LAWYERS' ASSOCIATION FOR WOMEN - MARION GRIFFIN CHAPTER
BY-LAWS
ADOPTED APRIL 27, 1997
ARTICLE I
NAME
This Association shall be known as the Lawyers' Association for Women,
Marion Griffin Chapter.
ARTICLE II
PURPOSE
The purpose of this Association shall be to emphasize and address issues of concern to women within the legal profession.
- to promote the efficient administration of justice and the constant
improvement of the law, especially as it relates to women;
- to advocate for increased numbers of qualified women on the bench
and to work for improvement of the overa1l quality of the bench;
- to encourage the participation of women in the existing bar
associations, particularly at the committee and officer levels;
- to monitor and to participate as amicus curiae in litigation involving issues of concern to women;
- to promote the participation of women minority attorneys in all aspects of the legal
profession and in the Association, and to support the participation of minority
attorneys in all aspects of the legal profession and in the Association.
- to promote career opportunities for women within the legal profession and to provide opportunities for sharing information about job openings and referrals.
- to promote alternative work options and flexible job structure in the legal profession.
- to promote diversity in the workplace.
- to foster public dialogue about unjust discrimination and bias.
- to enhance the quality of life in the community by active participation in community
service.
- to explore the impact of, to reflect upon and keep pace with, technological advances and trends relative to the workplace and the practice of law.
ARTILE III
MEMBERSHIP
Section 1. Member. Any person licensed to practice law, or who is a graduate of a law school or a
law student, who supports the purposes of the Association may, upon payment of dues, become a standing member of this Association.
Section 2. Associate Member. Any person not qualifying for full membership and residing
within the state of Tennessee, or within any state or territory of the United States, who supports
the Association may, upon the payment of dues, become an Associate Member of this
Association. An Associate Member is entitled to all the rights and privileges of membership in
the Association except the right to vote at Association meetings and the right to hold office. Section 3. Honorary Member. Any judge who supports the purposes of this Association may
become an Honorary Member of this Association. An Honorary Member is entitled to all
the rights and privileges of membership in the Association, except the right to vote at Association
Meetings and the right to hold office.
ARTICLE IV
FEES AND DUES
The fiscal year of the Association shall run from May 1 through April 30. The annual dues of
members shall be due on June 1 of each year. If delinquency in the payment of dues continues
until October 1, such member shall cease to be a member, and the name of such member shall be
stricken from the membership rolls. However, the Board of Directors, in its discretion. may direct that the name of the delinquent member in a particular case remain on the membership rolls for
a longer period of time. Upon payment in full of the dues outstanding, such delinquent member
shall be reinstated. The amount of dues and fees shall be established by the Board of Directors.
New members, joining after November 1, shall pay one-half of the applicable annual dues.
ARTICLE V
MEETINGS
Section 1. Meetings. There shall be at least four meetings of the Association each year at a time
and place within or without the State of Tennessee to be designated by the President.
Section 2. Annual Meetings. The annual meeting of the membership for the election of the
Board of Directors shall be held between April and May l of each year. The Publications Editor shall mail written notice of the meeting to each member at least ten days prior to the date of the
meeting along with the report of the Nominating Committee.
Section 3. Quorum and Majority. Ten percent (10%) of the voting membership of the
Association shall constitute a quorum necessary for the transaction of business at any meeting. A
majority of those present at a meeting shall be sufficient for any action of the Association.
ARTICLE VI
OFFICERS AND DUTIES
Section 1. Officers. The officers of the Association shall consist of a President, President-Elect,
Publications Editor(s), Secretary, Treasurer and Archivist
Section 2. Duties of Officers.
- President - The President shall preside over and call all meetings of the membership
and of the Board of Directors, and execute the duties generally attendant upon the position. In addition the President shall be an ex-officio member of all committees except the Nominating Committee. The President may appoint a Parliamentarian
- President-Elect - The President-Elect shall perform duties as assigned by the President of the Board of Directors. and shall preside in the absence of the President. In addition, the President-Elect shall succeed to the office of President following one tenure as President-Elect.
- Publications Editor(s) - The Publications Editor(s) shall, at the direction of the President, by means of the newsletter, letter or otherwise, assume responsibility for the printing and distribution of the monthly newsletter, and shall perform all other duties assigned by the President of the Board of Directors. The position of Editor may be held by one or more persons. The position will have one vote on the Board business.
- Secretary - The Secretary shall keep minutes of all business meetings and meetings of the Board of Directors and shall assist the President, other officers and Board of Directors in correspondence of or relating to the Association, and shall perform all other duties assigned by the President or the board of Directors.
- Treasurer - The Treasurer shall have the duties customarily incident to the office including the collection of dues, the deposit of the monies of the Association in a bank doing business in Middle Tennessee, and the keeping of a record of all monies collected, deposited and disbursed. The Treasurer shall report the Association's financial condition to the Board of Directors as called upon by the President. The Treasurer shall also have the responsibility of preparing the annual budget and shall
perform all other duties assigned by the President or the Board of Directors.
- Archivist - The Archivist will maintain the L.A.W. library, which consists of various documents and files, newsletters, videotapes, and photographs. The Archivist will
update this library with the archived documents, files, and other items from the
previous fiscal year. The Archivist will arrange for photographing and videotaping of all special events involving L.A.W.
ARTICLE VII
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Section 1. Membership. The Board of Directors will consist of:
- the Officers of the Association;
- four additional members elected as directors for staggered terms of two years, two
of whom will be elected one year and two of whom will be elected the next year. At any given time, at least one of the four directors shall have been in practice three years or less at the time of election;
- the immediate past president, who will serve on the Board as an ex officio voting member for one year.
Section 2. Duties. The duties of the Board of Directors shall be to recommend and implement policy, select priorities, approve major expenditures, establish procedures, act for the Association between meetings, and perform other functions or activities requisite to the operation of the Association and authorized by law to be performed by a board of directors.
Section 3. Quorum and Majority. A majority of the members of the Board of Directors shall constitute a quorum, and a majority of those present at a meeting shall be sufficient for any action of the Board of Directors provided, however, that adoption of a public statement or position for the Association shall require the affirmative vote of five members of the Board of Directors. A vote of the Board of Directors may be taken by telephone conference, electronic transmission, or in writing, in which case the total membership of the Board of Directors shall be
considered "present" for the purposes of any action of the Board.
ARTICLE VIII
COMMITTEES
Section 1. Standing Committees. The Association shall have the following committees:
- Arrangements
- Breakfast
- Community Relations
- Fundraising
- Historical Recording
- Judicial Appointments and Elections
- Legislation and Litigation
- Long-Range Planning and By-Laws
- Membership
- Minorities Outreach
- Networking
- Nominating
- Program
- Publicity
Section 2. Other Committees. The President, with the approval of a majority of the Board of Directors, may create such other committees or subcommittees as may be required to accomplish the purposes of the Association.
Section 3. Appointment of Chairs and Co-Chairs. The President, with the advice of the Board of Directors, shall appoint chairs and/or co-chairs of all committees and subcommittees.
Section 4. Membership. Membership on committees specified by Article VIII of these By-Laws shall be voluntary and shall be given to any member and shall not require the approval of the Board of Directors, any officer or committee chair.
Section 5. Duties and Procedures. The duties of each committee shall be defined by the President and the membership of each committee, and shall be subject to the approval of the Board of Directors. Further duties may be prescribed by the Board of Directors. Each committee may prescribe its own rules of procedure.
ARTICLE IX
NOMINATIONS AND ELECTIONS
Section 1. Nominations. A Nominating Committee of no more than five members shall be appointed by the President, subject to the approval of a majority of the Board of Directors. The Committee shall nominate candidates for the officers and directors to be elected at the annual meeting and report its nominations to the membership in the annual meeting notice. Other nominations may be made from the floor at the annual meeting.
Section 2. Elections. The officers and directors shall be elected at the annual meeting to serve commencing May 1 (or the start of the fiscal year). If there is more than one nomination to any office, the election will be by secret ballot.
ARTICLE X
VACANCIES
Vacancies occurring on the Board of Directors shall be filled by appointment by the President, subject to the approval of a majority of the Board of Directors. The appointment will be for the remainder of the unexpired term. Vacancies occurring in committees shall be filled by the President and will not be subject to Board approval
ARTICLE XI
PARLIAMENTARY AUTHORITY
Matters of procedure at any meeting of the membership of the Board of Directors shall follow rules which may be adopted by the Board of Directors. If no rules of procedure have been adopted, then the most recent edition of Roberts Rules of Order, Newly Revised, shall be the parliamentary authority for this Association.
ARTICLE XII
BY-LAWS
The By-Laws of the Association may be amended by a majority vote of members present and voting at any meeting of the Association, provided that at least ten days notice of the substance of the proposed amendment and of the meeting is given to the membership.
Adopted by the membership of the Lawyers' Association for Women, Marion Griffin Chapter, on
April 27, 1997
By Marlene Eskind Moses, President
ARTICLE II, "PURPOSE" PROVISIONS OF THE L.A.W. BY-LAWS
ADOPTED BY MEMBERSHIP, APRIL 20, 1999
Pursuant to the recommendations of the Long-Range Planning Committee, the L.A.W. Board of Directors proposed to amend Article II, The "PURPOSE" provisions of the L.A.W. By-laws. This proposal was voted on favorably by the membership on April 20, 1999.
ARTICLE II
PURPOSE
The purpose of this Association shall be to address issues of concern to women within the legal profession and legal issues affecting women generally, including:
- to promote the efficient administration of justice and the constant improvement of the law, especially as it relates' to women;
- to advocate for increased numbers of qualified women on the bench and to work for improvement of the overall quality of the bench;
- to encourage the participation of women m local, state, national and specialty bar associations, particularly at leadership levels;
- to monitor and to participate as amicus curiae in litigation involving issues of concern to women;
- to promote the participation of minority attorneys in the Association;
- to promote the participation of new attorneys in the Association;
- to promote career opportunities for women within the legal profession, including the dissemination of job availability information and the exploration of alternative work options;
- to promote diversity in the legal workplace and within the legal profession generally;
- to foster public dialogue about unjust societal discrimination and bias;
- to enhance the quality of life in the community by active participation in community service;
- to explore the impact of and keep pace with technology relative to the workplace and the practice of law; and
- to enhance the legal knowledge and skills of attorneys in the Association.
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