Lawyer Explosion in Turkey: Why Turkey’s Legal Education Is at Risk

A newly released report by the Ankara-based Institute for Social Studies has brought renewed attention to the rapid growth of legal education in Turkey and the sharp rise in the number of practicing lawyers. According to the findings, the legal profession has expanded at a pace that now exceeds European averages, raising concerns about educational quality, academic staffing, and long-term employment prospects within the justice system.

The study, titled Law Faculties Report and authored by Institute board member Vasıf İnanç Duygulu, analyzes developments over the past 25 years and presents a detailed picture of how structural growth has reshaped Turkey’s legal landscape. While the expansion has increased access to legal education, the report argues that it has also created significant imbalances.

Most Law Faculties Established in the Last 25 Years

One of the report’s key findings is the speed at which law faculties have multiplied. Including both active and inactive institutions, the total number of law faculties in Turkey is approaching 100. Of the 89 currently identified faculties, 67 were established within the past quarter-century, highlighting how recent and concentrated the expansion has been.

Of these institutions, 50 operate under state universities, while 39 are affiliated with private foundation universities. The Institute notes that such rapid institutional growth has outpaced the development of academic staff and infrastructure, increasing pressure on educational standards.

The rise in faculty numbers has been mirrored by a sharp increase in student enrollment. During the 2013–2014 academic year, approximately 55,000 students were enrolled in law programs. By 2018–2019, this figure had exceeded 82,000. Although quota reduction policies introduced in recent years have lowered enrollment to around 75,000, the total number of law students has still grown by 35 percent over the past decade.

Lawyer Numbers Have Quintupled Since the Late 1990s

Perhaps the most striking data point in the report relates to the number of lawyers practicing in Turkey. In 1998, the country had roughly 36,000 lawyers. By 2024, this figure had climbed beyond 199,000, representing a fivefold increase in just 26 years.

This surge has dramatically altered lawyer-to-population ratios. Fifteen years ago, there was one lawyer for every 1,095 people in Turkey. Today, that ratio has dropped to one lawyer per 430 people. When compared with European data, the contrast becomes even more pronounced.

Across 12 European countries analyzed in the report, the average population per lawyer stands at 679. With only 430 people per lawyer, Turkey ranks as the third most lawyer-dense country in Europe, following Portugal and Spain. The report suggests that while this density may improve access to legal services, it also intensifies competition and strains employment opportunities for new graduates.

Severe Imbalances in Academic Staffing

Despite the growth in student numbers and institutions, the report highlights a significant imbalance in academic staffing across law faculties. Among the 86 law faculties surveyed, a total of 586 professors were surveyed nationwide. However, 41 percent of these professors are concentrated in just 10 long-established universities.

More concerning, five law faculties operate without a single professor, while nine faculties employ only one. The report identifies several institutions, including Çankırı Karatekin University, Muğla Sıtkı Koçman University, and the now-closed Istanbul Şehir University, as having no professors in their law faculties.

The Institute warns that such disparities directly affect educational quality, particularly in newer universities where students may lack access to senior academic guidance and research-driven teaching.

Performance Gap Between State and Foundation Universities

The report also examined outcomes from the Law Professions Entrance Exam (HMGS), which was administered for the first time in September 2024. The results revealed a notable performance gap between graduates of state and foundation universities.

Graduates of state universities achieved a pass rate of 47.28 percent, whereas those from foundation universities recorded a significantly lower pass rate of 30.07 percent. The findings reignited debate over whether rapid privatization in higher education is contributing to uneven learning outcomes in legal training.

In addition, quota-reduction policies were found to be applied unevenly. Between 2023 and 2025, quotas at state universities were reduced by 49 percent, whereas foundation universities saw only a 10.1 percent decrease. The Institute cautioned that this imbalance risks transforming legal education into an increasingly fee-driven system, potentially undermining merit-based access and overall quality.

Recommendations: Focus on Quality Over Quantity

In its concluding section, the report emphasizes the need for a strategic shift from numerical expansion to quality-focused policy making. Among its key recommendations is the gradual raising of the minimum university entrance ranking threshold for law faculties to 50,000.

The Institute also calls for standardized academic staffing requirements across all law faculties and urges regulators to ensure that quota reduction measures apply equally to both state and foundation universities. Without such reforms, the report warns, Turkey may face long-term challenges in sustaining a competent, well-trained legal profession.