Saraç becomes first female president of Istanbul Bar Association

ISTANBUL

Lawyer Filiz Saraç has been elected as the new president of the Istanbul Bar Association, becoming the first woman to preside over the association in its 144-year history.

“I would like to thank all my colleagues who made me feel this honor. The Istanbul Bar Association is the symbol of the struggle for rights with its 144-year history,” Saraç said while giving a speech after the unofficial election results.

The Istanbul Bar Association was established in 1878 and is the world’s largest bar association with nearly 57,000 members.

“As we enter the centennial of our republic, I would like to thank our association for the honor of being the first female president of its history. I live this honor today thanks to the achievements of [modern Türkiye founder Mustafa Kemal] Atatürk and the republic,” she added.

For the first time in the history of the association, four female candidates competed for the presidency.

Principle First Contemporary Lawyers Group’s Saraç, Independent Lawyers Group’s Gülden Sönmez, Lawyer First Group’s Elif Görgülü and Young Lawyers Movement’s Türkan Kara were the female candidates.

Principle First Revival Movement’s Hasan Kılıç, Lawyers’ Rights Group’s Gökhan Ahi, Istanbul Nationalist Lawyers Group’s Hakan Çatak, Metin Uracin and Mert Er Karagülle were the other candidates.

After graduating from Marmara University’s Faculty of Law in 1988, Saraç completed her master’s degree in the Public Law Department.

The new president, who has been a self-employed lawyer for 32 years, was elected to the association’s board in 1996.

Between 2004-2006, she served as the vice president of the association. Having taught at Yeditepe University for six years, she has been working as a delegate of the Turkish Bars Association (TBB) and a member of the TBB’s education advisory board since 2006.

Saraç, who took part in many panels and conferences on women’s rights, was awarded by the Turkish Women’s Union, which was founded in 1924, for her “contributions to the rule of law and the awareness of seeking rights in society.”

Principle First Contemporary Lawyers Group has been winning the elections for 10 consecutive terms, while Mehmet Durakoğlu, the president of the last three terms, did not become a candidate for the new term.

In solidarity with Mahsa Amini, whose death in Iranian custody sparked mass unrest, lawyers Selin Nakıpoğlu and Şerare Erfan cut their hair at the association’s General Assembly meeting.