Mathew C. Kane
Director
Matt devotes his practice entirely to litigation at both the trial and appellate levels. Over almost two decades with the firm, he has been involved in a variety of noteworthy cases, including the acquittal of the chief executive officer in a billion dollar criminal securities case, proceedings to remove a judge before the Oklahoma Court of the Judiciary, and the return of a child to his parent under the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction. He has served as a member of the Criminal Justice Act Panel for the Western District of Oklahoma, representing indigent defendants on a wide range of criminal matters, and sits on a number of state and county bar committees.
Matt has been appointed to the List of Counsel for the International Criminal Court -a first for an Oklahoma attorney. This inclusion allows Matt to represent victims and suspects in proceedings before the International Criminal Court, seated in The Hague, Netherlands. As a result of this admission and other international and criminal law experience, Matt has also been accepted to the International Criminal Bar, another first in Oklahoma.
Matt teaches courses on torts, criminal law, international criminal law, comparative law, and comparative approaches to counterterrorism at the University of Oklahoma College of Law, where he has been selected by the student body as outstanding adjunct professor of the year. He has previously taught at the Oklahoma City University School of Law and served on the Oklahoma City School of Law National Security Law Work group.
Prior to joining the firm, Matt served as a legal intern for Chief Judge Robin Cauthron of the Western District of Oklahoma and at the Office of the Prosecutor for the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda. In addition, Matt has developed projects for the Memorial Institute for the Prevention of Terrorism and for the Center for the Study of Terrorism and Political Violence relating to the legal aspects of the war on terror.
Among other honors and awards, Matt has received the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children’s Award of Merit for his pro bono representation relating to international child abduction litigation, the Oklahoma Bar Association Maurice Merrill Golden Quill Award for the most outstanding article published in the Oklahoma Bar Journal and the Journal Record Leadership in Law Award, recognizing community leadership, significant volunteerism and accomplishment in the legal field. He has also been named to the National Trial Lawyers: Top 100 Trial Lawyers (Oklahoma), the National Academy of Criminal Defense Attorneys: Top 10 Criminal Attorneys (Oklahoma), and Super Lawyers and is rated as a Martindale-Hubbell AV-Preeminent attorney.
Matt has served on a variety of civil society committees, including Pros for Africa, which assists with ongoing recovery efforts following the decades of LRA attacks on civilians in northern Uganda, and the Remote
Area Medical Oklahoma City Expedition, providing free medical, dental and vision services to local residents, and the Arts Council of Oklahoma City.
Practice Areas
Complex Civil Litigation
Insurance Defense
White Collar/Criminal Defense
International/Environmental Litigation
Education
B.A., History, University of Oklahoma
J.D., OU College of Law, with Distinction
L.L.M., University of London, with Merit
Bar Admissions
United States Supreme Court
Tenth Circuit of Appeals
United States District Courts
(Eastern, Western, and Northern Districts of Oklahoma)
State of Oklahoma
International Criminal Court
Cherokee Nation
Professional Activities
Oklahoma Bar Association — Criminal Law Section; Bench and Bar Committee (2011-15); Rules of Professional Responsibility (2012-14); Access to Justice Committee (2011-12)
Oklahoma County Bar Association– Bench and Bar Committee (2010-2011);
Briefcase Committee (2010-15)
Federal Bar Association — Editorial Board (2015-2018), National Law School Subdivision Task Force (2013-14); OKC Chapter- Vice President (2010-11) & Board of Directors (2011-13)
American Bar Association — Vice Chair — International Criminal Law Committee (2004-05)
American Society of Law and Philosophy
American Society of International Law
International Criminal Bar
Publications
Books, Journal Articles and Book Chapters
Co-editor, with Dr. Stephanie Wolfe and Dr. Tawia Ansah, In the Shadow of Genocide: Memory, Justice, and Transformation within Rwanda (expected 2020 publication)
“Memory and Justice: A Personal, Cultural and Global Experience” (forthcoming chapter in In the Shadow of Genocide: Justice and Memory within Rwanda)(peer-reviewed publication)
“The United States as an Essential Forum for Litigating the Rwandan Genocide” (forthcoming chapter in In the Shadow of Genocide: Justice and Memory within Rwanda (peer-reviewed publication)
Contributing author, V.L. MacDougall et al. (eds.), Negligence Purpose, Elements, and Evidence: The Role of Foreseeability in the Law of Each State(2018), ISBN: 978-09-9800-733-5
“Naming Names: The Prudence, Propriety and Potential Ramifications of Employing ‘Terrorist’ Nomenclature for Pro-Russian Militants in Eastern Ukraine,” in W. Czaplinski et al. (eds.), The Case of Crimea’s Annexation Under International Law, 311-337(2017), ISBN:978-83-7383-901-4
“The Pride of the Common Law: Oklahoma’s Struggle with the Prima Facie Tort Action,” with Ivan London, Tulsa Law Review, v. 52, n. 1, 41-55 (Autumn 2016), ISSN:1538-9979
“Accessible Judgments as a Practical Means to Reengage African Interest and Salvage the International Criminal Court,” African Journal of International Criminal Justice, v. 1, 6-46 (2015), ISSN:2352-068X (peer-reviewed publication)
“Atrocity Crimes and International Criminal Tribunals –Challenges, Opportunities and Future Developments,” in Inside the Minds: Understanding International Criminal Law, 103-114,(Aspatore/Thomson Reuters, 2014), ISBN: 9780314293022
“‘A Contradiction in Terms’: Crimes of Contempt at the International Criminal Court and the Case against Jean-Pierre Bemba Gombo’s Legal Representatives,” Eyes on the ICC, v. 10, 1-46 (2013-2014), ISSN: 1546-508X (peer-reviewed publication)
“Federal Sentencing: The New Frontier of Modern Legal Advocacy,” with Daniel G. Webber, Jr., Oklahoma Bar Journal, v. 80, n. 26, 1791-1796 (Oct. 2009), ISSN:0030-1655
Book Reviews and Other Additional Publications
“The Ubiquitous Ubiquity of Native American Law,” The Federal Lawyer, vol. 65, n. 3, 5, 14 (April 2018)
“Murder, Torture, Surveillance and Censorship: The Recent Nexus of Federal Jurisprudence and International Criminal Law in Alien Tort Statute Litigation,” The Federal Lawyer, vol. 63, n. 5, 34-39, 51(Apr. 2016)
“The Extraordinary Chambers of the Cambodian Courts: Addressing the Mass Atrocities of the Khmer Rouge,” ABA International Law News, v. 43, n. 3, 16-18(Sum. 2014)
“Witnessing Emergence from Atrocity -Personal Recollections on the 20thAnniversary of the Genocide of the Tutsis in Rwanda,” Okla. County Bar Ass’n Briefcase, 8, 17, v. 46, n. 4(April 2014)
“The African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights: A Last Resort for Wrongfully Detained or Deported Immigrants and Asylum Seekers in Africa,” with Susan F. Kane, Forced Migration Review, v. 44 (English, French, Spanish & Arabic translation)(Sept. 2013)
“Book Review: Schabas, Unimaginable Atrocities,” International Affairs, v. 89, n. 4, 1024-25 (July 2013)“International Justice Day –Seeking Accountability for Perpetrators of Mass Atrocities,” Okla. County Bar Ass’n Briefcase, v. 45, n. 6(June 2013)
“Seeking Redress for Violations of the Rights of Human Rights Lawyers before the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights,” 8th Edition of the Newsletter of the Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders, 10-14(English & French translation) (April 2013)
“The Indefinite Detention of Thomas Kwoyelo,” JURIST -Forum, http://jurist.org/forum/2013/02/matthew-kane-kwoyelo-detention.php (Feb. 2013)
“Surviving Court in a Continental System,” Okla. County Bar Ass’n Briefcase, v. 44, n. 11, 15(Nov. 2012)
“Book Review: Smith, The Rise and Fall of War Crimes Trials,” International Affairs, v. 88, n. 6, 1345-1347 (Nov. 2012)
“Book Review: Williams, Hybrid and Internationalised Tribunals & D’Ascoli, Sentencing in International Criminal Law,” International Affairs, v. 88, n. 5, 1120-1122 (Sept. 2012)
“The Lubanga Verdict: A Milestone for International Criminal Law in Central Africa and Around the World” (including “Postscript: Taylor Verdict Another Important Step”), with Anjie Zheng, International Law News, v. 41, Issue 3, 28-30 (Sum. 2012)
“Trying Africa’s Worst Offenders,” Oklahoma County Bar Ass’n Briefcase, v. 44, n. 5 (May 2012)
“Book Review: Scheffer, All the Missing Souls,” International Affairs, vol. 88, n. 2 (Mar. 2012)
“Healthcare that Humbles,” with Mark Clayton and Jay M. Mitchell, Oklahoma County Bar Ass’n Briefcase, v. 42, n. 6 (June 2010)
“Water, Hope and Love,” with Roy Williams and Jay M. Mitchell, Oklahoma County Bar Ass’n Briefcase, v. 42, n. 5 (May 2010)
“Recent Supreme Court Decision Holds Federal Sentencing Guidelines No Longer Mandatory,” with Daniel G. Webber, Jr., Oklahoma County Bar Ass’n Briefcase, v. 37, n. 2, p. 1, 10(Feb. 2005)
