James Olmsted

About James Olmsted

James Olmsted is a retired attorney based in Eugene, Oregon, widely recognized for his extensive experience in conservation easement law, land use, zoning, and complex real estate transactions. From 2006 through 2012, he represented land trusts, private landowners, and developers in high-level conservation and development matters as the founder and supervising attorney of OlmstedLAW (formerly Conservation & Preservation Counsel, LLC).

In addition to his distinguished legal career, in 2021 James Olmsted became the co-founder and president of Democracy4All (D4A), a nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting democratic institutions, defending social safety nets, combating climate change, and conserving natural lands. Through D4A, he engages in public policy education, produces informational media, and contributes to ongoing civic dialogue on issues affecting American democracy.

James Olmsted earned his Juris Doctor (J.D.) from the University of California, Davis School of Law in 1987. During law school, he externed for Judge Edward C. Reed, Jr. of the United States District Court for the District of Nevada and later served as judicial clerk to Justice Charles E. Springer of the Nevada Supreme Court (1987–1989). He subsequently served as Staff Attorney to the Supreme Court of Nevada (1999–2000) and practiced law in Washington, California, Nevada, and Oregon.

Throughout his career, James Olmsted was admitted to practice before the state courts of California, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington, as well as the United States District Courts for Nevada and Oregon and the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. He voluntarily resigned from the California and Washington state bars and remains an inactive member in good standing with the Nevada and Oregon State Bar associations.

James Olmsted is a published author whose scholarship has appeared in leading journals including the Duke Journal of Law & Contemporary Problems (2011), the Boston College Environmental Affairs Law Review (2011), Environmental Law Reporter (2009), Tulane Environmental Law Journal (2008), St. John’s Journal of Legal Commentary (2008), the Journal of Environmental Law & Litigation (2004, 2008), and the Journal of Land, Resources & Environmental Law (2009). His work addresses conservation easement doctrine, climate change adaptation, perpetuity, biodiversity protection, and evolving land preservation strategies.

His deep understanding of conservation law made him a sought-after speaker, delivering presentations at national conferences including the Land Trust Alliance National Rally and environmental law conferences across the nation.

James Olmsted is retired from the active practice of law.

​

The Olmsted Family Legacy

James Olmsted is a direct descendant of James Olmsted, who emigrated from England in 1632 aboard The Lyon and became one of the founders of Hartford, Connecticut. For nearly four centuries, the Olmsted family has been part of American civic, legal, and cultural life, including figures such as Revolutionary War litigant Gideon Olmsted and landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted, designer of New York’s Central Park and many of the nation’s most enduring public landscapes.

​

The history of the Olmsted family is chronicled in The Olmsted Family in America (1632–1912) and related archival sources. That long tradition of public service and land stewardship forms a historical backdrop to James Olmsted’s own work in conservation law, environmental advocacy, and, today, protecting democracy and democratic institutions.