SPECIAL FILE: 1ST SEASON WITH DISCUSSIONS ON THE FUTURE OF LEGAL PROFESSIONS

Since we first announced Alia Talks to our valued Alia Journal readers on March 13, 2025, we have hosted five sessions featuring leading names in the fields of law and technology. Throughout this process, we have had the opportunity to meet with experts in the field and gain a close understanding of the new areas of law emerging in this era.

This year, we met with five inspiring guests who covered a wide range of topics, from artificial intelligence governance to the blockchain ecosystem, from combating cybercrime to public technology policies. Each of them shed light on their own area of expertise and offered a vision that opened new horizons, showing young lawyers new career paths. Each session we held showed us once again that the new areas of expertise emerging at the intersection of law and technology are no longer professions of the future, but of the present.

Now, let's revisit the talks featured in this valuable series and take a look back at the memorable moments of Alia Talks together.

1. Ülkü Özkürkçü on Legal Engineering

The first guest of the Alia Talks series, Ülkü Özkürkçü, is a young lawyer with a large following, known for her work in intellectual property, digital regulations, legal technologies, and artificial intelligence governance.

During the event, which saw high attendance, Özkürkçü highlighted the critical role of communities and networks in transitioning from traditional legal professions to the LegalTech field, emphasizing that meeting experts in this ecosystem and sharing knowledge significantly contributes to one's career journey. She also discussed educational and certification programs supporting this transformation and offered various course recommendations to participants.

In the second session of the event, he shared comprehensive information about the Jean Monnet scholarship and recounted his own experiences. This section served as a valuable guide for young lawyers aiming for an academic or international career.

Starting with the question, "What is legal engineering?", this meeting showed us that if traditional lawyers are sailors who skillfully use the ship's sails, legal engineers and LegalTech experts are architects who make the journey both faster and safer by adding navigation systems and automatic steering to the ship.

2.       İlke Okan and the Fulbright Scholarship

The second guest in our Alia Talks series was İlke Okan, who has gained international recognition for her achievements in technology law and legal innovation. Standing out as the only lawyer from Turkey to win a Fulbright scholarship, Okan further solidifies this significant achievement with her master's studies at Berkeley Law, focusing on artificial intelligence governance, technology law, and innovation.

Throughout the session, the Fulbright Scholarship application process, selection criteria, and the fundamental dynamics of legal education in the US—all of great importance for young lawyers seeking to pursue an academic and professional path abroad—were discussed in detail. Having been accepted to prestigious universities such as Stanford, Columbia, and NYU, Okan offered participant unique guidance by sharing the qualities these institutions seek in candidates based on his own experiences. This conversation, , was not only informative but also an inspiring experience that reminded us that achieving success on the international stage requires discipline, strategy, and vision.

This session, which revealed all aspects of Fulbright's journey, clearly showed us that listening to the experience of someone who has walked this path before is like finding the North Star in the sky when lost in the depths of the forest; it both guides you and gives you the courage to move forward.

3.       Legal Approaches to Combating Cybercrime with Mehmet Bedii Kaya

The third guest of our Alia Talks series was Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mehmet Bedii Kaya, one of the most authoritative figures in information and technology law in Turkey. After completing his undergraduate and graduate education at Istanbul Bilgi University, Kaya received his doctorate from the University of Nottingham and has deep academic expertise in areas that form the backbone of the digital age, such as internet law, data protection law, e-commerce, and cyber security.

In this event, titled "Legal Approaches to Combating Cybercrime," we examined the legal implications of the rapidly diversifying cyber threats in the shadow of digitalization through current court decisions. Kaya presented in detail both the theoretical foundations and the critical challenges encountered in practice, covering a broad spectrum ranging from types of cyber attacks to the CIA triad (confidentiality–integrity–availability), from ransomware to international cooperation mechanisms, and from technical analysis to judicial processes.

This event showed us that while cybersecurity is the new line of defense for modern law, lawyers are the most critical actors on this line.

4.       From Law to Digital Transformation with İlayda Süer: Specializing in Artificial Intelligence in the Public Sector

The fourth guest of our Alia Talks series was İlayda Süer, a rapidly rising name in the field of public technologies. A graduate of Bilkent University's Faculty of Law, Süer completed her legal internship in data protection and obtained her law license. She then worked at the (now defunct) Presidential Digital Transformation Office, followed by critical institutions such as the Turkish Grand National Assembly Artificial Intelligence Research Commission and the European Artificial Intelligence Office working group as an expert.

This session examined how artificial intelligence projects are shaped in the public sector, which criteria are decisive in recruitment processes, and the unique intensity of working in this field in public institutions, based on İlayda Süer's direct experiences. In particular, it was emphasized how valuable the analytical thinking skills and multidisciplinary work capacity of lawyers are in the public sector, as much as technical competence. In addition, Süer noted that her faculty years were the most critical period for securing internships and short-term research opportunities abroad, and that these experiences made a strong difference in her academic applications and career journey.

This event showed us once again that lawyers can be not only followers of digital transformation, but also its architects.

5.       A Career from Turkey to America in Legal Engineering and Technology Law with Elif Hilal Kara

We concluded the first season of Alia Talks with Elif Hilal Kara, a pioneer in Turkey who combines blockchain technology with law. As the founder of Karakod LEC³, Kara develops tools that analyze the compliance of frontend/backend codes with international regulations; she has conducted smart contract audits at Cyfrin, contributed to Togg's national blockchain infrastructure, and produced technical content for Chainlink Labs.

In this session, Kara recounted her career journey from Turkey to America in an extremely sincere, energetic, and interactive manner. The event began with her asking all participants, "What do you want to be?" This question was not just an opening; it was a powerful start where each participant voiced their own goal, demonstrating their confidence, and everyone in the room drew inspiration from each other. Kara detailed the real-world application of legal engineering, how technical knowledge combined with legal analysis can produce innovative solutions, and both the advantages and challenges of participating in global projects as a "legal engineer."

This final session showed us that law and technology are no longer two separate fields; at their intersection lie brand new professions, brand new specializations, and brand new futures. Elif Hilal Kara's story was a powerful source of inspiration for young lawyers who want to shape this future.