Mr Okan Demirkan > Kolcuoglu Demirkan Koçakli > Istanbul, Turkey > Lawyer Profile
Kolcuoglu Demirkan Koçakli Offices
SAGLAM FIKIR SOKAK, KELEBEK CIKMAZI NO 5
ESENTEPE
34394 ISTANBUL
Turkey
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Mr Okan Demirkan
Work Department
Dispute Resolution, Energy and Infrastructure, Ethics and Compliance
Position
Partner
Okan Demirkan has significant experience in arbitration and litigation, energy and infrastructure, ethics and compliance.
Okan has been heavily involved in arbitration proceedings concerning major infrastructure projects and has successfully represented several international clients as well as local entities, both in institutional and in ad hoc arbitration proceedings concerning disputes arising from build-operate-transfer (BOT) model investments, share purchase agreements, shareholders agreements, EPC contracts, sales contracts and licensing contracts. With significant experience of more than 20 years in international arbitration, he regularly serves as counsel, arbitrator or expert witness in various commercial disputes involving Turkish law.
In addition to international arbitration, Okan represents domestic and international clients in a wide range of litigation matters, including commercial disputes, employment-related disputes, intellectual property claims, administrative disputes, enforcement and set-aside lawsuits, as well as criminal proceedings in relation to white-collar crimes at all levels of the Turkish courts.
Between 2004 and 2010, Okan was extensively involved in all legal issues surrounding the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan Crude Oil Pipeline Project (BTC), where he played a key role in regulatory, real estate and litigation issues. In addition to BTC, Okan has advised clients in connection with the Nabucco Gas Pipeline and the Samsun-Ceyhan Oil Pipeline. In 2011, Okan took an active role in the Shah Deniz Stage 2 Natural Gas Sales Project, where he led the KDK team advising on the project’s legal structure in Turkey, including intergovernmental agreements, Turkey’s natural gas market legislation and on related commercial and public international law matters. Between January and June 2012, Okan led the KDK team in the Firm’s key role in the Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline Project (TANAP). In this multibillion-dollar project, the KDK team drafted the Host Government Agreement and negotiated it along with the Intergovernmental Agreement.
Okan Demirkan is a prominent figure in the area of ethics and compliance. He has conducted several investigations related to various regulatory and anti-bribery / anti-corruption allegations.
Among the Firm’s clients, he represents various leading multinational and domestic companies, such as Mitsubishi Corporation, Coca Cola, Roxcel, Terumo Europe, Vossloh AG, Deloitte, Hinduja Bank, Bahrain Middle East Bank B.S.C, Alsim Alarko, Hepsiburada, Odea Bank, ArcelorMittal RZK, Vinmar Group, Abdi İbrahim, Bedeschi, Global Founders Capital, Magneti Marelli, Inveon, RAY Insurance, Arempa, Gates Corporation, Combell, Comercial Soluex and Upfield.
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.
He is the co-author of “Import of Gas: How Liberal is Turkey?”, “Turkish Commercial Law Review,” Vol. 4 Issue 1 (2018), “Developing Court Practice in Turkey Regarding Applications to Set Aside Arbitral Awards,” “The American Review of International Arbitration,” No. 4 Vol. 26 (2015), and “Turkish and International Legislation and Treaties on the Security of Critical Energy Infrastructure,” Vol. 5 of the “Critical Energy Infrastructure Security Project Final Report,” published by the International Strategic Research Organization (2012).
In 2013, 2014 and again in 2017, Okan was awarded the Client Choice Award by the International Law Office for his work on energy and natural resources projects. In 2019, Who’s Who Legal recognized Okan Demirkan as a “World Leading Energy Lawyer” and, in 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023, Who’s Who Legal recognized him as a Global Elite Thought Leader in the field of Energy. In addition, Who’s Who Legal and GAR recognize him as one of the world’s leading arbitration practitioners since 2019, and in 2023, Who’s Who Legal also listed him in the field of Commercial Litigation.
Languages
English, Turkish
Memberships
Fellow, Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (FCIArb); Istanbul Bar Association; International Bar Association (IBA); Swiss Arbitration Association (ASA); International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) Turkey; Turkish – British Chamber of Commerce and Industry (TBCCI); Turkish Corporate Governance Association (TKYD); Foreign Economic Relations Board of Turkey (DEİK); Turkish Ethics and Reputation Society (TEID); Association of Change Management Professionals (ACMP); Yenibirlider (A New Leader) Association; Galatasaray Sports Club Association.
Education
University of Sussex School of Legal Studies (LL.B., 2000); Rijnlands Lyceum, Leiden – The Netherlands (International Baccalaureate, 1997).
Lawyer Rankings
Turkey > Dispute resolution
(Leading individuals)The dispute resolution group at Kolcuoglu Demirkan Koçakli is praised by sources for putting ‘client needs at the forefront of every decision’. The practice is well-positioned to advise domestic and international clients on a wide range of judicial and arbitral disputes. Led by sole disputes partner Okan Demirkan, whose energy and infrastructure expertise underpins an active arbitration practice, the group also draws on a deep pool of experienced counsel and associates. Of particular note are newly promoted counsel Begüm Biçer İlikay, who focuses on dispute resolution, compliance and investigations, and seasoned of counsel Okan Gündüz.
Turkey > Project finance/projects
Construction-related matters feature among Kolcuoglu Demirkan Koçakli’s recent work, with the team also offering experience in advising energy and infrastructure companies on public procurement, project finance and administrative law issues. Okan Demirkan co-heads the energy and infrastructure group, as well as leading the dispute resolution team, and has a significant regulatory dimension to his practice. The department also draws on energy and infrastructure co-head Melis Öget Koç, real estate partner Serhan Koçaklı and managing partner Umut Kolcuoğlu.
Turkey > Energy
(Leading individuals)Okan Demirkan and Melis Öget Koç co-head the team at Kolcuoglu Demirkan Koçakli, which is noted for its deep knowledge of the natural gas market and also regularly advises on matters relating to petroleum, nuclear energy, renewable energy, and electricity. The team frequently handles matters relating to licensing, regulatory compliance, private-public partnerships, and M&A. Cihan Mercan is a key name of note within the team, regularly assisting with complex projects within the oil and gas sector.
Turkey > Employment
Kolcuoglu Demirkan Koçakli, whose diverse workload incorporates M&A-related matters, executive employment contracts and incentive plans, ‘is very experienced in employment matters which require market practice and experience of real-life relationships between employers and employees’. Running the team are Okan Demirkan, who ‘is very practical and result oriented in the way he works’ and Maral Minasyan, who ‘is a problem-solver like no other’. Elsewhere, Rami Arda Yörükoğlu is often called upon for labour disputes owing to his extensive experience in this area.
Turkey > Compliance
(Leading individuals)The team of ‘dedicated professionals’ at Kolcuoglu Demirkan Koçakli maintains its strong reputation for assisting clients with the creation of crisis management plans, and follow-up actions, with particular emphasis on interactions with regulators. The group is also known for advising on internal investigations and compliance with employment and insurance regulations within Turkey. Practice head Okan Demirkan is a ‘skilled negotiator’ known for his vast expertise in the conduction of anti-bribery and anti-corruption investigations, whilst co-head Maral Minasyan is particularly adept at handling data privacy related compliance issues, such as the structuring of personal data management systems. Ali Tunçsav frequently acts for clients in antitrust investigations, and Neyzar Ünübol leads the firm’s competition practice, regularly assisting domestic and global companies with competition compliance programmes.
Lawyer Rankings
- Compliance Turkey
- Leading individuals Turkey > Energy
- Leading individuals Turkey > Dispute resolution
- Leading individuals Turkey > Compliance
- Dispute resolution Turkey
- Employment Turkey
- Energy Turkey
- Project finance/projects Turkey