Lance Olson is the founder and managing partner of Olson, Hagel, Waters & Fishburn, LLP, one of a handful of "political" law firms in Sacramento. Closely identified with Democratic causes, he is general counsel to the California Democratic Party and campaign counsel to the Speaker of the Assembly and President pro Tem of the Senate. His firm provides advice and litigation services for a broad range of clients, including elected officials, political candidates, political action committees, lobbyists, government agencies, ballot measure committees and major donors.

Olson knew he wanted to be a lawyer since his freshman year in high school. He graduated from California State University, Sacramento, where he also spent a year at its School of Government taking graduate courses. He then started law school at McGeorge School of Law. On the first day of school, he sat next to Lloyd Connelly. They immediately hit it off, formed a study group and made up their minds to form a law firm when they graduated. Connelly, a former City Council and Assembly member and now a Superior Court Judge jokes, "When we decided to open our law firm, the only question was whether I would pass the bar. Everybody knew that Lance would have no problem."

In 1977, Olson and Connelly hung out their shingle. It was a humble beginning, Connelly recalled. "We had about $400 in assets, used kitchen chairs for furniture and relied upon part-time secretarial help." Olson said that in the first five years of the practice, he took on anything that walked in the door, from criminal cases to divorces. He and Connelly also handled disability cases, since both had worked on disability cases in a clinical program at McGeorge.

In 1982, when Connelly was elected to the Assembly, Olson decided to focus his practice on political law. He had become familiar with the Fair Political Practices Act while working for a legislative consulting firm during law school. He also had practical experience-he worked on Connelly's campaigns and he and Connelly ran a side business of political consulting in which Olson handled the necessary paperwork and filing for the candidates. "When I decided to shift to taking only political work, the firm was doing well. It took a few years and a temporary dip in revenues to complete the transition," Olson said.

At first, the re-focused firm handled mostly campaign finance issues for candidates. Olson has become a recognized expert in this highly technical field. "Olson is careful, knowledgeable and very competent. He has as much experience as anybody in the state of California in how the Political Reform Act is supposed to work" said Steve Coony, Attorney General Lockyer's Chief Deputy for Administration and Policy.

Olson has seen the field of political law grow beyond campaign finance reporting. He notes that while reporting issues comprised most of the firm's business in the 1980's, the 1990's saw an expansion into litigation and counseling involving ballot measures, election disputes and ethics and conflict of interest issues. "One of the reasons this is such an exciting field is that there are always new issues and many of them involve complicated questions of constitutional law."

One of those issues offered the firm its biggest win. Olson's partner, and friend since junior high, George Waters, successfully argued the case of California Democratic Party v. Jones before the United States Supreme Court. In a 7-2 decision, the Supreme Court ruled that California's blanket primary system is unconstitutional. Although he did not personally argue the case, Olson says that sitting at counsel table in the Supreme Court chambers was one of the most memorable moments of his career.

Olson is the co-founder and past president of the California Political Attorney's Association. He has also served on government boards and commissions, including Sacramento County's Civil Service and Parks and Recreation Commissions and the Senate' fourteen member Bipartisan Commission on the Political Reform Act. Although specializing in political law, his firm continues to handle disability and social security cases.

Connelly sums up the general feeling among those who know the low-key Olson: "He is smart, exacting and has a superb legal mind." -- good credentials to qualify Olson as one of the most influential political lawyers in town.