Saltzman & Evinch – Legal Excellence and Supporting
the Turkish American Community since 1994

“Our greatest bond is a shared perspective on life—find the good in people
and always make room for laughter.”

By Sitki Kazanci


For over three decades, Saltzman & Evinch PLLC has stood as a pillar of legal advocacy and civic leadership for the Turkish American community. Co-founded by David Saltzman and Günay Evinch, the firm blends professional rigor with deep cultural dedication—championing justice, public service, and the US-Türkiye relationship. As the firm celebrates its 30th anniversary, we sat down with its founders to reflect on their journey, values, landmark cases, and the legacy they are building for future generations.

First of all, congratulations on the 30th anniversary of Saltzman & Evinch PLLC—a remarkable milestone. Could you share with us how the firm was founded and what vision inspired it to come to life?
Thank you! In 1986, I interned with the San Francisco District Attorney and Sacramento Federal Public Defender, who, knowing my interest in my motherland, sat me down and said, “Türkiye will be a major regional and global power in the future and will need good lawyers.” I saw myself as a strong advocate for legal and civil society, and I wanted to apply myself to this challenge. My colleague David Saltzman and I met in law school. After graduation, he joined a large law firm in New York, while I became a Fulbright Scholar on the Armenian matter in Ankara. I convinced David to come to Türkiye in 1992 and we travelled far and wide in Anatolia in basic buses and rickety dolmuş vans. The people we met along the way inspired us to pursue lawyering for Turkiye.

Your longstanding partnership has been a model of professional success. How did the two of you first meet, and what inspired the decision to build a law firm together?
David and I have been best friends since 1988. Our greatest bond is a shared perspective on life, which includes the necessity to find the good in people and to always make room for laughter. We work hard and we play hard. We even played in a rock band together in law school.
Though we vigorously debate each other on many subjects, trivial and important, we have never had any consequential disagreement about our law practice. It has been a smooth, sincere, intellectually stimulating and professionally rewarding journey since we started our law firm in 1994.
David and I have a common Ottoman heritage—David’s roots are Ottoman Sepharad in part, while mine are Ottoman Macedonian. For more than three decades, the community has always come before profit, as we have volunteered thousands of hours to Turkish American civil society and donated generously to civil society organizations and to support political candidates who support Turkish Americans.
David and I prize our independence. We try always to speak honestly and directly to our clients, give the bad news courageously, and spend our clients’ resources efficiently.

Your recent move to the new Dupont Circle office marks another exciting chapter for the firm. What can you tell us about the new space and how it reflects your strategic direction and client service goals?
Wow! Can you imagine that long before remote work was popular, our very first office in 1994 was a walk-in closet in David’s apartment! As fate may have it, with hard work and important legal wins over the past 30 years, we purchased a historic row house near DuPont Circle from the family of the celebrated former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tip O’Neill.
We renovated the building with the superb guidance of architect Nuray Anahtar of NOA and my wife, Senem Atalay of Atalay & Spade. It is conveniently located between Embassy Row and K Street.
“All politics is local,” though coined by Byron Price in 1932, is most associated with Tip O’Neill’s appeal to grassroots democracy. In 1930 and 1934, Atatürk signed into law the Turkish women’s right to vote in local and national elections, respectively. Indeed, our inaugural community event at our new office hosted the Turkish American Women’s PAC during the ATAA Convention.
We hope to commission a brass bas relief of the face of Ataturk and George Washington for our front courtyard for people to enjoy as they stroll down our quaint street.

Saltzman & Evinch also maintains a presence in New York. How does the dual-office model support your firm’s regional and national legal initiatives?
Our New York office is dedicated to serving our clients even better. One gratifying matter we have undertaken is to revitalize the Manisa Moris Schinasi Children’s Hospital, as we rebuild the legal infrastructure through a partnership between the Moris Schinasi family and the Turkish Ministry of Health. Our aim is to restore the hospital and provide vital healthcare for the children of Turkiye, as well as preserve the Jewish heritage of the Aegean Region. The Manisa Schinasi Children’s Hospital was a gift from Turkish Jewish tobacco businessman Moris Schinasi to express his appreciation to the people of Turkiye who had saved hundreds of thousands of Jews during the European Inquisition. In 1926, he dedicated $750,000, which is $14 million today. Built in the 1930s, the hospital was forced to cease operations after the Izmir Earthquake of October 2020. Working with the Schinasi and Republic of Turkiye to restore the hospital and providing healthcare for children in Turkiye is a mission in which David and I take great pride.

As one of the most prominent law firms serving the Turkish American community, what message would you like to share with our readers, particularly those of Turkish heritage living in the United States?
First and foremost, being a good Turkish American means embracing both sides of your culture. Embrace your role in the United States by partaking in American democracy. Get to know your elected officials, vote in every election, and support the candidates and causes that align with your values. While it is natural to stay connected to political developments in Turkiye, let your primary civic engagement be rooted in the United States, where you live and work.
Second, support the organizations that uplift our community. We proudly support ATADC and MATA for their outstanding efforts in strengthening the Turkish-American community in the DC area. Other organizations—such as the Turkish American National Steering Committee (TASC), where I served as cochair; the Assembly of Turkish American Associations (ATAA), which I led as its 14th and first American-born president; and the Turkish American Coalition Political Action Committee (TAC PAC)—are also doing vital work in outreach and public advocacy. These organizations deserve our strongest support.
Third, get involved in your local community. Volunteer for your elected officials. Join your child’s PTA. Coach her soccer team or help fundraise money for his high school lacrosse team. Enroll your daughter in Girl Scouts. Every act of service for your community builds a stronger connection between your heritage and the country you call home.
Finally, build solidarity among Turkish Americans by embracing our diversity. Lead with kindness, offer support, and celebrate each other’s successes. Let us raise each other to excellence.

The legal industry is rapidly evolving, especially with the rise of globalization and digital transformation. How is your firm preparing for the next five to ten years in this changing landscape?
The practice of law has two main elements. One is the technical side—understanding the law, preparing and bringing cases, etc. The other is judgment. Technology can assist with the former, but not with the latter. Our firm is preparing the next generation by hiring and training promising Turkish American pre-law students and Juris Doctor graduates. And, these young people are teaching us how to use technology, such as AI better for investigations, due diligence, legal research, and more effective writing and advocacy. We hope to show them examples of good legal judgment, which includes deciding when to sue and when not to, how to listen to clients and understand what they desire, and what may or may not be in their best legal and personal interests.

Saltzman & Evinch has been involved in numerous high-profile cases. Are there particular moments or legal victories that stand out as defining achievements in your firm’s history?
We are particularly proud of our work defending the Turkish Republic in matters concerning attempts to assign legal liability for the Ottoman-Armenian tragedy, (Movsessian, Bakalian, Davoyan, Perinçek), Greek Cypriot land claims arising from the 1974 Peace Operation (Crist, Toumazou, Fioris), as well as combatting the PKK and YPG terror organizations in the federal courts (Humanitarian Law Project, Parlak, Ozdemir, Baker). Threats have rained on us and our families, and we are thankful to law enforcement.
We are proud to have represented the Republic of Turkiye, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Defense, Turkish General Staff, and Turkish Central Bank in these cases. We have fought these fights for the people of Türkiye and won for them. This is their victory.
We also serve as counsel to the Turkish Union of Chambers of Commerce, TC Ziraat Bank, and Turkish Airlines Cargo, to list a few.
Mentorship plays a critical role in the development of young attorneys. How have mentors shaped your legal journeys, and how do you cultivate mentorship within the firm today?
Legend says that when Alexander the Great returned victorious from battle he hailed Aristotle, his teacher. That sentiment stays true for us. Every Father’s Day, David and I reach out to each Turkish Ambassador who has served in Washington, DC, to express our gratitude for the wisdom they shared with us over the decades.
Mentorship has been the backbone of our journey. We honor the guidance we have received from former Ambassadors, diplomats, and legal minds, both Turkish and American. We make it a priority to pass that wisdom on to the next generations. We regularly share the lessons and values taught to our young associates and interns.
At our firm, we believe in investing in the next generation of Turkish American attorneys through mentorship. We build on the experiences of the past to ensure success in the future. We believe in the future of young Turks.

Beyond legal advocacy, your firm has also been actively involved in civic, cultural, and international affairs. How do these broader engagements shape your practice and professional mission?
First, the key to our community service is the support of our spouses. David’s wife, Stacy, and my wife, Senem, sacrifice greatly so we can provide effective community service. After a long week of legal work and putting in more than 50 hours per attorney, we spend no less than another 10 hours away from our families helping the Turkish American community nationwide. We are thankful to our spouses and our children for their endless and loving support.
Public service is a key to a community’s success. David has served as counsel to the American Friends of Turkiye, Turkish Coalition of America, Turkish American Legal Defense Fund, and Turkish Cultural Foundation.
I was recently appointed by Democratic Maryland Governor Wes Moore as Commissioner to the Maryland Middle Eastern Affairs Commission. I also served Republican Maryland Governor Larry Hogan’s Commission, showing I can work with both sides of the aisle. That I represented the broadest diversity of Turkish Americans as cochair of the Turkish American National Steering Committee and President of the Assembly of Turkish American Associations appeals to elected officials.
Importantly, over the decades, we have put our own money into civil society organizations that we have served. Community service is a labor of love that requires time, hard work, and generous funding.
Looking ahead, what are your goals for the future of Saltzman & Evinch PLLC? What legacy do you hope to leave for the next generation of legal professionals?
Time is fleeting. Life is precious.
Ideally, we would like to see the next generation of high-quality Saltzman & Evinch lawyers be as dedicated as we are to Atatürk’s universal principles, the US Constitution, strong US-Turkish relations, and a strong Turkish American community that enriches the cultural, political, and economic life of America.
Future generations of Turkish Americans should cherish and find meaning in their homeland, America, and their ancestral homeland, Türkiye. ■

Saltzman & Evinch PLLC

Dupont Circle, 1310 19th Street, NW

Washington, DC 20036

(202) 540-4474

www.SaltzmanEvinch.com