Frederick J. Coolbroth Receives Inaugural Diane F. Bosse Award for Excellence and Service in Bar Admissions

MADISON, WISCONSIN, May 2, 2025—The National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE) announced today that Frederick J. Coolbroth of New Hampshire has been awarded the 2025 Diane F. Bosse Award for Excellence and Service in Bar Admissions.

Coolbroth was nominated for the award by Chief Justice Gordon MacDonald on behalf of the members of the New Hampshire Supreme Court. In his nomination letter, Chief Justice MacDonald wrote, “For nearly forty years, Fred has served the field of bar admissions with extraordinary devotion, unwavering integrity, and an innovative spirit. He has made a lasting mark, both in New Hampshire and beyond.”

The Bosse Award honors 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. The award was established in November 2024 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 in March 2024. 

In nominating Coolbroth, Chief Justice MacDonald wrote that he “embodies the qualities exemplified by Diane,” including her “extraordinary commitment to bar admissions, her integrity, her hard work, her thoughtful contributions, her persuasive advocacy and her interest in innovation.”

Coolbroth has served on the New Hampshire Board of Bar Examiners since 1987, and served as its chair from 1996 to 2010. He played a pivotal role in New Hampshire’s adoption of the Multistate Essay Examination and Multistate Performance Test, and later of the Uniform Bar Exam. His work was also crucial to the development and implementation of the Daniel Webster Scholar Honors Program at the University of New Hampshire Franklin Pierce School of Law, and he served for many years as a mentor to law students enrolled in that program. He continues to grade questions on the New Hampshire bar exam.

Coolbroth served three terms as a member of the Complaint Screening Committee for the New Hampshire Attorney Discipline System and subsequently on the Attorney Discipline System’s Hearings Committee. He was a member of NCBE’s Multistate Performance Test Committee from 2009 to 2011.

 “It is a tremendous honor to receive this award,” said Coolbroth. “Over the years, my efforts have been directed at supporting and enhancing the bar admissions process to serve the dual goals of protecting the public while ensuring fairness to applicants seeking to practice law. Diane Bosse was at the forefront of efforts nationally to improve bar admissions, and her work was an inspiration to all of us. I thank Chief Justice MacDonald and the Justices of the New Hampshire Supreme Court for nominating me, and NCBE’s Award Selection Committee for selecting me, for this award.”

Coolbroth retired from active practice in 2010 after a long and distinguished career. He was an attorney with Devine, Millimet & Branch, PA, for 25 years, with a concentration in public utility, securities, and bankruptcy law. Previously, he served as counsel for the Public Service Company of New Hampshire. He holds a JD from Boston College Law School.

# # #

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 53 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.