NCBE Establishes Diane F. Bosse Award for Excellence and Service in Bar Admissions

MADISON, WISCONSIN, November 13, 2024—The National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE) has announced a new annual award to honor a bar examiner who demonstrates leadership, integrity, professionalism, and a commitment to serving the legal profession through bar admissions in their own jurisdiction and beyond to help ensure a competent, ethical, and diverse legal profession. The award was established in memory of Diane F. Bosse, a former chair of the New York Board of Law Examiners and NCBE’s Board of Trustees, who passed away suddenly on March 17, 2024. It is intended to recognize a state bar examiner or board member who emulates the ideals that Diane embodied—leadership, vision, integrity, and extraordinary service in bar admissions—with the aim of enshrining Diane’s legacy and commitment to service in our community and inspiring a new generation of bar examiners.

Diane F. Bosse was appointed by the Court of Appeals to the New York Board of Law Examiners in 1998, after having served for 19 years as an assistant to the Board, and served as chair of the Board from 2001 to 2020. She was a member of NCBE’s Board of Trustees from 1999 to 2008 and served as its chair from 2006 to 2007. In addition to her service in New York and on NCBE’s Board, Diane served on numerous NCBE committees, including as a member of the Testing Task Force and Implementation Steering Committee for the NextGen bar exam. She played a significant role in laying the groundwork for adding Civil Procedure to the Multistate Bar Examination and was instrumental in envisioning the Uniform Bar Exam, which has resulted in score portability for over 60,000 newly licensed lawyers. Diane’s decades of hard work and dedication to bar admissions and legal education have had a profound impact on thousands of lawyers, law students, and the profession itself.

Anyone may nominate a current or former bar examiner for the award. Nominations for this year’s award must be submitted by January 15, 2025. More information, including a link to the nomination form, is available at https://www.ncbex.org/about/bosse-award.

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About the National Conference of Bar Examiners 

The National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE), headquartered in Madison, Wisconsin, is a not-for-profit corporation founded in 1931. NCBE promotes fairness, integrity, and best practices in bar admissions for the benefit and protection of the public, in pursuit of its vision of a competent, ethical, and diverse legal profession. Best known for developing bar exam content used by 54 US jurisdictions, NCBE serves admission authorities, courts, the legal education community, and candidates by providing high-quality assessment products, services, and research; character investigations; and informational and educational resources and programs. In 2026, NCBE will launch the next generation of the bar examination, ensuring that the exam continues to test the knowledge, skills, and abilities required for competent entry-level legal practice in a changing profession. For more information, visit the NCBE website at https://www.ncbex.org.