Karen D. Olson is an experienced regulatory, compliance, and litigation attorney that uses her significant government and private practice experience to represent her clients. Most recently, Karen served as Deputy Attorney General for the State of Minnesota for more than a decade. As Deputy Attorney General, Karen represented the Attorney General, Governor, Legislature, and state agencies and boards on complex and high profile legal matters.
Karen has led hundreds of government investigations and enforcement actions for the Attorney General, Minnesota health licensing boards and other government entities. She uses her investigation and enforcement background to assist clients on pending government investigations and enforcement matters to advise them on how to proceed and on how to take proactive steps to potentially avoid or minimize regulatory concerns. Karen understands the unique challenges in dealing with the government and regulator and will help clients effectively deal with inquiries and lawsuits.
While at the Attorney General’s Office, Karen led the teams of attorneys representing the Minnesota health licensing boards, Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Minnesota Department of Revenue, Minnesota Department of Education, Minnesota Department of Commerce, Minnesota Environmental Quality Board, and Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources. In her role, she served as lead counsel on many high profile matters. Karen also previously oversaw the Consumer and Antitrust division at the Attorney General’s Office and handled many landmark cases that gained national attention and resulted in significant settlements or judgments as well as industry changes. She regularly interacted with other state and federal entities on joint prosecutions and enforcement actions. While in private practice, Karen handled complex litigation matters for clients operating in a variety of industries. She defended national companies in multidistrict litigation and class actions across the country. In her practice she also regularly defended companies against product liability claims and represented litigants in real estate and trust/estate matters. Karen has also litigated many contract, financial, and insurance matters that benefitted from her strong business background.
Karen has significant first chair trial experience and has tried cases in State, Federal and administrative courts.