NYS Board of Law Examiners Chair Diane Bosse Receives State Bar's Excellence in Public Service Award

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Diane Bosse

ALBANY, NY (01/27/2010)(readMedia)-- Diane Bosse, chair of the New York State Board of Law Examiners, was honored with the Excellence in Public Service Award from the New York State Bar Association on January 26 during its Annual Meeting at the Hilton New York in Manhattan. The award sponsored by the Committee on Attorneys in Public Service, recognizes individuals who demonstrate a "higher calling" in government through their extraordinary commitment to service, honor and integrity in the public sector.

The committee honored Bosse, of Buffalo, for her dedication to the highest professional standards and her outstanding leadership as chair of the Board of Law Examiners, a position she has held since 2001. Bosse was the first woman to be appointed by the Court of Appeals to the Board in 1998. The Board oversees the New York State bar examination, which more than 15,000 law students take each year. She also is a past chair of the Board of Trustees of the National Conference of Bar Examiners, having served on the Board from 1999 to 2008.

"Whether it's advocating for causes that serve the public good, addressing the special needs of our citizens in court, or upholding the highest standards of the legal profession, this year's recipients of our Excellence in Public Service Awards make a difference each day in the lives of New Yorkers," said New York State Bar Association President Michael E. Getnick (Getnick Livingston Atkinson & Priore, LLP of Utica and of counsel to Getnick & Getnick of New York City). "The State Bar is proud to recognize their fine work, and I congratulate Diane Bosse for winning this honor."

Other recipients this year were Hon. Patricia D. Marks of Rochester, the presiding judge of the Judicial Diversion Program Court and the Monroe County Veterans Court, and Peter H. Schiff of Albany, senior counsel to the solicitor general's office.

Bosse practices law at Bender Crawford & Bender LLP in Buffalo. She served on the Standards Review Committee of the American Bar Association Sections of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar and is currently a member of the ABA Law School Accreditation Committee. She is a past president of the Defense Trial Lawyers Association of Western New York, which honored her as Defense Trial Lawyer of the Year in 2006.

"Chairing the board that produces one of the nation's most formidable bar exams is no easy feat, but Diane Bosse has handled it with aplomb and grace, even as she maintains a busy litigation practice," said Committee Chair Hon. Peter S. Loomis of Albany (New York State Department of Transportation). "We are pleased to recognize Ms. Bosse for her devotion and effectiveness as a public servant and leader."

A graduate of the State University of New York at Buffalo and the University at Buffalo Law School, Bosse received the University at Buffalo Law Alumni Association's Distinguished Alumnus Award for Public Service in 2005. Bosse received the Bar Association of Erie County's Award of Merit in 2001.

Last year's award recipients were Anthony J. Annucci of Albany, executive deputy commissioner, New York State Department of Correctional Services; and Denise E. O'Donnell of Buffalo, deputy secretary for public safety and commissioner, New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services.

Founded in 1876, the 77,000-member New York State Bar Association is the official statewide organization of lawyers in New York and the largest voluntary state bar association in the nation. The State Bar's programs and activities have continuously served the public and improved the justice system for more than 130 years.

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