Ozlem Atalay

Commercial Lawyer / Legal Counsel with 8 years' legal experience advising on commercial contracts, cross-border matters, legal risk, and stakeholder-focused legal solutions. Dual-qualified in Turkey (admitted 2018) and as a Solicitor in England & Wales (admitted 2025), with strong experience drafting, reviewing, and negotiating complex commercial agreements, including NDAs, engagement letters, client terms, services agreements, commercial leases, and other business-facing contracts. Currently providing client-facing legal support within BDO LLP on live commercial and contractual matters, including risk allocation, liability positioning, and governance issues in a fast-paced professional services environment.

Recognised for delivering practical, commercially focused legal advice, managing legal risk across multi-stakeholder matters, and supporting multi-jurisdictional work with a pragmatic, business-oriented approach.

Senior Legal Executive at BDO LLP (2025-11 – Present)

Deliver client-facing legal support across approximately 35–40 FMAS matters within 6 months, advising on live commercial and contractual issues in a fast-paced professional services environment.

• Deliver client-facing legal support across approximately 35–40 FMAS matters within 6 months, advising on live commercial and contractual issues in a fast-paced professional services environment.
• Draft, review, and negotiate approximately 60 commercial contracts and related legal documents, including NDAs, engagement letters, reliance letters, and client-imposed terms, with a strong focus on risk mitigation and practical outcomes.
• Advise on risk allocation, liability positioning, and governance frameworks across approximately 25–30 higher-complexity matters on high-value engagements.
• Work closely with partners, FMAS teams, and clients to deliver commercially astute, business-oriented legal support and manage legal risk effectively.

Founding Lawyer / Legal Counsel at Atalay Law & Mediation Office (2019-05 – 2025-04)

Advised 40+ SMEs, scaleups, and international clients on commercial, corporate, technology, and real estate matters, acting as a trusted legal adviser on day-to-day business issues.

• Advised 40+ SMEs, scaleups, and international clients on commercial, corporate, technology, and real estate matters, acting as a trusted legal adviser on day-to-day business issues.
• Drafted, reviewed, and negotiated 100+ commercial agreements, including services agreements, NDAs, commercial leases, and other business contracts, with a focus on practical risk management and commercially workable solutions.
• Managed the full contract lifecycle, improving delivery through templates, playbooks, and scalable workflows to reduce turnaround times and support fast-moving business environments.
• Supported cross-border matters up to £5M, collaborating with UK counsel and stakeholders to ensure compliant and risk-controlled execution.
• Delivered commercially pragmatic legal support with a strong focus on stakeholder outcomes, including a 90% mediation settlement rate.

Associate at Aslan Attorney (2018-11 – 2019-05)

Drafted and reviewed commercial and real estate contracts, including leases and conveyancing agreements.

• Drafted and reviewed 50+ commercial and real estate contracts, including leases and conveyancing agreements, helping clients secure favourable commercial terms.
• Advised on high-value property acquisitions and related compliance issues, ensuring legally robust and commercially sensible execution.
• Assisted in negotiations involving investors and counterparties, supporting clients on risk, documentation, and strategic positioning.

In-House Trainee Lawyer at Flormar (Yves Rocher-owned cosmetics brand) (2018-03 – 2018-09)

Supported an in-house legal team on commercial and regulatory matters across the business.

• Supported an in-house legal team on commercial and regulatory matters across the business.
• Drafted supply, lease, and franchise agreements to support expansion into three international markets.
• Monitored legal and regulatory developments and advised management on compliance and risk.
• Implemented GDPR compliance across five departments through training and reporting.

Trainee Lawyer at Köksal & Partners Attorney Partnership (2017-09 – 2018-03)

Assisted on commercial disputes, legal research, and drafting for corporate and litigation matters.

• Assisted on commercial disputes, legal research, and drafting for corporate and litigation matters.
• Prepared internal legal updates on legislative developments to support legal awareness across the team.

LL.M. in Law & Legal Practice (Solicitor) – BPP Law School (2024 – 2025-02)

LL.B. in Law – Yeditepe University (2013 – 2017-12)

Erasmus+ Exchange in Law – Utrecht University (2016 – 2016-12)