Ronald L. Olson

Ronald L. Olson is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and is married to Jane Olson.

Olson was Secretary of Labor under William Jefferson Clinton. He was a former attorney in the Civil Rights Division in the Department of Justice. He is a trustee for the RAND Corporation.

Olson is a Trustee of the California Institute of Technology, the Claremont University Center, USC Annenberg School for Communication, and the Los Angeles Business Advisors. He is a Senior Partner with the law firm Munger, Tolles, & Olson, a director of Berkshire Hathaway, Edison International, City National Corporation, Pacific American Income Shares, and Western Asset Trust.

"In 1967, Mr. Olson was an attorney for the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice and in 1968 clerked for Chief Judge David L. Bazelon, United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. From 1968 to the present, he has practiced law with the Los Angeles law firm now known as Munger, Tolles & Olson.  Mr. Olson was formerly Chairman of the Standing Committee on Federal Judiciary (1991-92), Chairman of the Litigation Section (1981-82), and Chairman of the Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee (1976-86) of the American Bar Association, and was Vice President of the Board of Governors of the State Bar of California (1986-87).  He is a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers.

"Mr. Olson is a director of Berkshire Hathaway, Edison International, City National Corporation, The Washington Post Company, and Western Asset Trusts. He serves as a director of several non-profits, including the RAND Corporation (formerly chair), the Mayo Clinic, the Council of Foreign Relations, Southern California Public Radio (formerly chair), and the California Institute of Technology.  He was Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Claremont University Center and Graduate School from 1984-94.

"Mr. Olson’s field of specialization is litigation and corporate counseling. He counsels individual executives and boards of directors in a range of matters, including corporate governance.

"Recently, Mr. Olson has been the lead partner in Munger, Tolles & Olson’s representation of the following: the Board of Trustees of the Getty Trust in connection with corporate governance and foreign government claims to its antiquities collection; Shell Oil Company in its 2006 U.S. Supreme Court victory (Dagher v. Shell Oil Company, et al.) and in the pending series of class actions claiming oil companies’ liability for the Katrina hurricane damage; Michael Ovitz in the Disney shareholder lawsuit tried successfully in Delaware Chancery Court and affirmed by the Delaware Supreme Court; Brad Grey, Paramount’s Chairman, in the Pellicano investigation; General Reinsurance, Berkshire Hathaway’s subsidiary, being investigated by the SEC/DOJ/NYAG for its involvement with AIG and various finite insurance transactions; and Univision in lawsuits with its program supplier, Televisa, and shareholders challenging the sale of the company.

"In his earlier years, his litigation representations included the following: for Edison International in the California electricity crisis; for the Daily Journal in trial against the Metropolitan News; for Merrill Lynch in Orange County bankruptcy; co-lead counsel for Universal Studios in trial against Viacom/Paramount for the ownership of USA Network; lead counsel for Shell Oil Company in CARB gas antitrust case; for Salomon Inc. in connection with the Nasdaq antitrust litigation (DOJ and class actions) and the 1991-92 criminal investigation and governmental claims arising from its conduct of treasury security auctions; for the Republic of the Philippines against the Marcos family; and for Alyeska and its oil company owners in the criminal investigation and civil litigation arising from the Exxon Valdez oil spill.  He also has represented AOL Time Warner in securities actions arising from the merger of AOL and Time Warner; Gemstar-TV Guide International, Inc. in shareholder class actions and derivative cases arising from financial restatements; and Mattel in a lawsuit over “Barbie Doll” rights."