Jim AbramsFormer California Hotel & Lodging Association (CH&LA) President and CEO, James O. Abrams, has joined the internationally recognized Global Hospitality Group® of Jeffer Mangels Butler & Marmaro LLP (JMBM). He will dedicate his practice to hospitality law on a wide variety of legal, governmental and operational issues. From January 1991 through December 31, 2008, Abrams was President and CEO of the CH&LA. Prior to that, he was engaged in the private practice of law in San Francisco for 20 years, and was legal counsel to the Association for much of that time. Abrams has represented many owners and operators of hotels and other lodging establishments in a wide range of issues. He is the author of the book Laws Pertaining to the California Innkeeper (3rd rev. ed., 2002), which is published by the CH&LA, and is a frequent speaker and writer on all aspects of the law relating to the lodging industry. In his capacity as President & CEO of CH&LA, Abrams was responsible for, among many other things, management of the Association’s legislative and regulatory affairs programs.