BARRINGTON J. Renn Olenn, a lawyer admired for his wise counsel, compassion and formidable courtroom presence, died Sunday in Naples, Florida, where he had retired part-time with his wife, Mary.
Olenn, 76, founded the Warwick firm Olenn & Penza LLP in 1975, with his good friend and partner Joseph F. Penza Jr.
Former colleagues and friends remembered Olenn this week as an intellectually curious, laser-focused man who left no stone unturned when it came to advocating for his clients.
“He never mailed it in,” said Superior Court Presiding Justice Alice B. Gibney, who sat for the bar exam with Olenn and Penza and became fast and abiding friends. “He was a tough cookie, but very, very soft spoken.”