February 12, 2008 - In recognition of its 40th anniversary, Michigan-based Jaffe Raitt Heuer & Weiss announced today that the Firm has pledged 40 hours of community and pro bono legal service for each of its 200 attorneys and staff members in 2008.  Jaffe CEO Richard Zussman made the announcement.

"In creating this program, our goal was to do something that would turn the traditional anniversary party inside-out," said Zussman.  " This is not about black ties, new logos or tag lines. It is about our Firm giving back, in a very substantive and meaningful way, to the greater community which has been our home since 1968.  Although our attorneys and staff members are already very active in their own charitable activities, this approach allows us to participate on select projects as a team, similar to our approach to the practice of law.  Working together we can have a greater impact than if each of us were to work on our own."

"The task at hand is enormous.  We have less than 11 months to deploy more than 8,000 hours of time and fulfill our 40 for the 40th pledge,"  said Zussman.  "It is definitely a challenge, but one we are fully prepared to meet."

Jaffe's 40 for the 40th initiatives will include programs focused on the homeless, mentoring, tutoring, children's organizations, health and wellness.

Coordinating 200 people and 8,000 hours of volunteer work is no small feet.  In an effort to pull it all together, Jaffe's IT Department has created a dedicated and highly-sophisticated intranet site.  " This site is our internal command center," said Zussman.  "It coordinates.  It communicates.  And most of all, it celebrates."

Jaffe's 40 for the 40th campaign kicked off on February 12th.