Arden J. Olson handles matters involving health law, insurance law, legal ethics, and complex litigation, including coverage matters, bad faith claims and regulatory matters. He formerly practiced antitrust, securities, ERISA, and commercial litigation in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and as a commercial litigator in Seattle, Washington. Arden served as Assistant Attorney General in the Special Litigation Unit and Attorney-in-Charge of the Industrial Accident Section of the Oregon Department of Justice. He was handling complex litigation for the Department of Justice when, in 1989, he became General Counsel and Legal Division Director to SAIF Corporation. Arden served as General Counsel to a regional health maintenance organization from 1993 through 1997.
Memberships/Affiliations
Arden is an active member of the Oregon, California and Washington State bars, and has served in a variety of bar roles. He is a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation, and a member of the Association of Professional Responsibility Lawyers, the American Law Institute, the American Health Lawyers Association, the American Judicature Society, the American and Federal Bar Associations and the Lane County Bar Association. Arden currently serves as a member of the American Bar Association’s Standing Committee on Professionalism, and he recently completed a term on the ABA Standing Committee on Ethics & Professional Responsibility. He is admitted to the Supreme Court of the United States, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third and Ninth Circuits, the United States Tax Court, and to U.S. District Courts in Oregon, Washington, and Pennsylvania. He has received an AV® rating by the Martindale-Hubbell National Law Directory. Arden has been selected for inclusion in Super Lawyers® in 2006 and 2009-2012.
Education
Arden is a 1978 graduate of the University of Washington School of Law, J.D. Order of the Coif. During his studies, he served as Executive Editor of the Washington Law Review and was a recipient of the Vivian Carkeek Prize. He also holds a B.A. in Philosophy,summa cum laude, from Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma and completed the Executive Education for Corporate Counsel Program at Duke University Fuqua School of Business in Durham, North Carolina.
Publications
- “Is Some Behavior Ethical But Improper?” Oregon State Bar Bulletin, p. 29-33 (February/March 2013)
- “Insurance Counsel Conflict of Interest”, Oregon State Bar Bulletin, p. 36-41 (September/October 2008)
- “Health Initiatives Would Breed Uncertainty,” Oregon Health Law, p. 7 (October 1996)
- “ABA Commission Proposes New Rules of Professional Conduct,” Washington State Bar News, p. 43 (May 1980)
- “American Bar Association Young Lawyers Division,” The Lawyer’s Conscience (July 30, 1980) co-author Christopher L. Otorowski
- Comment “Parol Evidence in Washington: The Use of Extrinsic Evidence to Address the Integration and Interpretation of Writings,”52 Washington Law Review 923 (1977)
Presentations
- “Best Practices for Giving Ethics Advice,” 37th ABA National Conference on Professional Responsibility, Memphis, TN (June 4, 2011)
- “‘Confidential’ Client Information: When are Secrets Not Secret?,” ALI-ABA Live Telephone Seminar/Audio Webcast, Ethics and Professionalism Series (April 14, 2011)
- “Ethical Traps for Tax Attorneys,” Oregon State Bar Tax Section (November 17, 2010)
- “Ethics Challenges for Business Lawyers,” PLI 41st Annual Institute on Securities Regulation (November 6, 2009)
- “Coverage Counsel: The Forgotten lawyer in Cumis,” ABA Tort Trial & Insurance Practice Section 2007, ABA Annual Meeting (August 11, 2007)
