40 Under 40: Michael Kaufman

For Michael Kaufman, professional and charitable contributions are a family affair.

“I have been around law my whole life,” Kaufman said, “I started going to trials when I was 10 or 12 years old, and from a very young age I saw the power that a lawyer has to help people in the most difficult time in their life.”

Kaufman serves as a personal injury attorney at Kaufman Injury Law, a law firm founded by his father. He has been a guest speaker at Mercer Law and has spoken at GTLA to paralegals about AI and legal practice.

“What I really love about injury law — which is the type of law that I grew up around — is that we’re helping individuals, not big corporations or any other entities, but individual people who come to us when their life is essentially shattered, and we help them pick up the pieces and put them back together, and that has always been really meaningful work.”

He also is closely involved in related charity efforts, serving on the board of the George B. Kaufman Foundation.

The foundation has donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to organizations serving both Jewish and broader Atlanta communities, including the Jewish National Fund (JNF), Jewish Educational Loan Fund (JELF), Boys & Girls Clubs, Atlanta Community Food Bank, and the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation.

Members of the law firm have also volunteered their time with organizations including Side by Side Brain Injury Clubhouse, the Atlanta Community Food Bank, and Open Hand Atlanta.

“Outside of work, my greatest joy is my family. My wife, Sophie, and I are raising our two children here in Atlanta, and becoming a parent has made me even more appreciative of the community that helped shape me. I hope to pass along to my children the same values of family, service, responsibility, and community that were instilled in me.”