James Olson entered the practice of law in 1982, following his graduation from Columbia Law School.

Initially, Mr. Olson became associated with the firm of Booth, Lipton & Lipton, a general practice firm of approximately 30 attorneys located in Manhattan. Mr. Olson immediately became involved in the firm’s active bankruptcy practice, which included representation in large Chapter 11 cases such as Continental Airlines.

In 1987, Booth, Lipton and Lipton merged with Parker, Chapin Flattau & Klimpl, a mid-sized Manhattan law firm. Mr. Olson continued to practice in the bankruptcy group under the direction of former Bankruptcy Judge, Joel Lewittes.

In 1990, Mr. Olson moved his growing family to Baltimore, and became associated with the firm of Frank, Bernstein, Conaway & Goldman until its dissolution in 1992. On dissolution of the firm, the bankruptcy department joined the new Baltimore office of Ballard Spahr Andrews & Ingersoll, a large Philadelphia firm.

Mr. Olson left Ballard Spahr and opened his own solo practice in 1995.

Since 1995, Mr. Olson has represented clients in all areas of bankruptcy and debtor/creditor law as described in the Practice Areas pages of this website. Clients have included Fortune 500 corporations, regional manufacturers, local businesses, individuals, creditors’ committees, trustees, receivers, municipalities and foreign governmental agencies.

Mr. Olson is admitted to practice before all Maryland state courts and before the following federal courts:

United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit

United States District Court for the District of Maryland

United States District Court for the District of Columbia

United States District Court for the Southern District of New York

United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York

Admission to the District Court includes admission to the Bankruptcy Court for each of these districts.

Mr. Olson is registered to file pleadings and other documents electronically in the United States District Court for the District of Maryland and the United States Bankruptcy Courts for the District of Maryland and the Southern District of New York.

Mr. Olson has been a presenter at these seminars:

Lecturer: Acquiring or Selling a Financially Distressed Firm, Institute for International Research, New York, NY (1991)

Lecturer on bankruptcy issues for seminars presented by the Maryland Institute for Continuing Professional Education of Lawyers:Issues on Environmental Law, Annapolis, MD (1991)Modern Real Estate Transactions (Advanced Course), Baltimore, MD (1994, 1995)

Panelist: Panel Discussion on Mediation Experience in Alexandria Division Northern Virginia, Northern Virginia Bankruptcy Bar Association, Falls Church, VA (1996)

Lecturer: Basic Bankruptcy: Law and Practice, Sterling Educational Services, Baltimore, MD (2001)

Mr. Olson has published the following articles:

Liens: Now You See ‘Em, Now You Don’t, Bankr. Ct. Dec. Weekly News & Comment (July 25, 1995)

Bankruptcy: Pitfalls for the General Practitioner, Maryland Bar Bulletin, March 1998