Turkish debt recovery law is influenced by a great clash of principles. These principles affect the relationships of debtors and creditors both before and after the intervention of the courts. The basic law governing the recovery of debts fundamentally assumes that individual creditors have a right to recover what they are owed, regardless of the interests of the debtor and of her or his other creditors and dependants. This applies to debt recovery outside the courts as well as to that within them. Creditors have a general right to adopt whichever non-court collection methods they choose. They may employ Turkish collection lawyers, and either the law firms or the creditor may make phone calls, send letters and make visits to the debtor. Within the courts, there is also a variety of ways in which debts can be enforced. Creditors usually have a right to obtain judgment on their debts, and may generally choose whichever method they like to enforce those judgments. Turkish debt collection laws give priority to the creditor who acts most quickly. Most debts are collected outside the courts in Turkey. If they were all enforced through the courts, the legal system would collapse.
