NCVLI’s Legal Advocacy Award recognizes crime victims’ rights attorneys who have dedicated and committed their time to representing victims of crime in the criminal justice system.

Erin K. Olson specializes in the representation of victims of child sexual abuse and elder abuse in both civil and criminal courts.  She has litigated dozens of child sexual abuse cases against individuals, private secular organizations, and governmental entities.  She has litigated numerous elder abuse cases in state and federal courts as well.  She often represents her civil clients’ interests in the criminal prosecutions of their abusers, and occasionally is called upon to represent victims and witnesses in criminal cases when their constitutional or statutory rights are not being honored.

Ms. Olson spent the first ten years of her legal career as a prosecutor, working for the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office, the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon, and the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office.

She is a co-founder and board member of the Oregon Crime Victims Law Center, and is the President-Elect of the National Crime Victim Bar Association.

Ms. Olson was raised in Madras, Oregon, and has a BA from Stanford University, an M.S. in Criminal Justice from Northeastern University, and a JD from the University of Connecticut.

Past Recipients: