Founders of the firm, Scott B. Cloud and Christopher T. Olsen, attended law school together, where they served as moot court teammates in advocacy competitions throughout the country. Following law school, they each worked for prominent downtown Los Angeles law firms representing clients in various forms of litigation. In 1997, the two joined forces to launch the Law Offices of Cloud & Olsen. In their careers, Mr. Cloud and Mr. Olsen have worked on such high profile cases as the O. J. Simpson civil trial and the Lockheed Stealth Bomber "Skunk Works" litigation.


PRINCIPAL AREAS OF PRACTICE



Products Liability
We represent manufacturers, distributors and retailers in actions involving allegations of defective design, defective manufacture and breach of warranty. We have extensive experience in cases involving various types of products and are an acknowledged leader in the handling of elevator and escalator cases. Over the past ten years, we have represented international and domestic companies in hundreds of product defect and negligent maintenance actions.

Premises Liability
We defend various national retailers, property owners and managers against claims of false imprisonment, assault, "slip and fall" and all other imaginable types of general liability claims against owners or occupiers of commercial property.

Commercial Disputes
We also defend and pursue breach of contract and business tort claims on behalf of many of our clients. These disputes often involve complex factual and legal issues arising out of contracts based in high technology.

Construction Defect Litigation
We are skilled in defending developers, general contractors and subcontractors in actions arising out of construction defect claims, including alleged structural and architectural deficiencies. We also defend against personal injury and property damage claims arising out of construction projects.

Suspect Claims
The defense of suspect and fraudulently staged accident claims is also a specialty of Cloud & Olsen. Our experience in this area allows us to quickly identify those incidents and/or alleged injuries which merit special attention. We aggressively defend such cases, which frequently results in dismissal of the fraudulent claim well before trial.

Charitable Work
Cloud & Olsen sets aside a portion of its practice to perform pro bono work for charitable organizations. These activities include the drafting of documents necessary to establish and maintain nonprofit organizations, as well as fund-raising endeavors.