Olson Grimsley Kawanabe Hinchcliff & Murray LLC Launches as Exciting New Impact Litigation Firm

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Firm to be known as Olson Grimsley. National boutique to be led by five trial lawyers with more than 100 years of combined expertise

September 5, 2023, Denver, CO: Leading trial attorneys Eric Olson, Sean Grimsley, Kenzo Kawanabe, Abigail Hinchcliff, and Jason Murray announced today the launch of their law firm, Olson Grimsley Kawanabe Hinchcliff & Murray LLC, known as Olson Grimsley.

Olson Grimsley is led by five trial lawyers with more than 100 years of experience handling cases in both private and public practice, and who have clerked at the highest level. Three lawyers clerked for the United States Supreme Court and three are Fellows in the American College of Trial Lawyers. They have recovered over two billion dollars for clients on the plaintiffs’ side and saved billions for clients on the defense side. The firm’s leadership includes: Eric Olson, former Solicitor General of Colorado; Sean Grimsley, a former public defender and long-time trial lawyer at Bartlit Beck; Kenzo Kawanabe, a leading trial lawyer and former partner at a venerable, 100-year-old Denver firm; Abigail Hinchcliff, the former First Assistant Attorney General leading the Colorado Attorney General’s consumer fraud enforcement; and Jason Murray, a former partner at Bartlit Beck with extensive experience in high-stakes litigation.

“We founded our firm on our unwavering commitment to advancing the public interest through important and groundbreaking cases. That commitment drives our work, and we couldn’t be more eager to hit the ground running,” said Eric Olson.  

Sean Grimsley added, “There has never been a more important time for this firm to come together. I’m proud to work alongside a team with the expertise and enthusiasm to take on the biggest issues our nation faces. Our experience in both private and public practice has uniquely prepared us to stand up for the underdog in the courtroom.”

Eric Olson

Eric most recently served as the Solicitor General of Colorado, where he was lead counsel on five merits cases at the U.S. Supreme Court, most recently arguing 303 Creative defending civil rights laws. He led investigations of the Aurora Police and Fire Departments after the killing of Elijah McClain that resulted in one of the first state consent decrees in the country, and of the Catholic Church for child sex abuse. Eric also designed and executed strategy for negotiations with McKinsey that led to a $573 million, 49-state settlement for its opioid work and a separate deal with local governments across Colorado for a first-in-the-country agreement that brought more than $740 million in opioid settlements to Colorado. Eric previously was a trial lawyer at Bartlit Beck for 16 years where he tried cases to verdict in seven states. He clerked for U.S. Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens, D.C. Circuit Judge Harry Edwards, and chair of the Judicial Panel on Multi-District Litigation, District Court Judge John Heyburn in Kentucky. He is a Fellow in the American College of Trial Lawyers, a Member of the American Law Institute, and the former Board Chair of the Colorado Legal Aid Foundation. Eric graduated from Michigan Law School in 2000, after earning a B.A. in Biology and Environmental Studies from Oberlin College.

Sean Grimsley

Sean brings an unparalleled breadth of legal experience to the firm. In addition to spending 17 years as a trial lawyer at Bartlit Beck, he has been an Assistant Federal Public Defender in Washington, D.C., Deputy Chief Counsel to President Obama’s Commission investigating the BP oil spill, Special Assistant Attorney General for the State of Colorado in its pattern and practice investigation of the Aurora Police and Fire Departments, and most recently General Counsel for two years at Ibotta, Colorado’s first mobile tech unicorn. In his last five years at Bartlit Beck, Sean led the team that secured dismissal of the Grenfell Tower fire victims’ products liability mass action in Philadelphia, tried a nine-figure arbitration claim for a major energy company plaintiff, defended a Fortune 500 company against a $1+ billion antitrust claim in an eight-week jury trial in S.D.N.Y., and readied for trial a major plaintiff-side patent case against a leading telecom company that settled favorably shortly before trial. He clerked for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor and D.C. Circuit Chief Judge Harry T. Edwards. He is also a Fellow in the American College of Trial Lawyers. Sean graduated from Michigan Law School in 2000, after earning B.A.s in Liberal Arts (Plan II) and Biology from the University of Texas.

Kenzo Kawanabe

Kenzo is an expert litigator with significant experience in all types of large, complex cases, with a particular emphasis on intellectual property. Kawanabe was a partner at one of Colorado’s oldest and largest law firms where he served on the Executive Committee and as Pro Bono Partner. His past clients include Fortune 500 companies, technology startups, refugees, and the poorest of school districts. Kenzo’s commitment to pro bono work and community service has always been a cornerstone of his practice. He was the first-ever General Counsel for the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association and has served on numerous boards including Colorado Legal Services, Colorado State University System, and Asian Americans Advancing Justice in D.C.  Kenzo clerked for Chief Justice Mary Mullarkey of the Colorado Supreme Court. Kenzo is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers and the International Society of Barristers, and he teaches at the National Institute for Trial Advocacy. Kenzo graduated from Georgetown University Law Center in 1997, after earning a B.A. in Political Science as a Boettcher Scholar from the University of Colorado at Boulder.

Abigail Hinchliff

Abby is a tireless consumer advocate, serving most recently as the First Assistant Attorney General overseeing enforcement of Colorado’s consumer fraud laws. She supervised and strategically directed matters that resulted in the recovery of over $180 million to Colorado and consumers. While at the Attorney General’s Office, Abby also played key roles on teams supporting high-profile civil rights litigation, including in the U.S. Supreme Court and in federal district courts. Prior to joining the Attorney General’s Office in 2021, Abby was a partner and trial lawyer at Bartlit Beck where she litigated complex commercial disputes. Abby clerked for Judge Raymond Kethledge on the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals and Judge Amul Thapar, then of the Eastern District of Kentucky. She graduated from Yale Law School in 2012, after earning a B.A. in Philosophy and Government from Wesleyan University.

Jason Murray

Jason Murray is a trial lawyer with a long track record of success representing clients in a wide variety of litigation matters, including mass tort, antitrust, commercial contract disputes, intellectual property, and professional malpractice. Before joining Olson Grimsley, Jason was a trial lawyer at Bartlit Beck for 11 years where he was trusted by industry leaders in high-stakes cases. In recent years, Jason has tried a plaintiff-side commercial arbitration which resulted in a total victory and a recovery in excess of $75 million, successfully argued multiple appeals in the U.S. Courts of Appeals, and served as trial counsel in a $1 billion+ antitrust case. His commitment to the public interest is exemplified by his pro bono work, which has included asylum, police brutality, and Eighth Amendment cases. Jason was honored in 2022 and 2023 as one of Lawdragon’s 500 Leading Litigators in America and as a member of Benchmark Litigation’s “40 & Under List.” Jason previously clerked for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan and Judge, now Justice, Neil Gorsuch on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit. He graduated from Harvard Law School in 2011, after earning a B.A. in Government from Harvard University.

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