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Walter Olson
Senior Fellow
Walter Olson is a senior fellow at the Cato Institute's Center for Constitutional Studies. Prior to joining Cato, Olson was a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, and has been a columnist for Great Britain's Times Online as well as Reason. His writing appears regularly in such publications as the Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and the New York Post. He has appeared numerous times before Congress and advised many public officials. The Washington Post has dubbed him the "intellectual guru of tort reform." His approximately 400 broadcast appearances include all the major networks, CNN, Fox News, PBS, NPR, and "Oprah".
Olson's most recent book, Schools for Misrule: Legal Academia and an Overlawyered America (Encounter Books), appeared in 2011 and was described by Publisher's Weekly as "cutting-edge commentary," "astute," "witty" and "hard-hitting." His previous book on mass litigation, The Rule of Lawyers, was hailed in leading publications including Forbes, The American Lawyer, and Barron's. The Excuse Factory, his 1997 book on lawsuits in the workplace, was met with accolades in the London Times and the A.B.A. Journal. Olson's widely discussed first book, The Litigation Explosion, was cited by Justice Sandra Day O'Connor in a major Supreme Court case. On the web, he founded and continues to run Overlawyered.com, widely cited as the oldest blog on law as well as one of the most popular.
Media Contact: 202-789-5200
To Book a Speaking Engagement: 202-789-5226
Books and Book Chapters
Schools for Misrule: Legal Academia and an Overlawyered America, (2011)
The Rule of Lawyers, (2003)
The Excuse Factory, (1997)
The Litigation Explosion, (1991)
Articles and Newsletters
"A Product No One Would Buy," Cato Policy Report, May/June 1997.
"Where's the Reform," Regulation, March/April 1984.
"Competition among the States: A Response," Regulation, May/June 1982.
Opinion and Commentary
"Let States and Markets Sort It Out," The New York Times (Online), May 10, 2011
"Animal House," New York Post, March 13, 2011
"Distracted while Strolling," Daily Caller, February 3, 2011
"McDonald's Suit over Happy Meal Toys by California Mom Monet Parham New Low in Responsible Parenting," New York Daily News, December 15, 2010
"Whoppers with Sleaze," Washington Times, November 16, 2010
Cato @ Liberty Blog Posts
"Federalism and Med-Mal Reform," May 24, 2011
"As Used-Car Prices Soar, 'Clunkers' Are Missed," May 16, 2011
"A Ban on Farm-Filming?," May 11, 2011
"Donald Trump as Litigation Bully," April 29, 2011
"AEP v. Connecticut: Global Warming as Political Question," April 20, 2011
Events
"9th Annual Constitution Day Conference," September 16, 2010 [Conference]
"Shakedown: How Corporations, Government, and Trial Lawyers Abuse the Judicial Process," November 10, 2004 [Book Forum]
Multimedia
Walter Olson discusses his book Schools for Misrule at the Federalist Society (May 9, 2011) [Media Highlights - Radio, 53:25]
Walter Olson discusses his book Schools for Misrule on Westwood One's The Jim Bohannon Show (April 21, 2011) [Media Highlights - Radio, 39:26]
Walter Olson discusses his book Schools for Misrule on KGO's The Ronn Owens Show (April 13, 2011) [Media Highlights - Radio, 21:38]
Walter Olson discusses his book "Schools for Misrule" on NRO's Between the Covers w/ John J. Miller (April 5, 2011) [Media Highlights - Radio, 09:38]
Walter Olson discusses his new book, Schools for Misrule, on WBAL's The Ron Smith Show (March 17, 2011) [Media Highlights - Radio, 13:24]
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