While many firms work to increase billable hours, Burgher Gray Jaffe LLP (Burgher Gray) recently committed to serving as pro bono outside counsel to the charitable organization, Jamaica Impact, Inc. (JAMPACT). As an international organization, JAMPACT operates programs to benefit children of Jamaican descent here in the New York metropolitan area as well as children in Jamaica, W.I.. Chief amongst their initiatives is an Adopt-A-School Program designed to build the capacity of early childhood education institutions.
Burgher Gray has been a longstanding supporter of JAMPACT’s initiatives through the firm’s Managing Partner, Gopal M. Burgher. Mr. Burgher is of Jamaican descent and has been actively engaged in various philanthropic endeavors. Mr. Burgher maintains a strong interest in Jamaica’s development and sees this arrangement as a natural progression in contributing to that development.
Like many non-profits, JAMPACT tries to find ways to lower its overhead expenses to ensure more of its revenues go towards its programmatic initiatives. This new alliance will increase JAMPACT’s capacity to execute those initiatives while reducing overhead. According to JAMPACT President, Dale Todd, “The JAMPACT Board is in the process of enlisting competent professionals to fulfill key functions such as legal, accounting, PR/marketing and event planning, in order to increase the organization’s overall effectiveness. Given Gopal and Burgher Gray’s longstanding support of the organization’s work and their reputation for, and ongoing commitment to, delivering best-in-class legal services to businesses and entrepreneurs, we are excited about deepening our relationship with the firm in this way.”
JAMPACT believes that, in assessing any organization’s value to our community, it is important to consider the degree to which it has demonstrated a commitment to social responsibility. That is, whether the firm has committed a meaningful portion of its resources to the betterment of our community through philanthropic activities. In that regard, JAMPACT celebrates Burgher Gray as a socially responsible organization and a valuable member of our community that has demonstrated a ‘charitable heart’.