Steve Olson is a partner in O’Melveny’s Los Angeles office and a member of the White Collar Defense and Corporate Investigations Practice and the Business Trial and Litigation Practice. In addition, following his recent government service, Steve is working with partners in O’Melveny’s Transactions Department and other practice groups to represent international businesses investing in the US.
As a former federal prosecutor at the US Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles, Steve regularly represents public companies, boards of directors and executives in criminal and civil matters against government enforcement agencies. He also advises companies and independent directors in connection with complex and sensitive internal investigations concerning, among other issues, allegations of corruption, securities fraud, conflict of interest and theft of trade secrets. Steve has extensive jury trial experience both at the government and in private practice. For example, Steve led the team that represented Contessa Foods in a jury trial against two former top executives for theft of trade secrets. Contessa was awarded a multimillion-dollar judgment, punitive damages, and a complete defense verdict on counterclaims. The Daily Journal annual report recognized Steve’s win as one of the “Top Plaintiff Verdicts.”
Steve rejoined O’Melveny in July 2013 after serving as Senior Advisor to US Commerce Secretary John Bryson and Acting Secretary Rebecca Blank. In that role, Steve addressed many of the country’s important business issues, including US manufacturing policy, the protection of trade secrets, and US anti-corruption policy. Steve also served as Executive Director of SelectUSA, President Barack Obama’s initiative to attract increased investment in the United States by international businesses. Steve built the SelectUSA program and under his leadership, it helped channel more than US$25 billion in new foreign direct investment into the United States, creating and retaining tens of thousands of jobs. Steve co-chaired (with the Director of the National Economic Council) the Interagency Investment Working Group, composed of senior leadership from 22 federal agencies and the Executive Office of the President, and charged with coordinating federal investment policy and investment attraction efforts. During Steve’s tenure, SelectUSA handled a pipeline of over 800 in-bound investment matters from businesses all over the world, providing valuable counseling regarding state and federal incentive programs and helping investors navigate the US regulatory environment by acting as their ombudsman with other government agencies. Steve is leading the effort at O’Melveny to expand the firm’s representation of international businesses investing in the US.
Steve has been recognized by Legal 500 in the category of White-Collar Criminal Defense and named a “Rising Star” and a “Super Lawyer” in surveys conducted by Law & Politics Media Inc. and published in Los Angeles magazine.
Steve has served as O’Melveny’s firmwide Talent Development Partner, firmwide Hiring Partner, and a member of the Partner Admissions Committee.
