Walter Olson is a senior fellow at the Cato Institute’s Robert A. Levy Center for Constitutional Studies and is known for his writing on the American legal system. His books include The Rule of Lawyers, on mass litigation, The Excuse Factory, on lawsuits in the workplace, and most recently Schools for Misrule, on the state of the law schools. His first book, The Litigation Explosion, was one of the most widely discussed general-audience books on law of its time. It led the Washington Post to dub him “intellectual guru of tort reform.” Active on social media, he is known as the founder and principal writer of what is generally considered the oldest blog on law as well as one of the most popular, Overlawyered.com. He has advised many public officials from the White House to town councils and in 2015 was named by Gov. Larry Hogan to be co-chair of the Maryland Redistricting Reform Commission, which issued its report recommendations later that year to acclaim across the state.
Before joining Cato, Olson was a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute and an editor at the magazine Regulation, then edited by future Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. Olson’s more than 400 broadcast appearances include all the major networks, NPR, the BBC, The Diane Rehm Show, and Oprah.
When politics is a firing offense: do anti-discrimination laws push employers to restrict free speech?
Delaware and Pittsburgh Lawyers Chapter - Online Event
Zoom WebinarTaming the Gerrymander
Brigham Young Student Chapter
Zoom Webinar -- BYU341 E Campus Drive
Provo, UT 84602
Where Do We Draw the Line? Partisan Gerrymandering & Rucho v. Common Cause
Northwestern Student Chapter
Northwestern Pritzker School of Law375 E. Chicago Ave
CHICAGO, IL 60611
Taming the Gerrymander: A Case for Redistricting Reform
Capital City Club201 Monroe Street # 2100
Montgomery, AL 36104
The Death of Contract and the Rise of Tort [Archive Collection]
1991 Annual Lawyers Convention
On September 13, 1991, the Federalist Society hosted its annual National Lawyers Convention at the...
The Death of Contract and the Rise of Tort [Archive Collection]
1991 Annual Lawyers Convention
On September 13, 1991, the Federalist Society hosted its annual National Lawyers Convention at the...
Lamone v. Benisek [SCOTUSbrief]
Short video featuring Walter Olson
When Maryland state officials redrew the map for their state’s federal congressional districts in 2011,...
Litigation: The New Age of Litigation Financing
2013 National Lawyers Convention
Private litigants and state governments are turning to new sources of funding for lawsuits. Private...
Litigation: The New Age of Litigation Financing
2013 National Lawyers Convention
Private litigants and state governments are turning to new sources of funding for lawsuits. Private...