Proskauer Rose general counsel and former New York State Bar president Steven C. Krane died Tuesday of a heart attack in New York City. He was 53.
According to a story from the New York Law Journal, Krane collapsed following a business lunch near Proskauer Rose’s New York office and was pronounced dead shortly after 2 p.m.
Krane was the youngest attorney to ever hold the top position at the New York State Bar when he was named its 104th president in 2001. During his tenure, Krane led the State Bar’s efforts to assist victims of the September 11th terrorist 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.
“Today is an extremely sad day for member of the New York State Bar Association and throughout the entire legal profession,” said State Bar President Stephen P. Younger (Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler). “Steve was a true lawyer’s lawyer and one of the nation’s foremost and widely recognized leaders in the field of legal ethics and professional responsibility.
Krane was a partner at Proskauer Rose, where he concentrated his practice on 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.