Admitted to the Istanbul Bar Association

Okan Demirkan leads the Firm’s dispute resolution, energy and infrastructure, ethics and compliance practices.

He has represented several international clients as well as local entities, in arbitration proceedings concerning major infrastructure projects, including build-operate-transfer (BOT) model investments, share purchase agreements, shareholders agreements, sales agreements, EPC contracts and licensing contracts. He also represents clients in litigation proceedings in Turkey and, from time to time, acts as expert witness in foreign jurisdictions on Turkish law matters.

Okan 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) or expert witness. He is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (FCIArb). He is a Board Member of the Swiss Arbitration Association (ASA). In 2025, he became a Co-Chair of the International Bar Association’s (IBA) Recognition and Enforcement of Arbitral Awards Sub-Committee.

He has been strategically involved in all legal and regulatory matters of many pipelines. He has advised on major natural gas sale and import projects as well as a number of electricity generation facility projects.

Okan also advises in the area of ethics and compliance. He has conducted several investigations related to various regulatory and anti-bribery/anti-corruption allegations.

Practice Areas

Dispute Resolution
Energy and Infrastructure
Ethics and Compliance

Education

University of Sussex School of Legal Studies (LL.B., 2000)
Rijnlands Lyceum, Leiden - The Netherlands (International Baccalaureate, 1997)

Awards

Client Choice Award 2026: Arbitration (Lexology)
Client Choice Award 2025: Energy (Lexology)
Client Choice Award 2017, 2014, 2013: Best Energy and Natural Resources Lawyer of the Year (International Law Office Magazine)
Recognized as “Turkey Litigator of the Year” by Benchmark Litigation in 2025
Recognized among “Top 10 Influential Dispute Resolution Lawyers Shaping Turkey’s Legal Landscape” by Business Today in 2023
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

Foreign Language

English