The "bar association”, professional organization of lawyers, was established in 1924 with the adoption of the Muhamat (an old-fashioned word for legal practitioners) Act. However, before the adoption of the Act. in question and the establishment of the bar associations, lawyers were organized under the name of “Dava Vekilleri Cemiyeti" (Society of Case Counsellors) and the professional role of the bar associations was carried out by these societies.
A significant portion of the data on the date of the establishment of the Izmir Bar Association is closely related to the first president of Bar Association, Mr. Bekir Behlül.
Mr.Bekir Behlül was born in 1856, was appointed as a court clerk at the first "organization of the judiciary” in 1879. After graduating from the Faculty of Law of Istanbul in 1892 he started to practice as a lawyer in Izmir by obtaining a "first-class case counselor license" and he continued his professional life for a term of 57 years until 1937.
In the "Those who passed away" part of the 2nd page of the 2-6th issue of the Izmir Bar Association Journal, published in October 1936 in an article with a type head "we lost one of the oldest limbs of the Izmir Bar Association or even Turkish lawyer profession” stated that, Maestro Bekir Behlul who was elected as “first president” for Izmir Bar for four times since 1908 revolution was elected for the first presidency of İzmir Bar for the fifth time following liberation from captivity after recapture of Izmir.
In the "Izmir's Old Lawyers and Memoirs series of articles issued in Izmir Bar Association Journal published in April and October of 1945 Attorney İ. Ethem Postacıoğlu stated that Lawyer Bekir Behlül was in office as "bar president" for a while within the term of the second Constitutional Monarchy.
On the other hand, in the first issue of Izmir Bar Association Journal dated July 1935, was stated that before the publication of Muhamat Act , there was a board of Society of Case Counsellors in İzmir and Lawyer İsmail Sıtkı Erboy who was registered in the 29th record of Bar Registry was the head of this society. (Page 121)
In other respects, the date of establishment of the Izmir Bar Association has accepted as 1922; that is before the adoption of Muhamat Act of 1924, due to the concern that the establishment date of İzmir Bar was correlated to the liberation of İzmir from occupation in 1922.
However, in the above stated articles about the life of Mr. Bekir Behlül, indicated that he was arrested and taken into exile after the invasion of İzmir and returned from Greece following the end of the Independence War and elected for the “first presidency of İzmir Bar” for the fifth time .
Due to the reasons explained, in a meeting of the Board of Directors of the Izmir Bar Association dated 14.09.1999 and no.46 it was unanimously decided that the date of establishment of the Izmir Bar Association to be corrected as the year 1908 and the establishment date in the emblem of the Izmir Bar Association recorded as 1908 which the second Constitutional Monarchy had declared.
We respectfully memorize all of our colleagues who provide and carry on the respectable and effective character of the Izmir Bar Association since its establishment and introduce the names of colleagues who have been on Board of Directors according to the documents on hand.
1908-1923 President of Bar: Att. Bekir Behlül
1923-1925 President of Bar:Att. İbni Hazım Ferit
1925-1933 President of Bar:Att. M. Nuri Devres
1933-1939 President of Bar:Att. Münir Birsel
1939-1952 President of Bar:Att. Nuri Fettah Esen
1952-1962 President of Bar:Att. Hulusi Naci Selek
1962-1968 President of Bar:Att. Necdet Öklem
Board of Directors: Att. H. Enver Arslanalp, Att. Haluk Baykent, Att. Hayrettin Öngünşen, Att. Cengiz İlhan, Att. Muammer Eriş, Att. Tuğrul Tamer, Att. Enver Ege, Att. Talat Ulusoy, Att. Orhan Nurhat
1968-1970 President of Bar: . H. Enver Arslanalp
Board of Directors:Att. Hasan Basri Güder, Att. Coşkun Özhan, Att. Mitat Tuncel, Att. Orhan Kuntalp, Att. Süha Çilingiroğlu, Att. Samim Ertemer, Att. Beliğ Moralı, Att. Feridun Manastır, Att. Julide Yumlu, Att. Nurhan Artemiz
1970-1972 President of Bar: Att. M. İskender Özturanlı
Board of Directors: Att. Hasan Basri Güder, Att. Erdoğan Keser, Att. Emin Akyürekli, Att. İlhan Ege, Att. Talat Ulusoy, Att. Fethi Canyaman, Att. Ali Bodur, Att. Melike Kızılpor, Att. Feridun Manastır, Att. İbrahim Ayuz
1972-1974 President of Bar: Att. M. İskender Özturanlı
Board of Directors: Att. Hasan Basri Güder, Att. M. Muhittin Oktay, Att. Emin Akyürekli, Att. Melike Kızılpor, , Att. İbrahim Ayuz, Att. Güneş Atabay, Att. Orhan Kuntalp, Att. Ayten Baskın, Att. Adnan Uras
1974-1976 President of Bar: Att. Cengiz İlhan
Board of Directors: Att. Süha Çilingiroğlu, Att. Aydın Türkay, Att. İrfan Özbek, Att. Özer Eraksoy, Att. Nuran Yuluğ, Att. Erdoğan Keser, Att. Baykut Aktan, Att. Güneş Atabay, Att. Altan Ülger, Att. Muhsin Ergazi
1976-1978 President of Bar: Att. Cengiz İlhan
Board of Directors: Süha Çilingiroğlu, Att. Aydın Türkay, Att. Muhsin Ergazi, Att. Nuran Yuluğ, Att. Güneş Atabay, Att. Altan Ülger, Att. Gönül Sabuncu, Emin Akyürekli, Att. Baykut Aktan
1978-1980 President of Bar: Att. Hasan Basri Güder
Board of Directors:Att. Muhsin Egazi, Att. İlhan Sipahi, Att. Ahmet Şahin, Att. Ayten Baskın, Att. H. Pulat Gago, Att. Doğan Evrim, Att. Emin Akyürekli, Att. Galip Güner Us, Att. Erkan Kolatan, Att. Nevzat Algan
1981-1983 President of Bar: Att. Güney Dinç
Board of Directors:Att. Erkan Kolatan, Att. Fehma Akşar, Att. Nevzat Algan, Att. Mustafa Yaşar, Att. Ahmet Yılmaz, Att. Kasım Sönmez, Att. Enis Dinçeroğlu, Att. Metin Cengiz, Att. Olgun Balkanlı, Att. Münir Erçeltik
1983-1985 President of Bar: Att. Güneş Atabay
Board of Directors:Att. Metin Cengiz, Att. Bülent Baratalı, Att. Erol Özcan, Att. Muhsin Ergazi, Att. Ayten Baskın, Att. Ozan Talu, Att. Adnan Taşar, Av Esen Yücel, Att. Cemal Erdem, Att. Volkan Alposkay
1985-1988 President of Bar: Att.Güneş Atabay
Board of Directors:Att. Cemal Erdem, Att. Erol Özcan, Att. Volkan Alposkay, Att. Sabri Kurt, Att. Nedim Aksoy, Att. Esen Yücel, Att. Taner Ünlü, Att. Hüseyin Erden, Att. İbrahim Bahçıvancılar, Att. Zehra Çelimli
1988-1990 President of Bar: Sabri Kurt
Board of Directors:Att. Volkan Alposkay, Att. İbrahim Arzuk, Att. Zehra Çelimli, Att. Mehmet Sürücü, Att. M. Ali Büyükkayıkçı, Att. Vecdet Güleç, Att. Senih Özay, Att. A. Latif Küey, Att. Hasan Süzek, Att. Murat Yıldırım, Att. Mehmet Nur Terzi
1990-1992 President of Bar: Att. Sabri Kurt
Board of Directors:Att. Sibel Ünlü, Att. Murat Yıldırım, Att. M. Ali Büyükkayıkçı, Att. Mehmet Sürücü, Att. A. Latif Küey, Att. Çetin Turan, Att. H. Bumin Anal, Att. M. Nur Terzi, Att. Ümit Aydil, Att. Hafize Çobanoğlu
1992-1994 President of Bar: Att. Volkan Alposkay
Board of Directors:Att. Sibel Ünlü, Att. Çetin Turan, Att. H. Bumin Anal, Att. Burhan Güneş, Att. Cafer Özkan, Att. Hafize Çobanoğlu, Att. Bilge Özer, Att. Figen Koç, Att. Ahmet Aksüt, Att. Ümit Aydil
1994-1996 President of Bar: Att. Kasım Sönmez
Board of Directors:Att. Cafer Özkan, Att. Hüseyin Özgür, Att. İbrahim Bahçıvancılar, Att. Nevzat Erdemir, Att. Mustafa Ufacık, Att. Bahattin Özcan Acar, Att. Eyüp Karaçoban, Att. Tufan Konuk, Att. Zeynep Şişli, Att. Emin Özmen
1996-1998 President of Bar: Att. Çetin Turan
Board of Directors:Att. Hüseyin Özgür, Att. Uğur Kalelioğlu, Att. Eyüp Karaçoban, Att. Bahattin Özcan Acar, Att. Behçet Akal, Att. Tufan Konuk, Att. Ahmet Okyay, Att. Hasan Yalçın, Att. Sevil Altun, Att. Arzu Üstün
1998-2000 President of Bar: Att. Çetin Turan
Board of Directors:Ahmet Okyay, Att. Hilal Küey, Att. Ahmet Dokucu, Att. Kemal Yazgan, Att. Murat Dinçer, Att. Kurtuluş Binici, Att. Ayşen Erdoğan, Att. A. Hamdi Yıldırım, Att. Mehrigül Keleş, Att. A. Ali Cangı
2000-2002 President of Bar: Att. Noyan Özkan
Board of Directors: Att. Kurtuluş Binici, Att. İsmail Hanoğlu, Att. Nedim Değirmenci, Att. Ayşen Erdoğan, Att. Ahmet Çolakoğlu, Att. Nilgün Tortop, Att. Mine Öztürk, Att. Z. Beydağ Tıraş Öneri, Att. Ercan Demir, Att. A. Ali Cangı
2002-2004 President of Bar: Att. Bahattin Özcan Acar
Board of Directors: Att. İsmail Hanoğlu, Att. Ahmet Hamdi Yıldırım, Att. İsmail Altun, Att. İsmail Altun, Att. Nerima Aksoy, Att. Turan Avcıoğlu, Att. Betül Duran, Att. Nalan Erkem, Att. Hasan Yalçın, Att. Özlem Yılmaz, Att. Fahrettin Filiz
2004-2006 President of Bar: Att. Nevzat Erdemir
Board of Directors:Att. Osman Çallı, Att. İrfan Koçana, Att. Özdemir Sökmen, Att. Fahri Coşkun, Att. Ferda Kardelen, Att. Nurten Çavuşoğlu, Att. Aytül Üstündağ, Att. Erdem Gümüş, Att. Hasan Bülent Güvençalan, Att. Mehmet Kozan
2006-2008 President of Bar: Att. Nevzat Erdemir
Board of Directors: Att. Ferda Kardelen, Att. İrfan Koçana, Att. Özdemir Sökmen, Att. Abdülkadir Ön, Att. Muhittin Üstündağ, Att. Günhan Baydoğan, Att. Lale Özberk, Att. Atilla Ertekin, Att. Mehmet Kozan, Att. Pınar Tatlı
2008-2010 President of Bar: Att. Özdemir Sökmen
Board of Directors: Att. Aydın Özcan, Att. A. Şakir Uzun, Att. Atalay Aksay, Att. Hasan Bülent Güvençalan, Att. Nurten Çavuşoğlu, Att. Murat Talat Ünlü, Att. Murat Fatih Ülkü, Att.Erdoğan Öztürker, Att. Erdoğan Özer
2010-2012 President of Bar: Att. Sema Pekdaş
Board of Directors:Att. Ercan Demir, Att. Mahmut Dikmen, Att. Sefa Yılmaz, Att. A. Haşim Öztürk, Att. Alper Tunga Arslan, Att. Dilek Demir, Att. Halil Dönmez, Att. Meriç Kaptan, Att. Özkan Yücel
2012-2013 President of Bar: Att. Sema Pekdaş
Board of Directors: Att. Ercan Demir,Att. Sefa Yılmaz, Att. Dilek Demir, Att. Meriç Kaptan,Att. Özkan Yücel, Att. Doğan Alper, Att. Anıl Güler, Att. Türkan Karakoç, Att. Ümit Görgülü, Att. Ayşegül Altınbaş
2013-2014 President of Bar: Att. Ercan Demir
Board of Directors Att. Sefa Yılmaz, Att. Dilek Demir, Att. Meriç Kaptan, Att. Hüseyin Pehlivan, Att. Bahri Erhan Merder, Att. Özkan Yücel, Att. Anıl Güler, Att. Türkan Karakoç, Att. Ümit Görgülü, Att. Ayşegül Altınbaş
2014-2016 President of Bar: Att. Aydın Özcan
Board of Directors Att. Mustafa Çetin, Att. Ahmet Şakir Uzun, Att. Nilay Ertem Durlu, Att. Ergun Sakızlı,Att. Nuriye Kadan, Att. Gülay Ufuke Serin, Att. Cem Cemal Coşkan, Att. Mehmet Kozan,Att. Murat Ergün, Att. Burcu Karakoç
2016-2018 President of Bar: Att. Aydın Özcan
Board of Directors Att. Mustafa Çetin, Att. İlke Erol, Att. Muammer Erçoban, Att. Nuriye Kadan, Att. Cem Cemal Coşkan, Att. H. Betül Harmanşah, Att. Atalay Aksay, Att. Seyide Uludağ, Att. Nilay Ertem Durlu, Att. Gonca Arkoç