Practice areas: Civil Rights; view more
Licensed in North Carolina since: 1994
Education: Campbell University Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law
Selected to Super Lawyers: 2014 - 2018, 2024 - 2025 Call today:
919-624-3718
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514 Daniels St#136
Raleigh, NC 27605 Visit website
Details
Chris Olson is an attorney with Olson Law, PLLC, a North Carolina-based civil rights firm with an emphasis on wrongful conviction cases. Olson has been in the legal field for over 25 years and has substantial experience in complex litigation matters. He has successfully handled multiple cases involving wrongful incarceration and civil rights violations, and has volunteered with innocence claims and exoneration efforts. He also served as class counsel in consumer class action suits that resulted in substantial settlements.
Olson has devoted his professional career to standing up for those harmed by the wrongful acts of others. His focus in recent years has been on civil rights cases involving wrongful convictions. Olson served as pro bono counsel with the Duke Wrongful Convictions Clinic on the exoneration effort on behalf of Ronnie Long and helped secure Mr. Long's freedom after a 44-year wrongful incarceration. Olson then represented Mr. Long in his post-exoneration civil rights lawsuit that resulted in a record settlement of $25 million, along with issuance of a formal, public apology for acts that caused Mr. Long's wrongful incarceration. Olson has also served as class counsel in successful consumer class action suits that resulted in favorable case law for North Carolina consumers in the areas of fair lending practices and the enforceability of unfair arbitration clauses. The class action suits, against major financial institutions, settled for $42.5 million and $38.75 million and led to significant monetary payments to thousands of low-income class members.
Graduating magna cum laude, Olson earned his JD from the Campbell University School of Law. While there, he served as Notes and Comments Editor for the Campbell Law Review and was a member of the Prince Evidence Moot Court Team. He received his bachelor’s degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Following law school, Olson served as a law clerk with the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina. He earned an AV Preeminent* peer-review rating through Martindale-Hubbell and has regularly been recognized among North Carolina's Super Lawyers. Additionally, in 2009, he was honored with the Defender of Justice Award by the North Carolina Justice Center for his efforts on behalf of low-income homeowners in consumer class actions.
*AV®, AV Preeminent®, Martindale-Hubbell Distinguished and Martindale-Hubbell Notable are certification marks used under license in accordance with the Martindale-Hubbell certification procedures, standards and policies. Martindale-Hubbell® is the facilitator of a peer-review rating process. Ratings reflect the anonymous opinions of members of the bar and the judiciary. Martindale-Hubbell® Peer Review Ratings™ fall into two categories – legal ability and general ethical standards.
Practice areas
Civil RightsFocus areas
Police Misconduct
- 100% Civil Rights
First Admitted: 1994, North Carolina
Professional Webpage: https://olsonlaw-pllc.com/about/
- Admitted to the Bar of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, 2024
- Secretary, North Carolina Advocates for Justice Civil Rights Section, 2023
- Vice Chair, North Carolina Advocates for Justice Civil Rights Section, 2024
- Served on NC Advocates for Justice Executive Committee, 2013
- Served as Chair of NC Advocates for Justice Commercial Litigation Section, 2013
- Long v. City of Concord: Total settlement of $25 million in wrongful conviction suit arising from 44-year wrongful incarceration. Civil rights suit against employees of NC State Bureau of Investigation, Concord Police Department, and City of Concord. Claims against SBI defendants resolved for $3 million; claims against City of Concord and its employees resolved for $22 million. City of Concord also issued a formal, public official for the "wrongs that caused tremendous harm to Mr. Long, his family, friends, and our community.", 2023
- Ronnie Long v. Hooks, et al., 972 F.3d 442 (4th Cir. 2020): Case in which police withheld multiple items of exculpatory evidence and denied Mr. Long a fair trial, resulting in his wrongful incarceration. Fourth Circuit, in an en banc opinion, held that law enforcement officers violated Mr. Long's constitutional rights. Assisted Duke University School of Law Wrongful Convictions Clinic with exoneration effort as pro bono counsel. Ronnie Long's convictions were vacated, bringing his 44-year wrongful incarceration to an end., 2020
- Greg Taylor v. Deaver, et al.: NC State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) agents fabricated evidence in the form of misleading SBI lab reports used to falsely argue that blood was found on Greg Taylor's vehicle. Part of a team that successfully represented Greg Taylor in his post-exoneration civil suit seeking damages for his 17-year wrongful incarceration. The case was settled for $4.625 million, the limits of available insurance coverage., 2013
- Estate of Harbin v. State of North Carolina: Trial verdict in favor of family of individual given a lethal overdose of methadone at a state treatment facility. State ordered to pay $628,000 at trial. Verdict affirmed on appeal, but with amount reduced to $528,000. Medical malpractice claim against treating physician resolved confidentially in separate proceeding., 2013
- Richardson v. Bank of America, 657 S.E.2d 353 (NC 2008), petition for disc. rev. dismissed, leaving undisturbed, Richardson, 643 S.E.2d 410 (NC 2007): Served as class counsel and formulated the liability and damages theories which led to the class-wide liability and damages rulings in favor of a class of low-income borrowers who were sold unlawful credit insurance which substantially and unfairly increased their mortgage loan costs. Summary judgment ruling in favor of the borrowers affirmed, establishing that subprime lender committed unfair trade practices and breached its duty of good faith and fair dealing as a matter of law. The case settled for $38.75 million and provided significant damage awards for low-income borrowers throughout North Carolina., 2009
- Dwayne Dail v. City of Goldsboro: The Goldsboro Police Department misplaced evidence that would later be used to exonerate Mr. Dail and to convict the actual perpetrator. Police officials obstructed justice and denied Mr. Dail his right to access to the courts in falsely representing that all evidence had been destroyed. Their negligence and misconduct unnecessarily extended Mr. Dail's wrongful incarceration. Part of a team that represented Dwayne Dail in his post-exoneration civil suit. The case was resolved for $7.5 million., 2013
- Tillman v. Commercial Credit Loans, Inc., 655 S.E.2d 362 (NC 2008): Served as class counsel and part of a team that litigated claims on behalf of low-income mortgage borrowers for eight years in state and federal court. Following a landmark ruling by the NC Supreme Court, the first instance in which an arbitration clause was invalidated on the ground of unconscionability, the case resolved for $42.5 million with significant damages awarded to thousands of subprime borrowers., 2009
- Regular participant in NC Legal Aid's Volunteer Lawyers Program. Handled numerous consumer disputes ranging from landlord-tenant disputes to deceptive auto sales.
- Pro bono counsel volunteering with Duke University School of Law Wrongful Convictions Clinic on exoneration efforts.
- Cover story, feature article for North Carolina Super Lawyers edition published January 2024., Feature article, North Carolina Super Lawyers, 2024
- AV Peer-Review Rating, Martindale-Hubbell, 2023
- Named Defender of Justice for 2009 "[f]or . . . groundbreaking work to enforce the legal rights of thousands of consumers and to protect millions more." Recognition followed successful conclusion of two consumer class actions against Bank of America and CitiFinancial which settled for $38.75 million and $42.5 million, respectively, and provided for significant damage awards for thousands of low-income borrowers throughout North Carolina., Recipient of Defender of Justice Award, North Carolina Justice Center, 2009
- Received Martindale-Hubbell’s “AV” peer review rating, the highest level of professional excellence in legal knowledge, communication skills, and ethical standards
- Recognized as a North Carolina Super Lawyer on a regular basis since 2014
- Awarded Highest Honors upon earning JD from Campbell University School of Law., Highest Honors, Campbell University School of Law, 1994
- BA in Political Science and Government, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 1990
- Authored manuscript and presented CLE titled "Anatomy of a Wrongful Incarceration Case" at Campbell University School of Law., CLE Presenter, Author, Anatomy of a Wrongful Incarceration Case, Campbell University School of Law, 2023
- Co-Chair and Speaker, “Class Actions: Making Mountains out of Molehills.” NC Advocates for Justice Convention 2014
- Manuscript Author and Presenter, “So, You’re Going to Sue a Big Bank. . . Or, How to Stay Busy for Eight Years.” NC Advocates of Justice Mountain Magic 2009
- Presenter, “Class Action Roundtable.” UNC Festival of Legal Learning 2010
- Editor, NC Advocates of Justice, Manual of Complaints, Commercial Litigation Section, 2009 – 2010
Selections
- Super Lawyers: 2014 - 2018, 2024 - 2025
