John L. Kraft

1965, New Jersey
1968, New York
1981, District of Columbia
1987, Florida
1981, U.S. Supreme Court

of the American Bar Foundation. He has served as Editor-in-Chief of the Editorial Board of the New Jersey Lawyer newspaper and as a member of the Editorial Board of the New Jersey Law Journal. In 1976, Mr. Kraft helped to establish the Bond Attorneys Workshop, an annual educational program for Bond Attorneys. In 1980, he served as Workshop Chairman. He also is a member and former Director of the National Association of Bond Lawyers. In 1995, he was a Founding Fellow of the American College of Bond Counsel, serving for 3 years as its first President. In 2002, the College established the Annual Kraft Lecture Series to recognize Mr. Kraft's contributions to Public Finance Law. Mr. Kraft serves as Associate Legal Counsel to the New Jersey State League of Municipalities and belongs to the New Jersey County Finance Officers Association, the New Jersey Conference of Mayors and the Association of Environmental Authorities. Mr. Kraft was selected twice as the Outstanding Person in New Jersey Public Finance by the County Finance Officers Association. In 2001, the Richard J. Hughes Foundation presented Mr. Kraft with the Richard J. Hughes Award. In 2004, he received the Fred G. Stickel Award from the New Jersey Institute of Local Government Attorneys. In 2007, Mr. Kraft received a Lifetime Achievement Award from The Sales Improvement Consultants, Inc. The New Jersey Assembly adopted a resolution commending Mr. Kraft on receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award and on being the Garden State's first bond attorney. He was selected as the 2008 Irishman of the Year by the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick of the Jersey Shore. Mr. Kraft has been a prolific writer and speaker throughout his career as Bond Counsel. He has spoken at conferences of the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada, the Bond Buyer, the Bond Market Association, The New Jersey Government Finance Officers' Association, the New Jersey Association of the Counties, the New Jersey State League of Municipalities, the Association of Environmental Authorities and the New Jersey Conference of Mayors. In addition, he is a regular instructor for a course on bonding for municipal attorneys, now presented by the New Jersey Institute of Continuing Legal Education. For the last 25 years, he has conducted an annual workshop for a small group of top Bond Counsel from all parts of the United States. Over the years, Mr. Kraft also has presented many seminars directly to elected and appointed officials throughout the State. Mr. Kraft's life and education reflect his commitment to the law and the State of New Jersey. He is a life-long resident of New Jersey. He graduated from Georgetown University, cum laude, in 1958. This was followed by three years in the U.S. Air Force as a Lieutenant. He then attended Yale Law School, where he was an Editor of the Yale Law Journal and was enrolled in the Order of the Coif. He graduated in the top 10% of his class in 1964. Mr. Kraft was admitted to the Bars of New Jersey, New York, Florida and the District of Columbia. Mr. Kraft and his wife, Joy, have six children and seven grandchildren. They reside in Waretown, Ocean County, New Jersey. Member: Monmouth and New Jersey State Bar Associations.