Although he has not regularly practiced law for over fifteen years, Jeff Kaufman remains an integral part of the firm. During his law school years, Jeff was a law clerk. He was hired as an associate immediately out of law school in May 1982 and was made a partner in 1988. In 1986, Jeff was profiled as one of "a dozen lawyers who do justice to the profession" by the then-Milwaukee Journal. He published numerous articles and presented various seminars on aspects of criminal law and the interrelationship of criminal and civil law for various professional organizations, including the Milwaukee Bar Association. He had a thriving law practice, the respect of the courts and his peers and a combination of skills and compassion which served his clients' emotional needs as well as their legal problems.

In late 1989, Jeff was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, more commonly known as ALS or Lou Gehrig's Disease. ALS is a neuromuscular disease which robs a patient's ability to control his or her muscles but does not affect brain function. In essence, the patient is trapped in his or her own body. ALS first generally exhibits itself in the extremities and eventually robs its victims of their ability to control all voluntary and involuntary muscle function.

Although the disease prevented him from practicing as a trial lawyer, Jeff continued his law practice, first at his office and then at a home office, until his ability to speak clearly forced him to leave the daily practice of law. By that time, Jeff and his wife Jan had found a new project--the local chapter of the ALS Association. When they joined the Chapter in 1990, it was a small group of dedicated volunteers who raised some money primarily through fun runs and bowling tournaments, along with a "Lou Gehrig's Night" at the old County Stadium. With the same insight and determination he applied to his law practice, Jeff brought great changes to the Chapter.

Jeff joined the Chapter's Board of Directors in 1991 and immediately employed the skills he developed as a lawyer to benefit the Chapter. He garnered the support not only of his Gimbel, Reilly, Guerin & Brown colleagues, but also many other members of the legal community, including several judges. He negotiated license rights to use Lou Gehrig's name and likeness, as well as contracts, leases and other legal documents. He insisted that the Chapter focus on major fundraising events and target corporate Milwaukee and the legal community for sponsorship, support and donations.

While Jeff would be the first to say that he did nothing on his own, he has inspired family, friends, colleagues and even complete strangers to join the ALS cause. In January 1993, the Chapter sponsored its first annual Evening of Hope black tie dinner dance/silent auction, which netted $60,000. Under Jeff's direction, the Evening of Hope has become one of Milwaukee's premiere fundraisers, and has featured celebrity speakers including actor Christopher Reeve, tuesdays With Morrie author Mitch Albom and Wisconsin Badgers football coach Barry Alvarez. The 2008 Evening of Hope netted over $250,000.

Jeff's message also has attracted the attention of Hollywood. In 1995, Jeff wrote an essay in which he compared his ALS "prison sentence" to that of Tim Robbins' character, imprisoned for a crime he did not commit, in the film The Shawshank Redemption. That essay was published in Newsweek magazine and was seen by author Steven King, who wrote the story upon which the film was based. King called his friend Frank Darabont, who wrote the screenplay for and directed the film, and told him about the article. Soon thereafter, Darabont contacted Jeff, and the two began a regular correspondence. Their relationship led Darabont to attend the 1996 Evening of Hope and, more important, Darabont has become dedicated to assisting the Chapter's research efforts. He has donated auction items for every Evening of Hope. In addition, in 1999 he convinced the producers of his newest film, The Green Mile, to allow the Chapter to present a Milwaukee film premiere in December 1999, and to donate $25,000 from the Los Angeles premiere to ALS research.

Jeff Kaufman has been in "end-stage" ALS for several years, breathing with the aid of a ventilator and relegated to a wheelchair. Nonetheless, he has taken a devastating diagnosis and used his unique skills to spread the message of hope to ALS patients and their families. It is that hope and the desire to see his children grow up that keeps him going. As Tim Robbins' character stated in Shawshank: "You can get busy living or you can get busy dying." Jeff Kaufman is busy living.