Europe
Practice Areas
Dispute Resolution, Energy and Infrastructure, Ethics and Compliance
Career
After spending ten years with a major Istanbul-based law firm, Okan joined the Firm in 2010 as a partner. He currently leads the Firm’s dispute resolution, energy and infrastructure, ethics and compliance practices.
His recent awards and recognitions include,
• Client Choice Award 2026: Arbitration (granted by Lexology)
• Client Choice Award 2025: Energy (granted by Lexology)
• Client Choice Award 2013, 2014 and 2017: Best Energy and Natural Resources Lawyer of the Year (granted by International Law Office)
• Recognized as “Turkey Litigator of the Year” by Benchmark Litigation in 2025
• Recognized among the world’s leading arbitration practitioners by Lexology and GAR since 2019
• Recognized among the world’s leading practitioners in the field of Energy by Lexology since 2019
• Listed in “Commercial Litigation” by Lexology since 2023
• Listed in “Asset Recovery” by Lexology in 2025
Professional Memberships
Fellow, Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (FCIArb); Board Member, Swiss Arbitration Association (ASA); Co-Chair, Recognition and Enforcement of Arbitral Awards Sub-Committee of International Bar Association (IBA); Arbitration Committee Member, IBA; Transparency International; Istanbul Bar Association; International Chamber of Commerce (ICC); Turkic Arbitration Association (TAA); Turkish British Chamber of Commerce and Industry (TBCCI); Foreign Economic Relations Board of Turkey (DEİK); Yenibirlider (A New Leader) Association; Galatasaray Sports Club Association
Personal
University of Sussex School of Legal Studies (LL.B., 2000); Rijnlands Lyceum, Leiden – The Netherlands (International Baccalaureate, 1997)
Experience
With more than 25 years of experience, Okan Demirkan has represented several international clients as well as local entities, in arbitration proceedings concerning major infrastructure projects, including build-operate-transfer (BOT) model investments, and a broad range of commercial and project‑related contracts. He has been extensively involved in numerous ICC, DIS, SAC, LCIA, DIAC, LME, ITOTAM and ISTAC arbitration proceedings, as well as various ad hoc arbitrations under the UNCITRAL Arbitration Rules. He has served as counsel, arbitrator (presiding arbitrator, sole arbitrator or co-arbitrator) and expert witness. He is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (FCIArb) and serves as a Board Member of the Swiss Arbitration Association.
In addition to international arbitration, Okan represents clients in a wide range of litigation matters before Turkish courts, including commercial, administrative and employment disputes, enforcement and set-aside proceedings, as well as white-collar crime matters. He also acts as an expert witness in foreign jurisdictions on Turkish law matters.
He has been strategically involved in the legal and regulatory aspects of major transit pipeline projects, including the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan Crude Oil Pipeline Project (BTC) and the Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline Project (TANAP). He has advised on major natural gas sale and import projects as well as a number of electricity generation facility projects.
Okan is a prominent figure in the area of ethics and compliance. He has conducted numerous internal investigations relating to regulatory and anti-bribery/anti-corruption matters.
Languages Spoken
English, Turkish
