VIAS LEGAL

Ventures • Investments • Arbitration • Strategy

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International Legal Strategy.
Local Understanding.
Global Execution.

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WHO WE ARE

VIAS Legal is a boutique international law firm advising corporations, investment groups, states, and state-owned entities on complex cross-border legal and strategic matters.

Active in Istanbul, London and the African continent, the firm combines international arbitration experience with extensive transactional expertise in energy, infrastructure, and international investments across multiple jurisdictions.

Legal services are delivered in English, French, and Turkish, ensuring precise communication across international transactions, negotiations, and disputes.

From initial concept to operational maturity, VIAS Legal structures the legal foundations of complex projects across development, financing, transactions, operations, and dispute resolution, ensuring continuity and strategic alignment throughout the project lifecycle.

Our Services

A DISTINCT STRATEGIC PERSPECTIVE

Civil Law and Common Law Expertise

Advising across both civil law and common law systems, including Turkish law, French law, and the laws of England and Wales. This multi-faceted perspective enables effective navigation of legal frameworks frequently encountered in international transactions, project development, financing arrangements, and dispute resolution.

Multilingual Practice

Legal services delivered in English, French, and Turkish.

Language capability is complemented by extensive international experience and an understanding of the cultural, commercial, and institutional dynamics that shape cross-border transactions and disputes. This perspective enables effective engagement across jurisdictions and stakeholder groups, facilitating negotiations and strategic decision-making in complex international environments.

Strategic and Commercial Perspective

Legal advice informed by commercial realities, investment objectives, and risk allocation considerations. The focus extends beyond legal analysis to supporting practical decision-making and commercially sustainable outcomes.

Full Project Lifecycle Capability

Supporting clients throughout the lifecycle of complex international projects—from initial structuring and negotiation through financing, implementation, operations, dispute prevention, and dispute resolution. This continuity provides strategic consistency across every stage of a project or investment.

The Intersection of Transactions and Disputes

Experience across both transactions and disputes provides a broader perspective on risk and opportunity. Dispute resolution experience informs the structuring and negotiation of transactions by identifying potential areas of conflict before they arise.

Conversely, transactional experience brings a practical understanding of commercial objectives, project realities, and stakeholder interests to disputes, enabling focused, commercially realistic, and strategically aligned solutions.

Law Firm and In-House Experience

Experience gained through European law firms and extensive in-house legal roles supporting international investments, infrastructure projects, and cross-border commercial operations. This combination provides both technical legal expertise and a practical understanding of business decision-making, operational challenges, and commercial priorities.

Cross-Border Reach

Advising on matters spanning the United Kingdom, Türkiye, France, and African jurisdictions, including both English-speaking and French-speaking legal systems. Experience includes working with governments, state-owned entities, multinational corporations, investors, lenders, and project sponsors across diverse legal and regulatory environments.

REPRESENTATIVE MATTERS

Energy & Infrastructure (USD 10+ Billion)
IPPs • Power Purchase Agreements • Floating Power / Powership projects • LNG-to-Power projects • FIDIC-based projects • Concession agreements across:

Côte d’Ivoire • Gabon • Guinea • Senegal • Mozambique • Benin • the Democratic Republic of the Congo • Togo • Cameroun • New Caledonia

Government & Regulatory Engagement
Direct negotiations with States • Ministries • State-owned entities • Public utilities • Major multinational companies

Corporate & Investment Transactions
Joint ventures • Shareholders’ agreements • Strategic partnerships • Cross-border investments across:


Europe • United Kingdom • Asia

Project Finance (USD 4+ Billion)
Financing structures • Financial transaction documentation • Bankability analysis

International Commercial Arbitration
ICC commercial arbitration • Pre-arbitration strategy • Settlement negotiations

Investor-State Disputes
ICSID arbitration proceedings of USD 1.5 billion • ICSID arbitration proceedings of USD 600 million

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BESPOKE TEAMS

Each engagement is supported by a carefully curated team of experts, selected to match the matter’s technical, legal, financial and strategic requirements under the leadership of the Founding Partner of VIAS Legal, Sıla Uysal.

SILA UYSAL

Sıla Uysal, Founding Partner of VIAS Legal, helping clients in their international Ventures, Investments, Arbitrations and Strategy

Founding Partner

Sıla Uysal is the Founding Partner of VIAS Legal. She advises investors, corporations, project sponsors, and high-net-worth individuals on cross-border transactions, strategic investments, international disputes, and complex commercial matters. Her practice focuses on energy, infrastructure, international commerce, project finance, and investment protection, with particular experience across Africa, Europe, and the Middle East.

With more than a dozen years of international legal experience, Sıla combines transactional, advisory, and dispute-resolution expertise to assist clients in navigating sophisticated cross-border projects and investments. She is admitted to practise in England & Wales and Türkiye, is recognised as Juriste in France, and brings a distinctive combination of common law and civil law experience to her practice.

Sıla previously served as Legal Counsel at Karadeniz Holding A.Ş. (Karpowership) for nine years, where she acted as second-in-command within the legal team, reporting directly to C-level management, and supported and led energy and infrastructure investments across multiple jurisdictions worth billions of dollars, with a particular focus on Africa. She played a central role in the development and deployment of floating power plants, acting as lead drafter and negotiator of Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs), concession agreements, and related project contracts. She spearheaded negotiations with ministers and senior executives of state-owned entities, and advised on treaty protections and host-state arrangements.

Her experience also includes B2B joint ventures and corporate alliances, as well as award-winning project finance transactions, including syndicated facilities with leading international banks.

Sıla also has substantial experience in international dispute resolution, including international commercial arbitration and investor-State dispute settlement (ISDS) proceedings under ICC and ICSID frameworks. Earlier in her career, she worked with the international arbitration team at Arnold & Porter in London, contributing to high-value disputes involving claims worth several billions of dollars.

Fluent in English, Turkish, and French, Sıla is recognised for her strategic and commercially focused approach, combining technical legal expertise with sound business judgment and a deep understanding of the legal, political, and cultural dynamics that shape international transactions and disputes.

Jurisdictions & Bar Admissions:

● Avukat (Attorney-at-Law) - Istanbul Bar Association

● Solicitor - England & Wales

● Juriste - France

Education:

● Bachelor’s Degree in Turkish Law (Equivalence)

Galatasaray University

● LL.M. in International Commercial Law (Maritime & Energy Law), Merit

City Law School, City University of London

● Master’s Degree in Business Law

University of Strasbourg

● Bachelor’s Degree in Law, Cum Laude

University of Strasbourg

● Summer School in International Commercial Litigation & Arbitration

London School of Economics

● French Baccalaureate (Economics & Social Sciences), Magna Cum Laude

Lycée Charles de Gaulle d’Ankara

Media, Speaking Engagements & Academia

Featured by Fortune Türkiye, Sıla Uysal discussed the future of cross-border legal practice and the strategic role of legal leadership in helping organizations navigate global opportunities, regulatory challenges, and business transformation.

Sila Uysal gave a lecture on English Law to MBA students at 'Özyeğin University'.

Sıla Uysal delivered a lecture to MBA students at Özyeğin University on the role of English law in international business. The session explored the “when and where” of English law, its advantages and limitations in international transactions and investments, as well as the key features and principles of English contract law that business leaders should consider when structuring and negotiating commercial arrangements.

Logo of Istanbul Bilgi University featuring a red and black icon and the university's name.
Logo of Istanbul Bilgi University featuring a red and black icon and the university's name.

Sıla spoke to law students at Istanbul Bilgi University on managing client expectations in legal practice, highlighting the importance of understanding clients, maintaining strong risk awareness, and navigating cultural sensitivities.

A woman with long dark hair, wearing a black blazer, is speaking into a microphone at a conference table. There is a nameplate in front of her reading "Sila Uysal" and a notebook, along with a glass of water and a bottle on the table.

Sıla spoke on challenges and opportunities in the Energy Sector at the Bosphorus Energy Club’s conference.

Sila Uysal at GAR Live Istanbul discussing why experience in both transactions and disputes provides a unique advantage in managing risk throughout the lifecycle of major projects.

Sıla Uysal spoke at GAR Live Istanbul, sharing practical insights on the intersection of transactional and dispute resolution practices, highlighting emerging client demands, examining key regional trends, and addressing challenges across the African continent.

Logo of Galatasaray University featuring a stylized 'G' with yellow and red colors, surrounded by the name of the university in a circular pattern.
Logo of Galatasaray University featuring a stylized 'G' with yellow and red colors, surrounded by the name of the university in a circular pattern.

Sıla gave a lecture to LLM students at Galatasaray University on the differences between international commercial arbitration and investment arbitration, including when and why each is chosen, the key considerations informing that choice, and the core principles of investor–state arbitration, illustrated with reference to the ICSID case Karkey v. Pakistan.

Smiling woman sitting cross-legged in a brown armchair, holding a tablet during a panel discussion or presentation.

Our Founding Partner delivered a talk on legal career pathways to law students at Bilkent University, sharing insights on the practice of law, career development, and the skills and perspectives essential for succeeding in a dynamic and global legal profession.

A woman stands at a wooden podium labeled 'divan' delivering a speech at a conference. Behind her is a blue backdrop with various sponsor logos and the event title, which includes 'Türkiye & USA' and mentions the 9th Annual International Arbitration & Competition Summit. Attendees are seated in front of her, and a large screen to her right displays event details.

Sıla Uysal participated as a solo speaker and panel speaker at the Türkiye & EMEA 9th Annual International Arbitration Summit, where she spoke on transactions with multinational parties and examined, in a comparative perspective, French-law influenced legal systems and the English law approach, highlighting the key differences between civil law and common law traditions.

Panel discussion at Istanbul Arbitration Week 2024 with five speakers seated on stage in front of a large screen displaying event info, audience seated facing the stage.

Our Founding Partner spoke on the enforcement of arbitral awards, with a focus on the topic of “State immunity” at Istanbul Arbitration Week 2024.

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