THE NEW HAMPSHIRE Bar Foundation will honor attorney W. John Funk, of Gallagher, Callahan & Gartrell, Concord, as an Honorary Fellow at its annual Fellows Reception, to be held in conjunction with the NHBA Midyear Meeting Feb. 13 at the Wayfarer Inn, Bedford. The Foundation Fellows Reception will take place from 5-6 p.m.

Funk has been very active in the NH Bar Foundation and numerous legal services efforts. He currently serves as co-chair of the Legal Services Campaign, an initiative of the NH Bar Foundation to raise funds for the Bar’s Pro Bono Program, New Hampshire Legal Assistance (NHLA) and the Legal Advice & Referral Center (LARC). He has been on the board of NHLA for 14 years and has served as chair of the integrated boards of NHLA and LARC since 2000.

According to Tina Abramson, former executive director of the NH Bar Foundation, Funk has been a stalwart fundraiser for NH’s legal services community. "John’s main contribution to the public has been his tenacious quest to expand resources available for legal services," said Abramson.

Since the early ‘90s, Funk has led the effort to encourage New Hampshire banks to create special rates and banking products to increase the returns on IOLTA accounts. He was instrumental in creating an innovative Sweep product with First NH Bank (now Citizens Bank) that was imitated around the country. This involved 1.) Working with the bank to develop an account in which deposits are swept out of the account and invested overnight in government securities, providing a higher rate of interest than that offered by regular deposit accounts; 2.) Working with the Supreme Court to get approval for law firms to enter into this type of repurchase agreement; and 3.) Encouraging eligible law firms to switch to this new type of account. After creating the Sweep account, Funk also approached other NH banks and asked them to come up with preferred rates. The Bar Foundation soon created its "Leadership Bank" list to recognize banks that provide preferred rates. These banks are recognized each year at the Foundation’s Fellows Reception at the Bar’s Midyear Meeting.

It was Funk’s work with the Bar Foundation to create Leadership Banks and obtain preferred rates, along with a strong economy, that helped drive the tremendous growth in IOLTA income in the second half of the ‘90s, said Abramson. Since a low point in 1996, IOLTA revenues have almost tripled, from around $600,000 in 1996 to close to $1.5 million in 2003.

Emily Gray Rice, a member and former chair of the NH Bar Foundation Board, has worked closely with Funk in his role as co-chair of the Campaign for Legal Services – a campaign whose success is due in large part to Funk’s work, Rice said. In just its first year, the campaign nearly reached its three-year fundraising goal of $750,000.

Rice described Funk as "one of a kind" in terms of his work in the legal services arena. "John has made a unique contribution in terms of time, level of interest and, most importantly, effectiveness in raising funds for and otherwise supporting legal services in New Hampshire," said Rice.

In particular, Funk has been "tremendously dedicated and uniquely successful" in working with the banking community on IOLTA funding, Rice said.

"John is the ideal choice as this year’s Honorary Fellow because of his unique tenacity, dedication and effectiveness in his work for legal services for the poor in New Hampshire. He has done it all. We are extremely lucky to have him as a member of the legal services community."

Mike LaFontaine of the Community Loan Fund has known Funk since their law school days at Boston University. The two clerked together after they graduated in 1973, then were later reunited when LaFontaine joined the boards of NHLA and LARC in 2001. "In all those years, John had not changed from the dedicated, enormously energetic and efficient person that he had been in our student days. He has the same values today, and although surrounded by extremely capable people on the various boards, he commands the respect of all. They are willing to let him lead," said LaFontaine.

"He is thoughtful, caring, has a penetrating grasp of problems and sees clearly what needs to be done. He was a bright, commanding law student – and he’s a bright, commanding leader today."

For more information on the Foundation Fellows Reception, contact Bar Foundation Development Associate Angela Yanski at 224-6942 or at ayanski@nhbar.org. Also, see pages 8-9 for more on Midyear Meeting events.

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