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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
"Book Review: Inside the Churchill Clan," The New York Times, June 24, 2011
"Reining in Frivolous Class-action Lawsuits," Philadelphia Inquirer, June 23, 2011
"Back Off. It's My Plate.," Daily Caller, June 3, 2011
"Let States and Markets Sort It Out," The New York Times (Online), May 10, 2011
"Animal House," New York Post, March 13, 2011
Cato @ Liberty Blog Posts
"100,000+ Cribs May Be Headed for Dumpsters Today," June 28, 2011
"Individualism in Legal Process and the Wal-Mart Case," June 24, 2011
"Wal-Mart v. Dukes: The Court Gets One Right," June 20, 2011
"A Hospital Drug Shortage Made In Washington," June 15, 2011
"A Case that 'Should Never Have Been Prosecuted'," June 10, 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 the Supreme Court's decision on the Walmart case on WIND's The Big John and Amy Show (June 21, 2011) [Media Highlights - Radio, 07:19]
Walter Olson discusses the Supreme Court's decision on the Walmart case on KOGO's Chip Franklin Mornings (June 21, 2011) [Media Highlights - Radio, 08:23]
Walter Olson discusses the Supreme Court's decision on the Walmart case on WBAL's The C4 Show (June 21, 2011) [Media Highlights - Radio, 07:20]
Walter Olson on new healthy food guidelines on Washington Journal (June 6, 2011) [Media Highlights - TV, 45:45]
Walter Olson on his book Schools for Misrule on C-SPAN 2's Book TV (May 29, 2011) [Media Highlights - TV, 49:12]
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