National Asian Pacific American Law Association: BrandeisSchool of Law Chapter

NATIONAL ASIAN PACIFIC AMERICAN LAW STUDENT ASSOCIATION 

ARTICLE I.NAME AND PURPOSE

1.1 The name of this association shall be the Asian Pacific American LawStudents Association (APALSA).

1.2. The purpose of this association shall be:

·                                to promote and support the legal education of Asian PacificAmerican law students;

·                                to provide a forum to discuss issues that affect Asian PacificAmerican law students, the legal profession, and the community at large;

·                                to develop a supportive network among Asian Pacific American lawstudents, the legal profession, and the community at large.

ARTICLE II. MEMBERSHIP

2.1. There shall be three types of membership.

·                                Full Member Chapter: A Full Member Chapter is defined as anAsian Pacific American Law Student Association at an accredited law school andin good standing with NAPALSA. Chapters shall enjoy the rights and privilegesof being able to vote, and participate in any social, academic, andprofessional functions.

·                                Full Member: A Full Member is defined as a person who is a fullor part time student at an accredited law school and who is either a member ingood standing in their school’s APALSA, or,if there is no such chapter at theirschool, an individual student member of NAPALSA . Student members shall enjoythe rights and privileges of being able to hold office, and participate in anysocial, academic, and professional functions.

·                                Honorary Member: An Honorary Member is defined as any professorsof law, any practicing lawyer, or justice not meeting the qualifications in theprevious section who by application is admitted to the membership. HonoraryMembers shall have no right to vote or hold office but may participate in anyfunctions of the National Asian Pacific American Law Students Association.

ARTICLE III. DUES

3.1. Chapter dues will be $25and will be collected by NAPABA by October 15th. Individual dues will be ____and will also due by ____.

3.2. It shall be the responsibility of all officers to solicit neededcontributions from any member, organization, or person who may be willing tomake such contributions.

3.3. The fiscal year of the association shall commence on August 2009.

ARTICLE IV. POWERS OF GOVERNMENT

4.1. The ultimate power of this Association shall be vested in its membership.A majority vote of those present at meetings shall control, or if a vote istaken by mail, a majority of those who answer within fourteen (14) days.

4.2. The officers shall execute the affairs of the Association, oversee thework of all committees, and have general authority of the property of theAssociation.

4.3. The President has no voting right in any meetings of the membership exceptwhen the membership vote results in a tie. Only in the case of a tie shall thePresident have the right to vote. The President’s vote will be the tie-breakingvote. The President shall have a right to vote in matters concerning emergencyamendment procedures, whereby a unanimous vote of the officers is required.

4.4. Proxy voting is allowed and proxy votes may be submitted to the secretaryanytime prior to a meeting’s call to order. 

ARTICLE V. OFFICERS 

5.1. The officers of this Association shall be composed of the following:

·                                President

·                                Vice President

·                                Treasurer

·                                Secretary

5.2. The officers shall beelected during the General Assembly Meeting during the National Conference andshall be installed to office at the Conference Banquet/Reception. Officersshall serve a term of 12 months beginning the February following installation.The officers-elect will have no vested authority until the date of installment.However, the officers-elect have the responsibilities of apprenticing theoffice in which they will eventually occupy.

5.3. The President shall preside over all meetings, setthe agenda and objectives of the association, and see that the organizationattains its goals. It shall be the duty of the President to direct allendeavors that have the Association’s interests and to keep the membershipabreast of any information of pertinent concern. In addition, the President isthe liaison to the National Asian Pacific Amercian Bar Association and holdsthe voting right of APALSA. The President has the authority to delegate theduty and vote of representative to the NAPABA meetings to the Vice President orif the Vice President is unavailable to another qualified member as analternate. The President shall have the power to sign matters of financialconcern.

5.4. The Vice President shall assist the President inexecutive duties, serve as an alternate representative to NAPABA when requestedby the President, serve as a liaison to outside groups when requested by thePresident, and shall have the duty of formal correspondence in matters dealingwith the Association’s policies, concerns, or endeavors. The Vice Presidentshall also serve as Parlimentarian during the General Assembly. In addition,the Vice President shall act as the American Bar Association (ABA)Representative. 

5.5. The Treasurer shall be entrusted with the receipt,care, and disbursement of funds. The Treasurer as the power to sign matters offinancial concern and shall keep a record of all financial transactions of theAssociation. In addition, it is the responsibility of the Treasurer to plan andsubmit a fiscal budget to the officers and membership prior to the start of theofficers first meeting after installation. 

5.6. The Secretary shall keep the minutes of the meetingsof the Board and Association, report to the members the previous meeting’sminutes, and call to vote for approval of such minutes by a majority vote ofthe officers and members who are present. It is also the duty of the Secretaryto: record and tally votes when called, handle the collection of secret ballotswhen called, and keep a roll of the membership. The Secretary shall handleinternal correspondence, assist the Vice President in matters ofcorrespondence, and have the duty of notifying members of meetings.

5.9. On March 15, the title of the incumbent President changes to “PastPresident.” The Past President will be a member of the Executive Board and willretain voting power. The Past President will be responsible for attending allconference calls in which he or she has notice of, and attend meetings whichmay require his or her presence. The Past President’s primary duty is to assistnew President in all matters of transition. The Past President’s term ends May1, of the same year. 

5.10. All officers shall perform the duties usually performed by such officersand those hereinafter set forth.

ARTICLE VI. REGULATION,REMOVAL AND APPOINTMENT OF OFFICERS

6.1. If at any time an elected officers wishes to resign from his or herduties, he or she may do so by presenting a written statement to the Secretarysetting forth the reason for such action. Resignation shall be effective onlyif in writing and shall become effective when tendered. It will be recorded inthe minutes of the next meeting.

6.2. The removal of any officer or member shall be done in the followingmanner:

A written complaint settingforth reasons for removal and signed by at least fifty percent (50%) of themembership which shall be presented to an officer of the association;

Removal will be discussed at thenext meeting of the association and;

After discussion, a vote shallbe taken to determine the issue of removal and removal shall occur through amajority vote of the membership present.

6.3. The appointment of anyofficer or member shall be done in the following manner:

·                                Nominations must be submitted by an active APALSA officer(executive board or regional representative) and each candidate must be amember from a chapter in good standing.

·                                Candidates must submit a “statement of interest” and a “statementof qualifications” (i.e. resume).

·                                Two weeks after the nomination, a telephone conference will beheld for voting.

·                                Proxy voting is allowed.

·                                To be appointed, the candidate must have 2/3 vote from existingofficers.

ARTICLE VII. MEETINGS

7.1. Meetings shall be held monthly on any day of the year as called by theofficers. Meetings shall be held during Conference Calls or Online asnecessitated by time and financial restraints. 

7.2. Motions to be presented for consideration on the floor can be made by anymember or officer present at meetings. Discussions on motions will be made onlyafter a motion is seconded by another member or officer. The presiding officerat the meeting shall entertain all reasonable discussion on the motion,including the tabling of the motion until a future meeting, before thepresiding officer calls for a vote on the motion. Motions, including the motionto table a motion, are passed by a majority vote of those who are present. Itshall be at the sole discretion of the presiding officer at the meeting todecide on taking a voice vote, a hand vote, or a secret ballot on any motion.

7.3. Motions to approve the minutes from the previous meeting can be made atany time by any member or officer present at meetings without a need for asecond. Motions to approve minutes shall follow the procedures as stated inArticle 7.2 of this Constitution.

7.4. The President shall be the presiding officer at all meetings unless suchduty is delegated by him/her to the Vice President with notice given to thesecretary before the start of the meeting.

ARTICLE VIII.NON-DISCRIMINATION POLICY

8.1. It is the policy of the National Asian Pacific American Law StudentsAssociation not to discriminate on the basis of sex, handicap, race, color,age, religion, veteran status, or national or ethnic origin.

ARTICLE IX. AMENDMENTS

9.1. The Association may provide for the amendment of the constitution in thefollowing way.

·                                Refer to Article VII.

·                                Amendment proposals may be made at any meeting of theAssociation by majority vote of all members present, provided that prior noticehas been given to the Secretary. Such proposed amendment will become effectivein the next meeting’s approval of the minutes by majority vote or;

·                                Amendments may be made at any time when emergency so requires,by a unanimous vote of the officers (which shall include a vote by thePresident) and shall be considered temporary for a thirty (30) day period oruntil the next meeting is possible in order to ratify or delete such amendmentthrough the reading of the minutes.