In 1968, he clerked for the Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, David L. Bazelon.
He counsels individual executives and boards of directors in a range of matters, including corporate governance.
Olson was elected to the American Law Institute in 1990 and served as an Adviser on the ALI's Federal Judicial Code project.
[2] Olson is a director of Berkshire Hathaway,[3] 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), the Norton Simon Museum and the California Institute of Technology.