In the early days of ALA, many were skeptical about whether an organization dedicated to supporting law firm managers could succeed. The first few chapters were disjointed, members weren’t buying in and the Association even faced hostility from other legal associations.
Enter Jack Kaufman.
Kaufman — a firm administrator in Cleveland, Ohio, at the time — heard about ALA through a mailing and immediately signed up to attend the first-ever ALA meeting, held in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, in 1971. Kaufman, 91, passed away on March 5, but not without leaving a legacy that has shaped the Association we know today.
At that meeting in Fort Lauderdale, Kaufman quickly became the right-hand man for Brad Hildebrandt, ALA’s first President, charged with turning a desire for a community of like-minded professionals into a fully functioning national organization. Of course, a little fun was involved, too. Recalling the first time he met Kaufman — an avid swimmer — Hildebrandt says, “He was sitting by the pool with my wife and his wife, but I was trying to run the meeting, and I went out and said, ‘Jack, you need to come in here and help me.’”
Kaufman and Hildebrandt subsequently embarked on a nationwide mission to get buy-in from existing chapters and inspire new chapters to open in every major city. According to Hildebrandt, Kaufman was able to use his law degree and firm management experience to establish credibility among his fellow administrators despite being younger than 40.
“The best thing I could say about Jack is that everybody respected him and respected his opinions,” Hildebrandt says. “He just had a sense about him that nothing ever excited him too much.” But if he got angry, he would write — pointedly. “He wrote the best letters ever to people who were giving us problems,” says Hildebrandt. “Every time I had a problem, I’d have Jack write the letter.
First as a founding Board member, and then as ALA’s second President from 1975-1977, Kaufman was instrumental in growing the Association’s membership numbers. By the time Kaufman became President, membership had doubled or even tripled what it was four years earlier, according to Hildebrandt.
Kaufman was also part of key debates around who could be considered a member. Initially, the Board of Directors concluded that only those with the title of Administrator could be members; obviously, that definition has since expanded, and Hildebrandt notes that as one of the biggest changes since his and Kaufman’s time at the helm.His influence wasn’t just limited to the international level. “Known for gathering people together to solve issues, he led a group of people interested in managing law firms in Cleveland in 1971. That group later became one of the first chapters of the Association of Legal Administrators,” says current ALA President Geoffrey M. Williams, CLM, MBA, MDiv.
“Jack Kaufman was a pioneer in the legal management profession,” Williams adds. “We are thankful and honor him for his vision, dedication to the success of others and his contribution toward making the legal management profession an integral element in the legal industry.”
By the mid-1970s, Kaufman and Hildebrandt had become close personal friends and used their success at founding ALA as a springboard to launch a law firm management consulting company, Hildebrandt, Inc. The pair worked well together, with Hildebrandt describing their inside joke: “I’d get the business, and he’d do the work.”
Kaufman remained at the consulting firm for more than 20 years before retiring in 2000. Kaufman and his wife had previously bought a villa in Naples, Florida, right near Hildebrandt and his wife, and the two couples would often swim in the pool, eat at local restaurants and travel together.
At the time of his passing, Kaufman left behind his wife of nearly 70 years, Judith, as well as three children and five grandchildren, all of whom are also close to the Hildebrandts.
“It’s a lifelong relationship, a lifelong friendship, a lifelong business partner,” Hildebrandt says. “I don’t know if many people have had a relationship that close with someone on so many levels.”