“Don’s ability to see where business needs intersect with legal compliance is well worth taking into your future and he can help cut the cord to the past,” is how one client recently described corporate lawyer Donald J. Rassiger. Having worked in operations and production, as well as having served as Chief Legal Officer of four companies, Don understands how management thinks—a perspective he brings to all matters he handles. His understanding of the difference between business risk and legal risk enables him to find creative solutions that achieve his clients’ desired results while complying with applicable laws, minimizing risk, and saving clients time and money.
Don handles a wide range of corporate matters and transactions, with a particular focus on the construction industry. Chair of our Construction practice group, Don has represented clients on all sides of the table including owners, developers, general contractors, subcontractors, engineers, architects, construction managers, and program managers. In the past five years alone, he has negotiated well over $200 million in construction claims and change orders. In addition, Don routinely assists clients with the Minority and Women-Owned Business (MWBE) certification process with state and local agencies and municipalities.
Through his in-house roles, Don has significant experience in the insurance, bonds, corporate safety and risk management arenas, where he has handled day-to-day management of claims, incident investigation and reporting, policy and procedure, OSHA training, inspections, and compliance, and the drafting, administration, and implementation of environmental health and safety plans. His practice also includes the development of programs for employee background checks, drug and alcohol testing, and fitness for duty programs, whether for onboarding, periodic testing, or post-accident investigations.
Don’s clients also benefit from his strong background in union negotiating: he has negotiated countless collective bargaining agreements and memoranda of understanding with union representatives. His work also includes the defense of employers in labor grievances and arbitrations, as well as the drafting and negotiation of project labor agreements for large construction projects in New York City and Long Island.
Don also serves as the Managing Attorney of the firm’s Corporate department, drawing on his significant experience drafting and negotiating business deals, transactions, and contracts including financing transactions, teaming arrangements, joint ventures, insurance placement, IT matters, bank loans, and construction claims. In addition, he has successfully closed over $1.5 billion in M&A deals (both acquisitions and divestitures) and strategic investments.
Earlier in his career, Don handled corporate finance matters and commercial transactions for KeySpan (now National Grid), including the lease financing of a 250 Megawatt electric generating station in New York City. Prior to joining CMM, Don served as Senior Vice President and General Counsel of Elecnor Hawkeye, LLC, part of a worldwide conglomerate providing engineering, development, and construction of projects relating to utility infrastructure, new technologies, and renewable energy.
Education
College of the Holy Cross, B.A.
Fordham University School of Law, J.D.
Admissions
New York
New Jersey
United States District Court, District of New Jersey
Boards, Associations, and Leadership
Board of Directors, Joe Namath Celebrity Golf Classic, March of Dimes
President, Executive Board (2012-present), Tournament Director (2014-2016), Crab Meadow Men’s Club
Chair, Long Island Builders Institute (LIBI) Awards Committee
Past Board of Directors, National Electrical Contractors Association – Northeast Lines Chapter
Recognitions
Super Lawyers (2019-2024)
Leadership in Law Award, Long Island Business News
