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Honorary Professor of Practice
Professional Experience
Dr. Gönenç Gürkaynak is the founding partner of ELIG Gürkaynak Attorneys-at-Law, a leading law firm of 95 lawyers based in Istanbul, Turkey. Gönenç graduated from Ankara University, Faculty of Law in 1997 and was called to the Istanbul Bar in 1998. Gönenç received his LL.M. degree from Harvard Law School, and he has received his Doctor of Philosophy in Law (PhD) degree from University College London (UCL) Faculty of Laws. Before founding ELIG Gürkaynak Attorneys-at-Law in 2005, Gönenç worked as an attorney at the Istanbul, New York and Brussels offices of a global law firm for more than eight years. Gönenç has more than 25 years of experience as an international attorney qualified in multiple bars in different countries.
Gönenç frequently speaks at conferences and symposia on competition law matters. He has four books, and more than 80 academic articles published in refereed international law journals.
Practice Areas
Competition Law, Internet Law, White Collar Irregularities, Technology, Media, and Telecoms Law, Data Protection and Privacy Law, General Corporate/Contracts, Litigation
Bar Memberships
Istanbul Bar, 1997; American Bar Association, 2001; New York Bar, 2001 (currently non-practising; registered); Brussels Bar, 2003 - 2004 (B List; not maintained); Member of the Law Society of England & Wales, 2004 (currently non-practising; registered)
Education
University College London (UCL) Faculty of Laws (PhD); Harvard Law School (LLM); Ankara University School of Law (LLB)
Academic Positions
Honorary Professor of Practice at UCL Faculty of Laws (2023 – present); Senior Research Fellow at the Center for Law, Economics & Society (CLES) at UCL Faculty of Laws (2023 – present); Lecturer of the masters degree course “Competition Law” at Bilgi University, School of Law (2009 - present); Member of the faculty at Bilkent University, School of Law, graduate degree course “Competition Law” and the undergraduate courses “Competition Law” (2005 - present) and “Introduction to Anglo-American Law” (2004 - present); Member of the faculty at Yeditepe University, School of Law (2015 - 2018), undergraduate degree course “Competition Law”; Member of the faculty at Bogaziçi University, Department of Economics (2005 - 2006), graduate degree course “Law and Economics of Competition”; Member of the faculty at Sabancı University, Department of Social Sciences (2005 - 2006), undergraduate degree course “Comparative Legal Thought”.
Books
“Rekabet Hukuku” (Competition Law) published by Seçkin Yayıncılık (October 2022); “Turkish Competition Law”, published by Concurrences (November 2021); “A Discussion Book to Induce Socratic Questioning and Learning of Fundamental Concepts of Anglo-American Law” (Book with Derya Durlu and Gözde Kitapcı), published by Legal Publishing (October 2011); “A Discussion on the Prime Objective of the Turkish Competition Law From a Law & Economics Perspective” published by The Turkish Competition Authority Press (September 2003).
Languages
English, French