Shelley Rossoff Olsen, Esq., a JAMS panelist since 2011, has mediated thousands of disputes in a wide variety of practice areas. She is highly regarded for her work in the business/commercial, professional liability/medical malpractice, maritime/admiralty, labor law, personal injury, and insurance realms, and is widely respected by defendant and plaintiff bars for her legal acumen, ability to grasp sophisticated issues with ease, and persistent and fair approach to resolving disputes. 

She is a highly sought-after panelist who, in addition to her active mediation practice, was appointed as Special Master of the New York City Asbestos Litigation, from 2013 to 2022. In her role as Special Master, she coordinated thousands of asbestos related cases for discovery and trial.

Ms. Olsen developed her extensive civil law background by representing both plaintiffs and defendants as a former litigator at three prominent New York City law firms where she tried complex medical malpractice, labor law, lead poisoning, premises liability, and personal injury cases. She settled thousands of matters involving a wide range of issues as the Senior Court Mediator and Summary Jury Trial Judge in the Supreme Court, New York County, Civil Division from 2005-2009. Before then, Ms. Olsen served as a Principal Court Attorney in the Supreme Court, Appellate Division, First Department for a period of five years.

Representative Matters

• Business Commercial

Settled numerous business disputes in the financial, entertainment, banking, and technology industries including:

• Art counterfeiting
• Broker-dealer and stock and bond disputes
• Commercial contracts
• Entertainment licensing
• ERISA
• Partnership dissolutions
• Valuation of assets
• Construction/Labor Law
• Court Attorney at First Department during evolution of ladder law cases resulting in the Blake v. Neighborhood Hous. Serv. of N.Y.C., Inc. decision
• Labor Law sec. 240(1) and 241(6) cases
• Settled thousands of Labor Law matters
• Insurance

Resolved hundreds of cases involving coverage issues including:

• Anti-subrogation
• Coinsurance
• D&O liability
• Disaster insurance
• Primacy of coverage
• Valuation and property damage
• Maritime Admiralty

Negotiated numerous settlements involving injuries aboard sea vessels including:

• Catastrophic injury
• Jones Act
• Failure to maintain a safe work environment
• Wrongful death
• Personal Injury

Settled all types of personal injury actions including:

• Catastrophic injury claims including brain-damaged infants, elevator and crane malfunction injuries, quadriplegia, electrocution, amputation, and disfigurement
• Product liability including medical devices, commercial equipment, automotive, and design defect
• Toxic tort including claims involving asbestos, mold, lead, and radiation
• Wrongful death including subway track accidents and nursing home cases
• Professional Liability

Tried and settled numerous medical, legal, accountant, and architect malpractice matters including:

• Comingling of funds
• Fee disputes
• Professional misconduct
• Labor & delivery, surgical, diagnostic, informed consent, and emergency department liability

Honors, Memberships, and Professional Activities

• Completed Virtual ADR training conducted by the JAMS Institute, the training arm of JAMS
• 1of 10 of Top Ten Mediators in New York State, New York Law Journal, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017
• 1 of 10 of Top Ten Arbitrators in New York State, New York Law Journal, 2023
• Master Mediator Interviewee, “Annoy the Mediator at Your Own Risk: Negotiation Tactics and Missteps to Avoid, Part 2,” 2021
• Master Mediator Interviewee, “Annoy the Mediator at Your Own Risk: Negotiation Tactics and Missteps to Avoid,” 2021
• Master Mediator Interviewee, “Bedrooms, Bookcases or Beaches: Choosing and Organizing Your Background with Purpose,” 2020
• Master Mediator Interviewee, “Polo Shirts, Power Ties and Pant Suits: Strategic Clothing Choices for Virtual Mediations,” 2020
• Master Mediator Interviewee, “From Eye-Rolls to Grimaces: Understanding Body Language in Virtual Mediations,” 2020
• Master Mediator Interviewee, "Zeroing in on Zoom: What Good Mediators Really Think About Virtual Platforms,” 2020
• Speaker, "Mock Mediation: Early Resolution of Claims," The Association for Healthcare Risk Management of New York Inc., 2017
• Speaker, "2016 Annual Update: Precedents and Statutes for Personal Injury Litigators," New York State Academy of Trial Lawyers, 2016
• Speaker, “Litigating Asbestos Cases in Today’s Environment,” Perrin Conferences LLC, 2015
• Speaker, "How Mediators Think," New York Law School's Alternative Dispute Resolution Skills Program, 2015
• Moderator, "Effective Mediation Advocacy Techniques in Complex Personal Injury Cases," JAMS Mediation Week, 2015
• Panelist, "Recognition of American Bar Association Mediation Week," New York University Law School's Mediation Organization (NMO), 2015
• 1of 10 of Top Ten Mediators in New York State, New York Law Journal, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017
• Appointed Special Master of the New York City Asbestos Litigation, 2013-2022
• Tort Advisory Committee Member, Supreme Court, New York County, 2005-present
• Tort Litigation Committee Member, New York City Bar Association, 2005-2015
• Courts of Superior Jurisdiction, New York City Bar Association, 2015-present
• Co-chair, Medical Malpractice Committee, New York City Bar Association, 1995-1999
• Speaker, "Defense Association of New York (DANY) Diversity Initiative," Diversity Project Honoree, New York Law Journal, 2015
• Speaker, "Using Proven and Successful Mediation Strategies To Settle The Difficult Cases" Webinar Program, Defense Association of New York, 2014
• Panelist, "What You Need to Know About ADR" CLE, NYCLA's Bridge the Gap Program, 2014
• Speaker, New York State Gas & Electric Utilities Claims Managers Association, 2011
• Panelist, ”What Defense Attorneys Should Know About How To Settle a Case” CLE Program, Defense Association of New York, 2010
• Panelist, Mediation CLE, New York State Trial Lawyers, 2010
• Panelist, "Mediation: The Better Solution," CLE Program, Rockland County Bar Association, 2010
• Panelist, "Mediation and ADR in the New York Courts," CLE Program, New York Women’s Bar Association, 2010

Background and Education

• Mediator and Arbitrator, full-time practice since 2010
• Summary Jury Trial Judge, Supreme Court, New York County, Civil Division, 2008-2009
• Senior Court Mediator, Supreme Court, New York County, Civil Branch, 2005-2009
• Principal Court Attorney, Supreme Court, Appellate Division, First Department, 2000-2005
• Attorney, Trolman, Glaser & Lichtman, 1996-2000
• Senior Associate, Martin, Clearwater & Bell, 1994-1996
• Senior Attorney, Bower & Gardner, 1987-1994
• Assistant District Attorney, Nassau County, 1984-1987
• J.D., New York Law School, 1981
• B.S., New York University, 1977