Defence begins at the first statement.
In a criminal file the decisive moment is usually not the hearing but the first statement. What is said there is carried to the end of the case. The same team runs it from the opening of the investigation to the end of the sentence.
Investigation and first statement
We attend the statement at the police station and the prosecutor's office. Do not give a statement before the file has been read — the right to remain silent is a right, not an admission, and in most files it is the correct first step.
Detention and challenges
Objections to a detention order, requests for judicial control and applications for release. The time limits are short, and delay is the one thing here that cannot be repaired.
Trial and appeal
Defence at the hearings that follow the indictment, challenges to evidence and to court experts, appeals to the regional court and to the Court of Cassation.
Enforcement and probation
Calculation of the sentence, the conditional release date, probation and transfer to an open prison. A sentence calculated wrongly means months served that need not have been.
Common questions
I live abroad and there is an investigation against me in Türkiye. Do I have to come?
Not in every file. With a power of attorney we can read the file and correspond with the prosecutor, and your statement can be taken through the Turkish mission or a court where you live. An arrest warrant changes this — before you travel, find out exactly what stage the file has reached.
How long does a criminal case take?
The investigation is measured in months and the trial, in most files, in years; the appeal stage is added on top. Where the accused is in detention the court sits more often and the timeline shortens. Once we have seen the file we will give you a realistic range.
Do I need a lawyer to give a statement?
For some offences the law makes it compulsory; for the rest it is a right. In practice the difference is this: the record of your statement is read to the end of the case and is almost impossible to correct. A statement given without a lawyer is the most expensive thing in the file.
Could the sentence have been calculated wrongly?
It happens. Days in custody and detention that must be deducted, the probation period and later changes in the law that favour the convicted person are not always reflected correctly. We recalculate and apply to the enforcement judge.
Reading in this area
Under investigation in Türkiye while you live abroad
Arrest warrants, file access and representation without travelling: what can be established before you board a flight, and what a warrant changes.
Read the article →Other practice areas
Tell us about your matter.
Write in English or Turkish. We respond the same business day — by WhatsApp, telephone or video, as you prefer.