Olivia Sohmer began her legal career by clerking for a Magistrate Judge in the Southern District. Three years as a litigation associate at Willkie Farr & Gallagher provided a solid introduction to practice, but she soon realized that she was most fulfilled in the courtroom and doing public service.

In 20 years as an Assistant District Attorney under Manhattan DA Robert M. Morgenthau, Olivia served in the Career Criminal Program, the Labor Racketeering Unit, the Family Violence and Child Abuse Bureau, and the Appeals Bureau. At Children’s Rights, Inc., she conducted field research and drafted pleadings for a civil rights class action on behalf of foster children in Texas. Olivia has served pro bono as a Court Appointed Special Advocate for youth in foster care in the Bronx.

Starting in 2014, she worked as a court attorney in Kings County Criminal Court and Supreme Court, Criminal Term, and then in Richmond County Criminal Court, enjoying the commute on the Staten Island Ferry as the court navigated protocols for virtual and hybrid proceedings during the pandemic. When the NYC Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings (OATH) established its Special Education Hearings Division in 2022, Olivia was among the first group of Impartial Hearing Officers, adjudicating disputes between parents and the NYC Department of Education. She retired from
that position in 2025.

Olivia joined the NYWBA in 2009. She has served as a Director on the NYWBA Board since 2022. Olivia is a Co-Chair of the Newsletter Committee, a position she has held since the summer of 2021. She was appointed as a Co-Chair of the Judiciary Committee in 2025. She previously served as a Co-Chair of the Criminal Law Committee from 2017-2022.

In addition to her involvement with the NYWBA, Olivia enjoys traveling and performing. Since returning to her native New York City after law school, she has always been a member of some choral ensemble or other. She is particularly proud of her long association with the Blue Hill Troupe, a 102-year-old volunteer theatrical organization that raises money for charity through fully staged productions of Gilbert & Sullivan operettas and musical theater. She is also a member of the Yiddish Philharmonic Chorus.
Olivia received her B.A. from Queens College, CUNY, summa cum laude. She received her J.D. from the Yale Law School, where she was Co-President of the Barristers’ Union mock trial program, and active in the Law Revue performances.

Since retiring from full-time practice, Olivia continues to write, edit, and proofread for volunteer organizations and for private clients, and she has joined the ranks of Lawyers for the Rule of Law. She maintains her license to practice law in
New York State.

Olivia lives in Brooklyn with her husband of 33 years (whom she met singing) and two cats. Her two sons have embarked on their lives as young adults.

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