Ronald L. Olson

Olson led the team representing the independent directors on the DreamWorks Animation LLC board in the company's $3.8 billion acquisition by NBCUniversal Inc. The deal was announced in April and formally closed in late August. DreamWorks will become part of the Universal Filmed Entertainment Group, which includes Universal Pictures and Fandango Media LLC.

"We were deeply engaged in the ultimate deal," said the Munger Tolles name partner. "I'm happy; the client is happy."

It was hardly Olson's first show biz venture. "I've been connected to Hollywood for most of my career," he said, recalling that in one of his first cases at the firm then known as Munger, Tolles, Hills & Rickershauser he challenged the federal government and the Nixon administration on free speech grounds to reverse television's "Family Viewing Hour" policies, established in 1975 to require networks to air only non-controversial family-friendly programming each evening during the first hour of the primetime lineup.

"I represented prominent TV writers and producers with the support of the studios in suing the three networks" that had agreed to honor the policy at the request of the Federal Communications Commission, Olson said. Among the shows that suffered by being moved to a later hour were producer Larry Gelbart's "M*A*S*H" and Norman Lear's "All In The Family," a top-rated show featuring the bigoted Archie Bunker character. Lear became a lead plaintiff alongside guilds representing writers, directors and screen actors. "Lear broke into real issues on TV," Olson said. "Of course, they were tame in comparison to anything shown today. I got to know Norman and got connected to the studios." That included his longstanding link to the outfit that, fused with one of the defendant networks, figured in this summer's mega-transaction after having become NBCUniversal. In 1976, then-U.S. District Judge Warren J. Ferguson of Los Angeles voided the policy. Writers Guild of America West Inc. v. FCC, 423 F.Supp. 1064 (C.D. Cal., Nov. 4, 1976).

"So Hollywood is not a new thing for me," Olson said. "But I'm not in that world. I get all the invitations to premieres and parties, but I very seldom go."

Recognizing his history of public service, Olson's name this year is going on the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles' new headquarters, to be known as the Ron Olson Justice Center. Groundbreaking for the structure took place in January and construction recently started. Olson served as LAFLA board president from 1984 to 1985. In 1992, he was presented with its Maynard Toll Award for Distinguished Public Service. "It's a great honor," Olson said. "They promised me the name wouldn't be put on with Velcro. I'll check it out before I sign off."

— John Roemer