Elif Bilge Suri is a dual-qualified lawyer admitted to the Istanbul Bar and to the roll of solicitors of England and Wales. She has over nine years of experience in corporate and commercial law, cross-border transactions and dispute resolution. Before joining the MIDS, she served as Legal Counsel at Yıldız Holding, one of Türkiye’s leading multinational conglomerates, advising on complex legal matters across multiple jurisdictions.
Throughout her career, Bilge has advised publicly listed and privately held companies on matters governed by Turkish and English law, negotiated complex commercial agreements and worked on cross-border transactions. Her transactional experience includes international M&A, mergers involving publicly listed companies, capital markets transactions and corporate restructurings. She has worked on the initial public offerings of Şok Marketler and Penta Teknoloji; two Eurobond issuances by Ülker Bisküvi, worth USD 650 million and USD 550 million, respectively; and a share transfer spanning five jurisdictions. In litigious matters, she has represented companies and shareholders before Turkish courts, developed litigation strategies, drafted pleadings, conducted negotiations and appeared at hearings. She has also coordinated cross-border litigation with external counsel and worked on mediation and other dispute resolution proceedings. Her transactional and contentious experience has given her a client-side perspective on contractual risk, commercial disputes and the relationship between legal strategy and business objectives.
Bilge holds an LL.B. and a double degree in International Relations and Political Science from Istanbul Şehir University. She also holds an LL.M. in Business Law from Istanbul Bilgi University; her thesis was subsequently published as a book. She participated in three editions of the Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot, later returning as a moot arbitrator.
At the MIDS, Bilge seeks to specialise in international commercial arbitration, particularly disputes arising from complex commercial contracts and corporate transactions. She aims to develop an international arbitration practice in Switzerland. Outside the law, she enjoys reading novels, independent cinema and travelling, valuing the experiences and lasting memories that travel brings.
Nationality
Türkiye
Working Languages
Turkish
English
Areas of Expertise
Corporate and Commercial Law
Cross-Border Commercial Transactions
Mergers and Acquisitions
Capital Markets Law
Commercial Litigation
Bar Information
Türkiye, 2017
England and Wales, 2025