Michael Oykhman

I am a senior criminal defence lawyer and founder of Strategic Criminal Defence, a full-service criminal defence law office, with central offices in Calgary, Edmonton, Lethbridge, Victoria, Saskatchewan, and Toronto.

I practice out of the Calgary office, but am licensed to practice in BC. I serve clients with serious criminal matters in British Columbia.

Since being called to the Alberta Bar in 2007, I have devoted my practice exclusively to criminal law. Over the past 18 years, I have personally represented more than 2,500 clients and appeared at all levels of court in Alberta, including the Supreme Court of Canada, as well as the provincial courts of Saskatchewan and British Columbia.

I am licensed to practice in Alberta, British Columbia, and Saskatchewan.

My practice spans the full spectrum of criminal law, from summary offences to the most complex indictable matters, including homicides, large-scale drug prosecutions, multi-million-dollar frauds, and constitutional Charter challenges.

I have over 100 reported decisions on CanLII, including notable cases such as Goodwin v British Columbia (Superintendent of Motor Vehicles), 2015 SCC 46 at the Supreme Court of Canada, and Demars v Alberta (Director of SafeRoads), 2024 ABCA 188, which provided the leading interpretation of Alberta’s Provincial Administrative Penalties Regulation.

Not every case is won through trial. In fact, the best results are often achieved through alternative resolution strategies without the case ever going to trial. Although I am trained as a trial lawyer, I prefer to be viewed as a problem solver. My goal is to provide every client with the highest quality of care and the best result possible.

Our firm’s approach is reflected in more than 700 independently posted five-star reviews in Calgary, consistently highlighting responsiveness, honesty, and commitment to protecting clients’ rights.

Mentorship has been a central part of my professional identity. Within my firm, I have trained, supervised, and mentored more than ten articling students and at least an equal number of junior and mid-level lawyers — many of whom have gone on to establish their own successful practices or become leaders within the bar.

I have served for over a decade as the most senior Criminal Advising Lawyer with Student Legal Assistance (SLA), a non-profit organization at the University of Calgary Faculty of Law that provides legal services to low-income individuals. In that role, I have supervised thousands of student case files, trained hundreds of students in advocacy, ethics, and client care, and personally funded the modernization of SLA’s website and intake system. I also created and continue to oversee the SLA Mentorship Program, which pairs students with practicing criminal lawyers and has resulted in numerous articling positions and employment placements.
Some of my recent notable instructional engagements include the following:

Legal Education Society of Alberta

• 41st Annual Intensive Advocacy — Guest Instructor (2024)
• Seamless Sentencing: Formulating and Structuring the Perfect Sentencing Submissions — Presenter (2024)

University of Calgary, Faculty of Law

• Law 410.03 Crime: Law and Procedure — Sessional Instructor (2025)
• Law 693.16 Advanced Criminal & Constitutional Appellate Advocacy — Sessional Instructor (2024)
• Law 678 Gale Cup Moot — Sponsor and Coach (2024)
• Law 602 Trial Advocacy Block Week — Annual Instructor (2017–present)
• Law 686 SLA Clinical Theory — Guest Lecturer (2018–present)
• Guest Judge: Sopinka Cup Trial Competition, BLG SLA Trial Competition, Gale Cup Moot (2015–present)

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.

My commitment to access to justice runs throughout everything I do.

Strategic Criminal Defence’s free online Legal Resource Centre receives more than 20,000 unique monthly queries and my videos on police interrogation techniques have been viewed more than 40,000 times on YouTube.

I personally respond to hundreds of public legal inquiries each year and have implemented free initial consultations, flexible fee structures, and payment plans across our network.

Most recently, I partnered with the Calgary Urban Project Society (CUPS) to deliver legal services directly to Alberta’s most vulnerable populations, including pro bono clinics, victim support, record suspension assistance, and staff capacity-building programs.

My community involvement extends beyond the law. As a first-generation Jewish immigrant from Ukraine and the grandson of Holocaust survivors, I have a strong personal connection to the Calgary Jewish community.

I served on the Jewish Federation PAC Committee (2013), the Paperny Family JCC Membership and Marketing Committee (2019–2022), and most recently as part of a Legal Task Force providing guidance on hate crime navigation and combating antisemitism in the wake of October 7.

I have also provided sustained financial support for over a decade to organizations including Project Warmth, Franny’s Fund, CUPS, SLA, Wood’s Homes Foundation, Brown Bagging for Calgary’s Kids, the Calgary Mustard Seed, and Immigrant Services Calgary, among others.

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:

• Law Society of Alberta (2007–present)
• Law Society of British Columbia (2019–present)
• Law Society of Saskatchewan (2023–present)
• Criminal Trial Lawyers Association (CTLA)
• Criminal Defence Lawyers Association (CDLA) — former Executive Member, Education Director, and Electoral Officer
• Calgary Bar Association
• Trial Lawyers Association of BC
• 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 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.

• 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
• 8-Time Recipient of Three Best Rated Top Criminal Defence Lawyer of the Year

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, thousands of successful outcomes, and a team built on service, integrity, and strategy, there is virtually no issue I haven’t encountered and no case I haven’t handled. When you hire me, you get the benefit of our entire collective experience — along with my personal attention and strategic insight toward securing the best result possible.

Contact me today for a free consultation.