About Olson & Olson

OUR HISTORY

   The law firm of Olson & Olson has concentrated its practice in the area of municipal law since its inception. William A. Olson, the firm’s founder, began representing Texas cities immediately following his graduation from Baylor Law School in 1950. In 1959, he was appointed as the first general counsel of the newly reorganized Texas Municipal League, serving in that capacity until 1963.  Later, during a short stint in private practice in Austin, he represented Hank Avery in the case of Avery vs. Midland County (a landmark decision by the United States Supreme Court that extended the one-man one-vote rule to local government).  From 1966 to 1974, William A. Olson served as City Attorney of the City of Houston. In January 1974 he opened a private practice in Houston as William A. Olson, Attorney at Law. Within two months, he had been retained as general counsel by two area municipalities. The practice became “Olson & Olson” in October 1974 when his older son, William A. Olson, Jr., left his law practice in Waco to join his father in Houston. Over the years, the firm has continued to follow in its founder’s footsteps, providing needed legal services to cities and other local governments.

OUR PRACTICE

   Olson & Olson currently serves cities, counties, special districts, other local governmental entities, and pubic officials across the State of Texas as general counsel, and in the areas of litigation and special projects. The firm assists its clients in a variety of subject matter areas including ad valorem taxation, annexations, zoning and land use regulation, subdivision regulation, economic development, employment, home rule charters, utility franchising, land acquisition and eminent domain, building and construction regulations, municipal incorporation, and special districts. The firm acts as city attorney or general counsel on a continuing basis for more than thirty-five Houston area municipalities, economic development corporations, and other local governments. In its litigation practice, the firm represents governmental entities and their officials and employees in a wide variety of matters in state and federal courts at all levels.

OUR LAWYERS

   The lawyers at Olson & Olson are organized into three practice groups: one group serves as special litigation counsel to local appraisal districts,  a second group provides general counsel and special project services to cities and other local government entities, and a third group represents governmental entities and their employees and officials in lawsuits and other disputed matters. The three practice groups complement each other, with lawyers from one group often lending their expertise to assist in matters being handled by another group.

Olson & Olson has worked to develop and maintain special expertise in the representation of cities and other local governments by recruiting lawyers who, like William A. Olson, have demonstrated an interest in, and aptitude for, this area of practice. Several of the firm’s lawyers worked in municipal legal departments prior to joining the firm.   The firm’s lawyers also participate in professional organizations emphasizing local government representation, including the Texas City Attorney’s Association, the International Municipal Lawyers Association, the American Bar Association Section of State and Local Government Law, and the Defense Research Institute–Governmental Liability Committee. Lawyers in the firm are frequent speakers at legal and municipal seminars and have made presentations on such diverse topics as ad valorem tax litigation, annexation, regulation of manufactured housing, civil service laws, subdivision platting, and public official liability. Two of the firm’s lawyers, Brian J. Begle and Loren Smith, are board certified in Employment Law.