Dr. Yaman Gürsel

Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle LLP, Washington
Nationality: Turkey
Course: Secured Transactions Law

 

Dr. Yaman Gürsel is a qualified lawyer in Turkey who holds a Ph.D. in comparative private law from Switzerland. He specializes in international sales of goods and secured transactions, with extensive experience in investor‑state, international construction, and commercial arbitration.

 After completing his LL.M. studies at the University of Fribourg (magna cum laude), he was admitted to a Ph.D. program in private law under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Pascal Pichonnaz. His doctoral dissertation, awarded with the honors of Magna cum laude, is based on a comparative analysis of floating charges and non‑possessory pledges over movable assets, aiming at optimizing access to financing for SMEs. He has published several articles related to his area of specialization, comparative secured transactions law, with a particular focus on non‑possessory security interests over movable property.

 Towards the end of his doctoral studies, he was awarded the Kronstein Scholarship to pursue LL.M. studies at Georgetown University Law Center in Washington, DC. Following completion of the program with distinction, he has been working at the American law firm Curtis, Mallet‑Prevost, Colt & Mosle LLP.

 Trained in both academia and the private sector, his practice areas are diverse, encompassing energy trade, construction of power plants, refineries, oil well drilling construction and earthworks, public infrastructure, and food retail and distribution. Yaman has worked on investor‑state arbitrations under the arbitration rules of ICSID and UNCITRAL, representing both foreign states and private entities. Additionally, he has participated in multiple proceedings in international commercial arbitrations administered by the ICC.

 Prior to joining Curtis, Yaman worked in Swiss arbitration boutiques in Bern, Geneva, and Zurich. During his doctoral studies in Switzerland, he assisted numerous tribunals in international commercial arbitration and sports arbitration matters.