Spencer Fane LLP is pleased to announce that Karen Olson, former Deputy Attorney General for the State of Minnesota, has joined the firm as Of Counsel in the Minneapolis office. She will return to private practice as part of the growing Litigation practice group at Spencer Fane.
Olson brings her significant government and legal experience to help clients with complex regulatory, compliance, and litigation matters. Most recently, she served as Deputy Attorney General for more than a decade, handling legal issues related to health care and licensing, environmental, energy, antitrust, consumer fraud, agriculture, banking, finance, tax, and education. She has represented the Attorney General, Governor, Legislature, and multiple state agencies and boards on complex legal issues and in high profile litigation.
Spencer Fane opened its Minneapolis office in early 2019 and has already increased its attorney headcount to 10.
“Spencer Fane is honored to have an attorney like Karen with a stellar reputation and proven track record of success join the firm,” said Don Heeman, Office Managing Partner in Minneapolis. “Our clients will benefit from her unique perspective and ability to help them deal with complex legal issues involving the government. This is a wonderful opportunity to grow our office in a manner that aligns with the firm’s commitment to providing high-level client services.”
Olson’s practice focuses on advising clients on government and regulatory matters and representing them in litigation. As Deputy Attorney General, she led hundreds of government investigations and enforcement actions for the Attorney General, Minnesota health licensing boards and multiple state agencies and boards. While in private practice, she defended national companies in multidistrict litigation and class actions nationwide. She has unique insight when assisting clients with pending regulatory issues and government investigations, including how to appropriately respond to government inquiries and how to proactively implement measures to limit or avoid potential regulatory issues.
After completing her undergraduate business degree at the University of Minnesota, Carlson School of Management, Olson earned her Juris Doctor from the Mitchell Hamline School of Law. Karen is licensed in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Illinois.
