities will be subject to restrictions as set out in Section II above.
Acknowledgements
Name of Local Counsel: Pekin & Pekin
Name of Individual(s) at Local Counsel: Mert Tezcan, Şeref Berkay Şener
Related resources
TrustLaw Index of Pro Bono
The Thomson Reuters Foundation’s global benchmark report mapping the scale and trends of the pro bono legal sector around the world.
Measuring Pro Bono Impact Guide
A 5-step framework to support legal teams in measuring the impact of their pro bono programmes more effectively, produced by the Thomson Reuters Foundation
Pro Bono Institute Challenge Reports
Providing valuable insights into the pro bono landscape by benchmarking pro bono performance at law firms and in-house legal departments.
Explore the Guide's headline findings
The Guide offers insight and analysis into the global pro bono landscape, beyond the deep-dive country chapters.
