New bar success fund honors the legacy of Diane Bosse ’76
As chair of the New York Board of Law Examiners for more than 19 years, Diane Bosse ’76 was one of the gatekeepers maintaining high standards for the State’s bar exam. But as a mentor and inspiration for countless law students, she was a relentless cheerleader for law school graduates facing the biggest exam of their lives.
A new endowed fund at UB School of Law to support students preparing to cross that final hurdle will now bear her name. The Diane F. Bosse ’76 Bar Exam Success Fund will help graduating students meet the substantial costs of bar prep courses, which typically run from $1,500 to $3,500, as well as the fee for the exam itself, currently $250.
Bosse, who in 1998 was the first woman appointed to the state Board of Law Examiners, died March 17 in Bonita Springs, Fla., following an auto accident. She was 72.
Ann Evanko ’79
The fund in her name was seeded with a gift from Ann Evanko ’79, former president and managing partner of the Buffalo law firm Hurwitz Fine, P.C., where Bosse practiced commercial and appellate law for part of her career.
“Diane had a distinguished career as a lawyer, but she also devoted much of her professional and volunteer life to ensuring high quality standards for admission to the bar,” Evanko wrote in a letter to classmates announcing the fund. “Diane worked hard to develop innovative approaches to legal education and the bar exam. Her life affected many, and she left an impressive legacy.”
“This fund is focused on promoting student success and launching legal careers, goals at the heart of Diane’s work,” says law school Dean S. Todd Brown. “We are very grateful to Ann Evanko for her generous gift, as well as the many others so far who have contributed to the fund in honor of Diane’s legacy.”
At the Board of Law Examiners, Bosse became the youngest chairperson in the board’s history. During her tenure, the board raised its standard for passing the exam and adopted the Uniform Bar Exam. Her influence in this area extended nationwide as well. She was a member of the board of trustees of the National Conference of Bar Examiners from 1999 to 2008, serving a term as chair, and chaired the Accreditation Committee of the American Bar Association’s Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar.
At Hurwitz Fine, Bosse would give aspiring lawyers the benefit of her experience with the bar exam. “I would have her meet with our law clerks so they would have a better understanding of what the bar exam was all about, how it worked, and how they could succeed on it,” Evanko says. “She always gave a whole section of practical advice—things like, don’t review notes on the way to the bar exam, you’ve already studied hard enough.”
The costs of the exam and bar prep, Evanko notes, are significant enough that they present a hurdle to passing for some students. “You have to start thinking about that toward the end of your second year in law school, because you have to figure out how you’re going to pay for a bar prep course,” she says. “And there are some students who just aren’t able to pay the cost of bar prep and so they go without it, which reduces their chances of succeeding on the exam.”
Through the Rally the Pass initiative, the law school, the UB Law Alumni Association and individual donors provide some financial assistance for bar exam costs. The Diane F. Bosse ’76 Bar Exam Success Fund builds on that support, while honoring an alumna who has left an indelible impact on generations of students and the Buffalo legal community.