Michael O’Kane
As Senior Partner he has acted in many of the most high profile and sensitive business crime cases of the last 25 years, at Peters & Peters and before that as a prosecutor. He is the author of a respected textbook on criminal cartels and co-author of the leading resource on sanctions.
Before joining Peters & Peters, Michael was a senior specialist prosecutor at the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) Headquarters. There, he was a key member of a small specialist unit responsible for the prosecution of serious and high-profile fraud, terrorist, state-security and special interest criminal matters, including the Stansted Airport Afghan airline hijacking and the prosecution of Paul Burrell (Princess Diana’s butler).
Since joining Peters & Peters, Michael has acted for companies, senior executives and HNW individuals in many of the most high-profile and complex national and international business crime cases. He has particular expertise in international corruption, criminal cartels, financial sanctions, INTERPOL, extradition and private prosecutions.
He has been recognised twice in The Lawyer’s Hot 100 (2009 & 2017) being described as being ‘top of the referral lists of many City firms for independent advice for directors’. Michael has also been recommended as a 'leading individual' on International Sanctions by Who's Who Legal Trade & Customs 2021: "The excellent Michael O'Kane ranks highly among peers thanks to his impressive work on export controls and international sanctions".
In 2011, the Financial Times recognised him as one of the UK’s most innovative lawyers and he is listed by Who’s Who publication as one the world’s leading investigative lawyers.
He is described in the most recent legal Directories as:
“exceptionally knowledgeable and calming. He is fantastic in dealing with clients; his clarity of explanation is incredibly high and the level of service is very good.”
“a superb lawyer and has wonderful strategic sense”, “an outstanding lawyer with wonderful good sense and the knack of doing just the right thing” , highly regarded by his peers” and “one of the best strategic-thinkers.”
Michael regularly appears in the media to discuss his specialist areas and he is the author of the leading textbook on the UK Criminal Cartel Offence: The Law of Criminal Cartels – Practice and Procedure (Oxford University Press).
Michael co-writes the leading sanctions blog European Sanctions Law.
Case Examples
Representing a large investment firm and two prominent individuals in the wake of a global multi-billion-dollar scandal.
Acted for Richard Boath, a defendant in the SFO’s landmark prosecution against former senior executives of Barclays, in which he was unanimously acquitted by a jury at the Central Criminal Court.
Acting for the Hungarian state oil company in two international arbitrations and in criminal proceedings for corruption in Croatia.
Acting for a manufacturer in relation to a major disaster involving widespread loss of life.
Acting for one of the world’s largest global telecommunications companies as an independent complaint’s adjudicator in relation to allegations of anti-bribery compliance violations against senior staff.
Related expertise
- Business Crime & Investigations
- Competition & Antitrust
- Compliance
- Bribery & Corruption
- Criminal Fraud
- Criminal Restraint & Confiscation
- Extradition
- General Crime
- Internal Investigations
- INTERPOL Red Notices
- Sanctions & Export Controls
- Unexplained Wealth Orders
- Private Prosecutions
- Criminal Cartels
- Business Ethics, Human Rights & Product/Service Risk
- Mutual Legal Assistance
- Dawn Raids