From international lawyer to children’s author

Meet Kyle Olson, an acclaimed international lawyer and author of the recently published Sleep Like a Polar Bear. Originally told as a bedtime story for his twin daughters, the book explores the topic of childhood illness through the lens of sisterly love.

Now settled in his native Chicago, Kyle tells the story of his journey from attorney to author and shares the lessons he learned at Kings - both inside and outside the classroom.

Conversations at King’s

‘My favourite memories at King’s were those philosophical discussions with friends that led straight from the classroom to the pub. I still have fond memories of Tutu’s!

‘I don’t recall many of the specific topics now, but I do know that we were all taking an honest look at the world in efforts to make it better. There was a healthy innocence to it all, driven by a genuine passion for change on a global scale. I’m lucky to say that classmates Tommy Chivers (MA Ethics, 2005) and Seth Singh-Jennings (MA Ethics, 2005) remain two of my best friends to this day.’ 

Life in the law

‘After King’s, I eventually returned to my home city of Chicago to pursue a career as an attorney. King’s helped me remember to bring the “global” into that journey. At law school (Northwestern University), I took as many international law classes as possible.

‘I later became the Managing Editor of Northwestern’s Journal of International Human Rights. From there I went to The Hague and served a few months in the Office of the Prosecutor, one of the international war crimes tribunals. Here I met yet more people from all over the world with inspirational life perspectives to share.

‘During my path from associate to partner, I always kept in mind the values King’s taught me: listening to people, learning from them and asking questions. I’ve taken that perspective all the way through to my current role as an executive in-house attorney at Boeing, and into authoring a children’s book.’

Sleep Like a Polar Bear

‘I have nine–year–old twin daughters, one of whom has Trisomy 9 Mosaic (an exceedingly rare chromosomal abnormality). She endured a three-month hospitalisation in 2022. My wife and I spent countless hours in hospital with her, while parenting our other daughter at home.

‘During that time, I was motivated to write a children’s book for my daughters, in part to process my experience as a dad and in part because I had always been a busy attorney without any time to pause. 

‘I wanted to write a story for them with themes they could understand. These include redemption, empathy, inclusion, resilience, imagination, love, and even humour. I wrote it as a dad but drew on my writing skills I’d gained as a lawyer and creative skills as a long-time casual musician to put it together.

‘My hope with the book is that children like my daughter, their siblings, and their parents and loved ones, can take solace in knowing that hardships they may have to suffer will not be faced alone. The book is a fun story intended to offer hope and joy to those looking for it.’