Your Time at Work

From the September 2010 CBF Newsletter

Legal Marketing Professional Lends Her Expertise

A highly regarded legal marketing professional for many years, Theresa Jaffe of Theresa Jaffe Consulting uses her unique skills and experience to provide critical marketing and communications assistance to the CBF and our many outstanding grantee organizations. Theresa sets a high standard for legal professionals to help improve access to justice for people in need.

“We are very grateful for Theresa’s creativity, leadership and dedication to the CBF and to our larger mission.” 

- Stephen Patton, Kirkland & Ellis LLP

Theresa is a consultant and advisor to professional services firms, businesses, associations and nonprofit organizations. Prior to forming her own firm, Theresa Jaffe Consulting, she served as Chief Marketing Officer at Jenner & Block and National Director of Marketing at Katten, Muchin, Rosenman.

Seeing a need for a more comprehensive focus on marketing at the CBF, Theresa was instrumental in launching and recruiting members for the CBF marketing committee in 2006. She became the CBF’s first Marketing Chair and served in this role and on the Board of Directors of the CBF for the next four years. Over this time, the marketing committee has provided expert guidance and advice for the CBF. In addition, Theresa has used her connections in the legal community to obtain donated services for the CBF, including a website redesign and a major re-branding effort in 2007. These types of expert services are invaluable to a nonprofit like the CBF or our grantee organizations that would not be otherwise able to afford such skilled specialists.

Another project in which Theresa has been indispensible is the CBF Investing in Justice Campaign. Theresa was the architect and a leader in the execution of the Campaign. Since its inception in 2007, the Campaign has raised nearly $4 million to support pro bono and legal aid services in the Chicago area. Other highlights of Theresa’s accomplishments on behalf of the CBF include:

•  a series of marketing trainings and workshops for CBF grantee organizations to help them better address these issues;
•  expanding the reach of the CBA and CBF’s annual Pro Bono Week and its centerpiece event, the YLS Pro Bono and Community Service Fair, which is now attended by nearly 500 lawyers, law students and other legal professionals; and

•  advancing the visibility of the CBA/CBF Pro Bono and Public Service Awards.

As a result of her talent and commitment, Theresa’s volunteer work as a CBF leader has made a significant impact in increasing funding for pro bono and legal aid services in the Chicago Metropolitan area. CBF President, Stephen R. Patton recently commended Theresa’s extraordinary efforts with a special tribute at the CBA and CBF’s 12th Annual Pro Bono and Community Service Awards Luncheon, noting that “we are very grateful for Theresa’s creativity, leadership and dedication to the CBF and to our larger mission.”

In addition to the impact of her work through the CBF, Theresa volunteers with a number of other legal aid and nonprofit organizations, including one of the CBF grantees, the Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law. Theresa’s tireless volunteer efforts illustrate that other legal professionals can make a real impact in this cause through their time and talents, not just lawyers. “Theresa has been one of the most extraordinary volunteers we have ever had,” said Bob Glaves, Executive Director of the CBF. “We are very grateful for the phenomenal contributions she has made to CBF and to the legal aid community.”