Jim Olson has nearly 40 years of experience as an environmental, water, and public interest law advocate and champion, dedicated to protecting waters and ecosystems in the Great Lakes Basin. Jim currently contributes to For Love of Water’s legal and policy work, including policy analyses, law review articles, comments, reports, and other publications. He has lectured at every major university in Michigan, authored dozens of articles on the public trust, and litigated many relevant cases. He’s also the author of several books, the latest of which is called “People of the Dune.”

Jim is a graduate of Michigan State College of Law (Detroit College of Law) and has an L.L.M. Degree in public lands, natural resources, and environmental law from the University of Michigan Law School. He received the Champion of Justice Award from the Michigan Bar Association in 2010, and was named a Michigan Lawyer of the Year in 1998 for his work on environmental and water citizen suit laws.