K. Bruce Friedman was born in Buffalo, NY on January 1, 1929, son of the late Bennett Friedman and Florence Israel Friedman. Bruce was educated at Nichols School, Buffalo; the Hill School, Pottstown, PA; Harvard College, AB in Government, class of 1950; and Yale Law School, LLB, class of 1953.

After US Army service, Bruce practiced law for nearly 60 years in San Francisco, specializing in trusts and estates and related tax planning. He was a retired partner of Friedman McCubbin Law Group, LLP. Bruce was a Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC); a Life Member of the American Law Institute; and a Lecturer in Law at the University of California, Berkeley Law School.

He was a Trustee of the World Affairs Council of Northern California; a Trustee of the University of California, San Francisco Foundation; a President of the Harvard Club of San Francisco; and a President of The Economic Roundtable of San Francisco.

Bruce was a life member of the California Tennis Club, and a member of Congregation Emanu-el for over 65 years. He was an avid reader of history, politics and economics, and a strong supporter of proper grammar and syntax.