ALBANY – As she assumes the presidency of the New York State Bar Association for the next year, Claire Gutekunst said her success is proof of the power of strong mentorship.

She said her leadership role at the state bar is directly related to the ties she developed at Proskauer Rose in the early 1980s with three influential New York legal figures who were all then leaders at the firm—Steven Krane, Ruth Schapiro and Stephen Kaye.