Donald L. Abrams, Esq., Chief Legal Officer, Office of Legal Affairs, has overseen legal, regulatory, and compliance matters at CRF since 2000, providing insight and guidance throughout the organization. Don is knowledgeable in areas of the law that include clinical and preclinical research, healthcare, life sciences, labor and employment, and immigration. He also oversees interactions with outside counsel responsible for real estate matters (including tax-exempt bond financing), intellectual property, not-for-profit corporate governance, and international law. Prior to joining CRF, Don managed legal affairs at Columbia Cornell Care, a management services organization responsible for physician contracting and credentialing. Before that, he was a litigator and a regulatory affairs attorney at Empire Blue Cross and Blue Shield, where he served for several years as the in-house attorney with primary responsibility for combatting healthcare insurance fraud. Don has litigated several cases to verdict, including in New York State Supreme Court and the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, arbitrated millions of dollars in healthcare insurance disputes, and negotiated positive outcomes in numerous other matters.