Virtual Offices, Ready Offices and Opening a Law Office: A Guide for Lawyers
Opening a law office raises three questions: where the office will be, which address you report to the bar and the tax office, and where you will meet clients. This guide covers home, virtual office and ready office options for lawyers in Turkey, the general steps to open an office, and the ways of working Archerson Workspaces offers lawyers.
It is general information, not legal or tax advice. Check professional rules with the bar you are registered with and tax matters with your accountant.
Short answer
Lawyers can work from home, a virtual office or a ready office; whether an address is accepted as a law office depends on bar rules, so confirm with your bar first. A virtual office provides an address, handling of post and official notifications and, depending on the package, meeting room hours; a private ready office suits lawyers who receive clients regularly. Archerson is a partner institution of the Istanbul Bar Association, and lawyers are the largest professional group among its clients.
1. Can a lawyer work from home?
Registering your home as a law office may be possible under some conditions, but it depends on bar rules, the building’s management plan and the tax office inspection, and practice can differ between bars. Receiving clients at home also raises confidentiality and professional dignity questions. For a definite answer, ask the bar you are registered with and your accountant.
Practical issues lawyers who consider working from home often face:
- Finding a suitable, confidential place to meet clients
- The home address appearing on the bar roll, powers of attorney and official records
- Following notifications and documents depending on being at home during the day
- Rules on business use in the building’s management plan
2. Is a virtual office suitable for lawyers?
A virtual office gives lawyers a business address, post and parcel handling, and a meeting room when needed. Whether a virtual office address is accepted as a law office address depends on the professional rules and practice of the bar. Confirm with your bar before reporting a virtual office as your office address, and ask your accountant about tax registration.
What a virtual office offers lawyers in practice:
- Post, parcels and official notifications: Items are received at the branch and you are notified by SMS; cash-on-delivery items need your approval first. On request, items are forwarded; uncollected items are kept for 2-3 months on average.
- Client meetings: 4 meeting room hours a month with the Plus and Pro packages; Pro also includes 4 coworking days a month.
- Reception: Your clients are welcomed during secretariat hours.
- E-notification and registered e-mail (KEP): Archerson does not assist with these; you or your accountant handle them.
3. What does it take to open a law office?
Opening a law office has a professional side and a tax side. The professional side covers bar registration and reporting the office address to the bar; the tax side covers the start-of-business notice to the tax office for self-employment income and the inspection. The steps below are a general outline; confirm the details with your bar and your accountant.
- Bar registration and office address: A lawyer sets up an office within the area of the bar they are registered with and reports the address to the bar. Ask the bar which conditions the office must meet.
- Office address: Your own office, a shared office, a ready office or, if your bar accepts it, a virtual office. Prepare the agreement that shows the address.
- Tax registration: As a self-employed professional you notify the tax office of the start of business; your accountant usually handles this. An inspection then takes place at the office address and your tax registration is opened.
- Receipts: Ask your accountant about the obligation to issue self-employment receipts and the electronic receipt system.
- Promotion: Lawyers are subject to an advertising ban, so make sure signage, your website and business cards follow professional rules.
Documents for tax registration
The documents required for tax registration can differ between tax offices; confirm the current list with your tax office or accountant. For registration at an Archerson address, the service agreement needs the authorised person’s ID, email and phone, home address and line of business; lawyers moving their address also provide their tax certificate and signature circular. Your accountant files the application with the address code in the agreement, and the inspection usually takes place within 10-15 days.
4. Which way of working suits lawyers?
The choice depends on how often you receive clients and on your team. If you mostly see clients at court or online, an address and a meeting room when needed may be enough. If you receive clients several times a week, or work with a trainee or assistant, a private ready office suits you better. Base your office address on your bar’s rules.
| Need | Suitable option | What is included at Archerson |
|---|---|---|
| Address, post, occasional client meetings | Virtual office (Plus or Pro) | Use of the company address; post and parcel handling; 4 meeting room hours a month (Pro also includes 4 coworking days a month) |
| Regular client visits, confidential file work | Ready office | Furnished private office; electricity, water, gas, internet, cleaning and standard tea, coffee and water included; no set-up fee; 8 meeting room hours a month |
| Desk work on some days of the week | Coworking (hot or fixed desk) | Hot desks at both branches with the Flexible Membership; daily use option |
| Settlement, mediation or multi-party meetings | Meeting room | 10, 25, 50 and 100-hour packages (used within 365 days); bookings of at least one hour, open to non-members; free tea and coffee during the meeting |
There is no special set-up for mediation meetings; they take place in the meeting room as usual. The two meeting rooms in Kadıköy, for 15 and 10 people, both have a whiteboard and a projector, and the 10-person room also has a TV; the 10-person room in Acarkent has a TV, a projector and a whiteboard. In a ready office the room is yours, so you can keep your files and conversations separate from the common areas.
5. Lawyers at Archerson Workspaces
Archerson Workspaces has two branches: Archerson Kadıköy, in historic mansions next to Fenerbahçe Stadium, and Archerson Acarkent, inside the Coliseum sports and living complex. Archerson is a partner institution of the Istanbul Bar Association, and lawyers are the largest professional group among its clients.
- Tax offices: Archerson Kadıköy belongs to the Göztepe Tax Office and Archerson Acarkent to the Beykoz Tax Office.
- Archerson Kadıköy hours: Building access is Monday–Saturday 08:00–23:00 and Sunday 09:00–18:00. Secretarial services are available Monday–Friday 09:00–19:00 and Saturday 09:00–18:00; there is no secretarial service on Sunday.
- Archerson Acarkent hours: Building access in Acarkent is continuous. Secretarial services are available Monday–Friday 08:30–18:00 and Saturday 08:30–17:00; there is no secretarial service on Sunday.
- Agreement: The virtual office service agreement runs for at least 6 months.
Let us plan a visit so you can see the virtual office, ready office and meeting room options for your practice.
Contact us →Frequently asked questions
It may be possible under some conditions, but it depends on bar rules, the building’s management plan and the tax office inspection. For a definite answer, ask the bar you are registered with and your accountant.
This depends on the professional rules and practice of the bar. Confirm with your bar before reporting a virtual office as your office address. At Archerson a virtual office includes use of the address, handling of post, parcels and official notifications, and meeting room hours depending on the package.
Lawyers notify the tax office of the start of business as self-employed professionals; an accountant usually handles this. An inspection then takes place at the office address and the tax registration is opened. Confirm the required documents with your tax office or accountant.
Yes. At Archerson meeting rooms are rented in 10, 25, 50 and 100-hour packages, used within 365 days. Bookings are for at least one hour and non-members can book too. Tea and coffee are free during the meeting, and your guests are welcomed during secretariat hours.
A ready office is furnished and private to you. Electricity, water, gas, internet, cleaning and standard tea, coffee and water are included in the service fee; there is no set-up fee and you get 8 meeting room hours every month.
Workspace for lawyers in Kadıköy and Acarkent
At Archerson’s Kadıköy and Beykoz-Acarkent branches you will find an address with post and notification handling, meeting rooms for client meetings and private ready offices in one place. Tell us how often you receive clients and how big your team is, and we will work out the right set-up with you.
See the virtual office packages
Explore the address, post and parcel handling and meeting room options on our virtual office page, and ask us about your practice.
Virtual office packages