Karl Olson is Of Counsel to Sanford Wittels & Heisler, LLP in the San Francisco office. Mr. Olson also practices as a principal of Ram & Olson, LLP.
Mr. Olson specializes in defending news media clients and individuals against defamation and "SLAPP suits" (Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation). He has successfully defended dozens of such cases, disposing of most of them at a very early stage. He also specializes in handling cases involving access to government records. In 2005, he received the James Madison Award from the Northern California Society of Professional Journalists given annually to one legal counsel. In 2007, he won a landmark California Supreme Court case involving public access to public employee salaries.
Mr. Olson's practice has also emphasized consumer and employment class action litigation, employment law, intellectual property, construction defect and real estate litigation, and other commercial litigation matters. He has extensive experience in both the trial and appellate courts and has been counsel in dozens of reported appellate decisions. He has been named a "Northern California Super Lawyer" several years running and as one of the "Best Lawyers in America.” Mr. Olson's practice has also focused on pre-publication and pre-broadcast counseling; intellectual property matters such as copyright and trademark infringement claims; and trade secret litigation. He has authored numerous articles on media law issues and lectured widely on defamation and First Amendment topics for both professional journalists and lawyers.
From 1982 to 1983 he was a research attorney for Justice Joseph Grodin of the California Supreme Court. He worked as an associate at Morrison & Foerster from 1983 to 1986 and was at Cooper, White & Cooper as an associate from 1986 to 1989 and as a partner from 1990 to 1997 before starting Levy, Ram & Olson in 1997 and Ram & Olson in 2009.
Mr. Olson was born, raised and still lives in San Francisco.