The Baldy Center for Law and Social Policy’s need for a state-of-the-art conference center was the driving force behind the renovation of the faculty lounge on the fifth floor of O’Brian Hall, Olsen said. The interdisciplinary Baldy Center contributed some funding, along with generous alumni. The new spaces included a seminar room and a space where alumni can hold receptions.

Olsen said the opportunity to direct the law school’s Clinical Education Program is the reason he came to UB. Previously, he was a clinical fellow at the University of Chicago Law School. At UB, he was hired on the tenure track teaching traditional law courses as well as experiential ones: “It’s the best of both possible worlds.”

He was vice dean for academic affairs under Dean Barry Boyer when the New Curriculum was implemented. He helped develop changes that better prepared students for practice from day one. This included 12-week sessions and four-week practical bridge courses taught by practitioners and judges. He also advocated within the university for reducing the enrollment of the law school, as firms were hiring fewer lawyers, spending less time mentoring them, and alumni were disgruntled by the substantial number of law graduates.

As dean, Olsen had significant practice experience, knew alumni, and valued alumni engagement and development, which supported and enhanced the law school’s capital improvements. A mentoring program was implemented for 1Ls. He enjoyed working collaboratively with adult law students. Western New York students who wanted to work in New York City could take advantage of the New York City Program in Finance and Law, directed by Professor Philip Halpern, who brought law students to the city for a semester to work with law firms on actual cases, taught by our New York City alumni and UB Law professors.

Because of bad publicity for the profession, the recession and other negative factors, fewer people wanted to attend law school, and the quality and number of applicants nationwide declined. UB law school was finally permitted to reduce the number of admitted students, and the school’s enrollment dropped from 750 to 600. Olsen preferred non-traditional students, “as they make better law students, are more interesting and are more dedicated.”

Olsen remains deeply engaged with New York State Environmental Justice, Lewiston hazardous waste, Manhattan Project radioactive waste and the Modern Disposal hazardous landfill. He is mostly focused on two areas: federal habeas corpus and environmental policy. He said we have good federal judges, and supported the courthouse being named for Judge John Curtin.

“It’s a unique area for this clinical practice,” he said.