Dear Students,

You are welcome not only to a faculty, but also to the depth of legal thought, to the heart of the journey toward justice; to one of our country’s most venerable academic traditions, and to the citadel of ethical responsibility. Dokuz Eylül University Faculty of Law is a faculty where knowledge is not only transferred, but also shaped, questioned and transformed into character. Here, you are not only learning a profession, but also inherit a legacy of memory and stance. Dokuz Eylül University Faculty of Law is not just a place where courses are taught; it is a faculty where law is a living value, where conscience and reason, tradition and modern approach, theory and practice meet and are reconciled.

Dokuz Eylül University Faculty of Law is more than just an ordinary educational institution; it is a deep-rooted source of thought, a school of intellectual independence and moral solidity. Every principle, every doctrine you will learn here will shape not only your knowledge but also your character. For the true jurist is not merely one who knows the law, but one who perceives what is right, resists what is wrong, and stands unyielding before the power. The knowledge you gain here is not just for exams; it is for protecting human dignity, transforming society, and also bearing responsibility before history. Remember that the truth is not always the voice of the powerful; sometimes it is hidden in the whisper of the powerless. The jurist must be the first person who hear that whisper.

Established on November 15, 1978, our Faculty has been distinguished by its pioneering contributions in both public and private law. It has a deep-rooted academic history and as a home of the most highly qualified and respected staff educates students and academics. Across the years, with its thousands of graduates, it makes lasting contributions to our country’s justice system. Dokuz Eylül University Faculty of Law has a great importance not only for its history but also for its sense of responsibility. Our alumni have served with distinction in the Constitutional Court, the Court of Cassation, the Council of State, international organisations, ministries, municipalities, bar associations, notary offices, law firms, and as independent practitioners.

In the corridors of our faculty, it is not only footsteps that echo, it is also the voice of law itself. “One day, you will hold a pen. What you write with that pen will not be only a petition but also it will be a child’s life, a worker’s dignity, a mother’s hope” and when that day comes, we are here to ensure that your hands don’t tremble.  In our Faculty, professors do not merely lecture, they also broaden horizons. They work also for the architecture of your mind. What do we reject? We reject the reduction of law to a diploma; the emptiness of rote memorisation; statutes stripped of humanity; and ambition devoid of conscience. The education you will receive here seeks to make you not only a good jurist, but also a moral decision-maker, a principled citizen, a cultivated intellectual, and a good person.

Here, you will not be told what to think, but taught how to think. You will learn to interpret, to question, and to hear the silences between the lines. You will embrace a legal understanding that does not merely recite, but analyses, challenges, and guides. Every course will confront you with questions of ethics, politics, and humanity. The faculty has a broad range of elective courses. Practical training, debates, seminars, case analyses, moot courts are also provided. There are also institutional collaborations with bar associations, courts and law firms. We ensure that your legal education is comprehensive and dynamic. Dokuz Eylül University Faculty of Law cooperates with many universities within the framework of Erasmus and Farabi exchange programs. The Faculty has foreign-language law courses, and support for participation in international legal competitions and moot trials. Students enjoy access to national and international legal literature through our library and extensive digital resources. Beyond the classroom, numerous sports and social clubs organise meaningful events, and we encourage participation in these without compromising the integrity of core legal training.

With its distinguished academic staff, qualified publications, extensive library, global exchange opportunities, contemporary curriculum, and classroom environments that encourage critical and independent thinking, our Faculty offers you not just an ordinary diploma, but a journey that builds vision, and character.

The word of our great leader Mustafa Kemal Atatürk ,“In life, the truest guide is science”,  is also guiding principle for the law itself.  We expect you to read the maps of meaning that are guided by laws and legal practice, with conscience, freedom, and unwavering respect for human dignity.

I ask only this of you: Be not only a good lawyer, but also a good person. Do not hurt with your words, do not be arrogant with your knowledge; do not oppress with your power. The honour of the jurist lies not in knowledge alone, but in the moment when knowledge and justice meet.

Your pen will not only draft petitions; at times, it will write a child’s future, a mother’s prayer, or the final hope of the oppressed. I wish each of you strength, compassion, clarity of mind, intellectual depth, and unwavering integrity on your journey toward becoming a jurist.

Respectfully,

Prof. Dr. Oğuz SANCAKDAR

Dean