Michael Oykhman
Criminal Lawyer
About Michael Oykhman
I am a senior lawyer at Savage Oykhman Law (an association of independent practices) and founder of Strategic Criminal Defence, a full-service criminal defence law office, with central law offices across Western Canada and Ontario.
My personal professional experience consists of countless court appearances and thousands of successful defences and satisfied clients. In my legal career, have appeared at all levels of court in Alberta, including at the Supreme Court of Canada. I am also licensed to practice law in British Columbia and Saskatchewan.
Strategic Approach
Over the past 15+ years, I have worked to build a law office where we all share our collective experience, resources, and passion for helping people in need. Our team of lawyers are guided by core values of service, results, integrity, teamwork, drive, and strategy. We treat every client with compassion and understanding, and we look for opportunities to add value to our clients through strategic thinking and creative solutions.
Not every case is won through trial. In fact, the best results are often achieved through alternative resolution strategies without the case ever getting to trial. Although I am trained as a trial lawyer, I prefer to be viewed as a problem solver. My goal is to provide each and every client with the highest quality of care and the best result possible.
Mentorship and Community
Beyond working on individual files, I have had the opportunity to train and mentor dozens of students and associates to ensure top quality results and uniformity of service.
I am currently the Advising Lawyer for Student Legal Assistance, a non-profit organization of law students at the University of Calgary Faculty of Law. This organization is dedicated to providing legal services and access to justice to low-income individuals. I am honoured to have had the opportunity to supervise law students engaged in this program for more than 10 years.
Some of my recent notable instructional engagements include the following:
Legal Education Society of Alberta
- 41st Annual Intensive Advocacy | Guest Instructor
- Seamless Sentencing: Formulating and Structuring the Perfect Sentencing Submissions | Presenter
University of Calgary, Faculty of Law
- Trial Advocacy | Annual Instructor
- First Year Crime | Guest Lecturer
- Student Legal Assistance: Clinical Theory | Guest Lecturer
- Student Legal Assistance Criminal Law Boot Camp (Annual Presenter)
- Student Legal Assistance Impaired Driving Conference (Presenter)
- Student Legal Assistance Charter Notice Seminar (Presenter)
- Student Legal Assistance Trial Advocacy Seminar (Annual Presenter)
- Student Legal Assistance Domestic Violence Defence (Presenter)
Most recently I have had the opportunity to teach the first ever Advanced Criminal/Constitutional Appellate Advocacy course, at the University of Calgary, Faculty of Law. This class explores the intersection of criminal and constitutional law in the context of appellate advocacy. The course also serves as a pre-cursor to the Gale Cup Moot, Canada’s premier bilingual law-school mooting competition. I am also honoured to have the opportunity to Coach this moot in 2025, taking our U of C team to nationals in Toronto.
Credentials & Associations
As a Criminal Defence Lawyer, I am always striving to learn more about my field. The following are the most recent educational and informational conferences I have attended, including organizations I belong to:
- Criminal Defence Lawyers Association Impaired Driving Seminars
- Criminal Defence Lawyers Association Sexual Assault Seminars
- Annual National Criminal Law Conferences
- Police Interrogation and Evidence-Gathering Techniques Seminar
- Intoxilyzer Breath Alcohol Testing Conference
- Criminal Trial Lawyers Association Conference
- Active Member of Calgary Bar Association
- Active Member of the Criminal Defence Lawyers Association (Calgary)
- Active Member of the Criminal Trial Lawyers Association
- Active Member of the British Columbia Trial Lawyers Association
- Active Member of the Law Society of British Columbia, Saskatchewan, and Alberta
Criminal law is always changing, and my commitment to ongoing education for myself and my team will ensure that we stay on top of the latest developments in legislation, caselaw, and procedures, all with a view to better serve our clients.
Education and Awards
- Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) – University of Calgary (2006)
- Crown Association Prize (Top grade in first-year criminal law)
- Gale Cup Moot Finalist (First-ever finalist finish for UofC)
- Bachelor of Arts in Psychology (Minor in English) – University of Calgary (2003)
- Suncor Energy Scholarship
- Louise McKinney Scholarship
- Jason Lang Scholarship
How Can I Help You
If you have been accused of a crime, you need someone you can trust by your side. With nearly 20 years of criminal law experience, and thousands of successful outcomes, there is virtually no issue I haven’t seen, and no case I haven’t done. When you hire me, you instantly get the benefit our entire collective experience. Equally important, you will receive my personal attention and strategic insights for securing the best result possible.
Contact me today for a consultation and judge for yourself.
Areas of Practice
- Impaired Driving and Immediate Roadside Sanctions (IRS)
- Criminal Driving Offences
- Domestic Assault and Violent Offences
- Sexual Offences
- Drug Offences including Possession and Trafficking
Memberships
- Law Society of Alberta
- Law Society of British Columbia
- Roster Lawyer, Legal Aid Alberta
- Calgary Defence Lawyers Association
- Calgary Bar Association
Education
- Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of Calgary (2003)
- Bachelor of Laws (LLB) from the University of Calgary (2006)
