Newly Renamed Steven C Krane Fund to Assist Young Lawyers Working in Public Service with Paying Student Loans

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ALBANY, NY (06/29/2010)(readMedia)-- The New York Bar Foundation has announced it has renamed its Student Loan Assistance for the Public Interest Fund (SLAPI) in memory of former New York State Bar President, Steven C. Krane. A former member of the Foundation's Board of Directors, Krane unexpectedly passed away on June 22 in Manhattan at the age of 53. Realizing the hardship faced by lawyers employed by public service organizations to pay back student loans, Krane was instrumental in spearheading the initiative to establish the SLAPI Fund within the Foundation in 2004.

"We mourn the loss of our dear friend and colleague, Steven C. Krane, who devoted his life to the law and enhancing the legal profession," said Foundation President M. Catherine Richardson (Bond Schoeneck & King PLLC, Syracuse). "He held significant concern for young lawyers working for public service organizations who had difficulty paying back overwhelming student loans and we are pleased to rename the Fund in Steve's memory. He felt passionate about providing assistance to lawyers to help them remain in their important positions working for those in need of legal representation."

The SLAPI Program was designed to help alleviate the significant debt burden of young attorneys who opt to dedicate their legal talents to public service. To be eligible for the program, candidates must have been admitted to the bar within the past five years and be employed to work at least 35 hours per week in New York State at an organization providing civil, criminal or child welfare/juvenile justice legal services to low-income people; a federal, state or local government agency; or similar organization.

The New York Bar Foundation invites you to contribute to The Steven C. Krane Fund for Student Loan Assistance for the Public Interest by sending your check, made payable to The New York Bar Foundation, to The New York Bar Foundation, One Elk Street, Albany, NY 12207. Please indicate "Steven C. Krane Fund" on the check's memo line. You also may contribute to the Fund by credit online at www.tnybf.org; on the 'Make a Donation' page, click on 'Restricted Fund' and select 'The Steven C. Krane Fund for SLAPI'. You also may contribute by credit by calling Foundation headquarters at 518/487-5651.

Krane served as the 104th President of the State Bar Association from 2001-2002 and was the youngest attorney to hold the office. During his tenure as president, Krane led the State Bar's efforts to assist victims of the September 11th attacks and created the Special Committee on Student Loan Assistance for the Public Interest (SLAPI) that provides grants to defray loans for lawyers working in the public sector.

Krane was a partner at Proskauer Rose LLP, concentrating his practice in representing lawyers and law firms in legal ethics and professional liability matters. He co-chaired the firm's Law Firm Practice Group and served as general counsel for the 700-lawyer firm. He previously served as a law clerk to Hon. Judith S. Kaye, retired Chief Judge of the State of New York, from 1984 to 1985.

Within the State Bar Association, Krane for many years chaired the Committee on Standards of Attorney Conduct (COSAC), which recently helped draft the Rules of Professional Conduct. He previously served as chair of the House of Delegates, Nominating Committee, International Section, Resolutions Committee, Special Committee to Review the Code of Professional Responsibility, Special Committee on Cross-Border Legal Practice, and the Special Committee on Multi-Disciplinary Practice and the Legal Profession. He was a past vice-chair on the Special Committees on Law Governing Firm Structure and Operation and the Future of the Profession.

He was a past member of the State Bar's Finance Committee, Membership Committee, Strategic Financial Planning Committee, Committee on Professional Ethics, Committee on Mass Disaster Response, Committee on Courts of Appellate Jurisdiction, the Electronic Communications Committee, Special Committee on Issues Affecting Same-Sex Couples, and the Special Committee on Law Practice Continuity.

Krane also was a member of the American Bar Association's Board of Governors and of the Policy Committee of the Bar Issues Commission of the International Bar Association. Krane received his undergraduate degree from Stony Brook University and earned his law degree from the New York University School of Law.

In June 2009, Krane was appointed by Governor David A. Paterson to the New York State Commission on Public Integrity. From 1996 to 1999, he was a member of the Departmental Disciplinary Committee, First Judicial Department, in New York, where he served as a hearing panel member and hearing panel chair. He also served as a hearing panel chair for the Committee on Grievances of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. He was a special referee for disciplinary cases in the Appellate Division, Second Judicial Department. Krane has written and lectured extensively on attorney ethics issues, and taught professional responsibility for several years at the Columbia University School of Law.

Founded in 1950, The New York Bar Foundation is celebrating its 60th Anniversary of providing funding through its grant making program to facilitate the delivery of legal services; increase public understanding of the law; improve the justice system and the law; and enhance professional competence and ethics. For more information, go to www.tnybf.org.

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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. Founded in 1876, NYSBA programs and activities have continuously served the public and improved the justice system for more than 130 years. For more information, please visit www.nysba.org.