Thomas F. Olsen
Founding Partner
Current Employer/Title: Lorber, Greenfield & Olsen, LLP – Partner
Profession: Attorney & Arbitrator
Work History: Partner, Lorber, Greenfield & Olsen, LLP, 1999-present; Associate, Merkin & Hemme, 1996-1999
Experience:
- Construction: Practice is focused on various construction disputes that occur during and after construction, including delay claims, contract disputes, lien/stop notices, payment disputes, public entity and defect claims. Majority of practice is representing builders, developers and general contractors; minority of practice involves representing home and building owners, subcontractors, manufacturers, public entities and material suppliers. Practice before Federal and State Courts and in Arbitration, for Commercial, Residential and Mixed-Use projects. Have litigated starter residential homes to $30 million mansions; Common Area Homeowner Association claims and major infrastructure projects. Includes Trial and Arbitration experience in various States ranging from 1 day to 4 months duration.
- Co-author of Form Interrogatories – Construction Litigation, which is approved by the Judicial Council of California for use in all civil litigation. Was counsel of record in a number of published construction related cases.
- Mr. Olsen was counsel of record, successfully arguing in the California Court of Appeal in KB Home Greater Los Angeles, Inc. v. Sup. Ct. (Allstate) (2014) 223 Cal. App. 4th 1471, that the builder was entitled to judgment under California’s Right to Repair Act. This decision was published and was recently cited 3 times with approval by the California Supreme Court in McMillan Albany, LLC. v. Sup. Ct. (2018) 4 Cal. 4th 241, and has likewise been cited with approval by a large number of other published appellate cases.
- Balance of Practice includes litigation involving Insurance, Casualty, Business disputes, Real Property, Landlord/Tenant, Environmental, Products, Personal Injury and Bankruptcy. Overall litigation ratio is approximately 50%/50% between prosecuting and defending parties.
Education: University of San Diego, J.D., 1996; State University of New York at Buffalo, B.A., Political Science, emphasis in Biology, 1993
Professional Licenses: Admitted to the State Bars of California (1996), Texas (2003), Washington (2012), Oregon (2013), Arizona (2013), New Mexico (2018) and Colorado (2019), as well as all United States District Courts in California (1997), the United States Districts Courts for Oregon (2021) and Western Washington (2021); the United States District Court for Colorado (2023); and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeal (1997).
Awards and Honors: AV Preeminent rating (highest possible) by Martindale-Hubbell’s Peer Review rating service.
Publications: Boundary Law, National Business Institute, 1997; Subrogation vs. Right to Repair in Defective Construction Claims, Litigation Management, Fall 2013; Bada Bing, Bada Building Boom, Construction Claims, Winter, 2017;
Under New Ownership, Construction Claims; Summer 2019; Liable or Not?, Construction Claims, Spring 2020; Dotting I’s and Crossing T’s, Construction Claims, Winter 2020.
- Phone: (858) 513-1020 | vCard
- Email: tolsen@lorberlaw.com
- Office Location: Southern California, Los Angeles, Northern California, Arizona, Pacific Northwest, Colorado, New Mexico
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