Turkey introduces data protection guide for legal professionals

The Personal Data Protection Authority (KVKK), in collaboration with the Union of Turkish Bar Associations, has introduced the ‘Implementation Guide on the Protection of Personal Data in the Professional Activities of Lawyers’.

Faruk Bilir, President of the KVKK, stated that the guide does not instruct lawyers to stop processing personal data, but rather emphasizes processing data required for professional activities based on correct legal grounds, in a necessary and secure manner. The guide addresses various aspects of law firm operations, including the roles of lawyers, employees, and the use of generative artificial intelligence.

Attorney Hakan Varan noted that personal data protection is an integral part of legal ethics and professional secrecy, given that legal files contain sensitive information such as health records, financial data, and criminal history. He emphasized that obtaining data legally for a specific case does not grant unlimited rights to use that data for other purposes. The guide also clarifies the distinction between individual lawyers acting as independent data controllers and law partnerships acting as a single legal entity.