Dean A. Olson

Dean is a Member in Clark Hill’s Los Angeles office, is a trial attorney and litigation manager for cases involving products, transportation, and employment litigation. He is a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA) and has an active California trial practice. Since 2000, Dean has typically tried at least one complex jury trial to verdict each year in state and federal court. He serves as regional and state trial counsel for a number of clients, and is designated trial counsel and national trial team member for a number of corporations in the defense of toxic tort claims.

Dean gained his initial trial experience representing law enforcement agencies and officers in state and federal civil rights jury trials. In the late 1980’s he moved into private practice to focus on the areas of product, toxic tort, and premises liability.

Dean has brought to trial numerous complex toxic tort and transportation jury matters throughout California. He is a zealous advocate for his clients, which include brake and insulation manufacturers, premises owners, and trucking and transportation companies, among others. Presently, he manages a large and varied caseload of catastrophic transportation claims. Dean is lead defense counsel for the claims arising from the October 2016 USA Holiday bus accident near Palm Springs, California, which resulted in in 13 deaths and 32 injured individuals.

Using alternative dispute resolution approaches, he has achieved a high success rate in the resolution of many complex cases. Dean has made extensive use of the latest techniques in case evaluation and trial preparation, including jury focus groups and mock juries, to assess the best trial strategy for his clients. He believes that the most effective settlement strategy involves thorough trial preparation. Dean also provides risk management counseling and advice to his clients to help avoid and minimize legal issues.

Dean frequently lectures for organizations including seminars on trial advocacy, fraud litigation and MDL 875 for the American Conference Institute (ACI), National Business Institute and Defense Research Institute (DRI). He recently served as an expert witness testifying in an asbestos insurance coverage matter.