People often ask me how I got started in radio. Surely, they say, you must have studied radio in college. I never set out deliberately to start my own radio show. It was just an opportunity that came knocking.

It all began in 1986 when my mother told me about the "At Your Service" radio show on 740 WKIS. She suggested I call the host, Lynn Levine, and offer to be a legal guest on her show. I did and it went well. Soon Lynn was booking me as her guest several times a month. The program director at WKIS liked what he heard and, within six months, gave me my own show. I labored over what to call it, seeking input from family and friends, before selecting "Olsen on Law." In 1994, the show moved from 740 WKIS to 580 WDBO.

At first the show's format included interviewing expert guests on particular areas of law. In 1989, my program director insisted that I do the show myself. In fact, he made that declaration in front of that day's guest. To go into the studio all by myself without any guest to talk to was a scary proposition. However, it turned out fine and, in the end, made the show better. After all, I'll be the first to admit that two lawyers talking to each other about the law can be very boring. Ever since then I have stuck with the question and answer format. Part of the reason for the show's success is what I call the "Dear Abby" phenomenon. I think people like to hear what other people's problems are and what a potential solution to the problem might be.

With a call-in format, just about anything can, and does happen. One of the funniest incidents was a lady caller with a real estate question. She had closed on a piece of property six weeks ago. Yet she still had not received the recorded deed, she explained. What should she do? I gave her my expert opinion that she should call the closing agent right away and ask why she hadn't gotten the deed. She immediately came back with, "Tom, you were my closing agent!" Then, just recently, a lady called about a dispute over a cat. She had given the cat to an acquaintance with the stipulation that she could take the animal back if she wasn't satisfied with conditions in this woman's home. As she hadn't been satisfied, she wanted to know if she could get the cat back legally. I told her "yes," explained why, and didn't think much more about it. Later in the show, I got a call from the lady who had the cat! She wanted to tell me her side of the story. This was a first for "Olsen on Law." I had never had both sides of an listening and calling into my show.