Hagens Berman commits to delivering 2,080 hours of volunteer work annually.

Today Seattle-based law firm Hagens Berman announced the creation of a new full-time position: Project 2080. More than a job, the position reflects the firm's commitment to complete 2,080 hours of community service every year, which is equivalent to the number of hours one full-time employee clocks annually.

Project 2080 invites each of Hagens Berman's six offices and 83 attorneys and staff members to work together to reach the firm's goal of completing 2,080 hours of volunteer work. With an expected high-level of participation, the Hagens Berman team believes the goal is easily achievable.

"We have incredibly passionate people at Hagens Berman, and all willing employees are encouraged to invest in causes that interest them," said managing partner Steve Berman. "We are excited about giving back to the communities we serve."

As part of the program kick-off, all Hagens Berman offices will join forces on April 26, 2008 and participate in National Rebuilding Day, an annual and nationwide event put on by Rebuilding Together. The organization works with a network of 225 affiliates in a common mission to preserve affordable housing by rehabilitating homes of low-income homeowners.

Participation in Rebuilding Together is a national program with Hagens Berman employees serving in Seattle, Phoenix, Chicago, Boston, Los Angeles and San Francisco. More information on Rebuilding Together is available at http://www.rebuildingtogether.org/.

According to Berman, the inspiration for Project 2080 comes from a desire by the firm's staff to make a quantifiable commitment to the community and in a way that involves everyone in the firm. Berman is planning a Web site featuring a tally of the hours employees have given back since the program's inception, highlighting recent contributions and testimonials from employees on various service projects.

"Project 2080 is just the beginning for Hagens Berman in terms of hourly commitment and as we get more involved with the community, I expect that each year our involvement will continue to grow," said Berman.

To learn more about Hagens Berman and its community commitments throughout the country, visitwww.hbsslaw.com.

About Hagens Berman

Hagens Berman, formally Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro, is based in Seattle with offices in Chicago, Cambridge, Los Angeles, Phoenix and San Francisco. Since 1993, it has developed a nationally recognized practice in class-action and complex litigation. Among recent successes, HBSS has negotiated a $300 million settlement in the DRAM memory antitrust litigation; a $340 million recovery on behalf of Enron employees; a $150 million settlement involving charges of illegally inflated charges for the drug Lupron, and served as co-counsel on the Visa/Mastercard litigation which resulted in a $3 billion settlement, the largest anti-trust settlement to date. HBSS served as counsel in a $850 million Washington Public Power Supply settlement and represented Washington and 12 other states against the tobacco industry that resulted in the largest settlement in history. For a complete listing of HBSS cases, visit www.hbsslaw.com.