Constitution
LAW SOCIETY
University of The West Indies at The College of The Bahamas
Preamble
The Law Society is mainly comprised of students enrolled in the Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) programme of The University of The West Indies at The College of The Bahamas.
Article I: The Executive Committee
1. The Law Society shall be governed by an Executive Committee comprised of Officers elected in accordance with the procedures outlined in Article III.
2. Each class year shall be entitled to participate in annual elections for the Executive Committee.
3. Executive Committee Officers must meet the Law Society membership requirements outlined in Article II in order to appear on a ballot. Executive Committee Officers may be removed from office pursuant to Article IV.
4. In addition to any authority granted by this Constitution, the Executive Committee shall have the following authority and responsibilities:
i. To express its opinion on matters of general or specific concern to the members of the Law Society;
ii. To create committees as it deems necessary to carry out its duties and responsibilities;
iii. To collect membership dues from any person wishing to become a member of the Law Society, and to preface voting rights on the payment of such dues;
iv. To conduct referenda on matters of interest to the Law Society membership if proposed by any member of the Law Society;
v. To impeach an officer or remove any member pursuant to Article V, and to remove a member of the Executive Committee pursuant to two-thirds vote of the Law Society membership;
vi. To convene a General Meeting as often as the Officers see fit during the academic year, on a day and time to be determined by the Executive Committee, or in conjunction with a Law Society event already scheduled;
vii. To convene Special Meetings to consider any matter of particular concern to the Executive Committee or any member of the Law Society;
viii. To make known in advance to the student body all General and Special Meetings and conduct such meetings in public;
ix. To maintain and support Law Society services and equipment;
x. To keep all Law Society members informed as to upcoming activities, as well as other opportunities for participation.
5. The Law Society Executive Committee shall consist of the following Officers, to be elected pursuant to Article III each year:
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i. President
ii. Vice President –Public Service and Events
iii. Secretary
iv. Treasurer
v. Public Relations Officer
vi. Class Representatives
vii. Committee Representatives
Article II: Qualifications for Membership
1. Subject to the provisions of this Constitution, any student enrolled in the Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) programme of The University of The West Indies at The College of The Bahamas is eligible to be a member of the Law Society and serve as an Executive Committee Officer without regard to race, color, gender, religious beliefs, sexual orientation, physical disability, or national origin. Membership is not limited to LL.B participants, but in some instances may be extended to members of the legal community and otherwise. This may be considered observer membership.
2. Law Society members must agree to uphold the principles of the Law Society, abide by the roles as set forth in this Constitution and as ordered through the legislative mechanism provided by this Constitution, and must refrain from any actions or statements that are not congruent with the character and intent of the organization.
3. Non-compliance with this Article shall constitute sufficient grounds for refusing eligibility to any individual to run in any election or for revoking the eligibility of any individual. The Executive Committee shall have final authority in the verification of these credentials.
Article III: Election Procedures
1. During the second week of the fall semester, the Executive Committee shall schedule, announce, and conduct the first general meeting of the academic year. During this meeting, dues shall be collected. The Executive Committee shall then schedule general meetings of the Law Society in accordance with the provisions of Article I.
2. Each March, the Executive Committee shall schedule and announce the date of elections for the Executive Committee for the following year. In the absence of an Executive Committee, due to unforeseen circumstances, a transition team may be assembled at the discretion of the Director of U.W.I. / C.O.B. LL.B programme and / or the immediate past Faculty Advisor of the Law Society. The election shall be conducted within twenty-eight calendar days of the announcement. A majority of the Law Society members must be present and will elect Executive Committee Officers. In the event of a tie, a run-off election will be held. The new Law Society Executive Committee shall take office at the first General Meeting of the following academic semester.
3. Class and Committee Representatives of Year 1 LL.B participants may be elected within the first four weeks of the Fall semester in order to encourage their participation. This vote is limited to first year students alone.
4. Only members of the Law Society at the time the elections are conducted may present themselves for office, and only those members who were serving as Executive Committee Officers at least ninety calendar days before the date of the elections may present themselves for the offices of President and Vice President, respectively. In the unlikely event that there are no eligible members of the Law Society or Executive Committee to serve in Officer positions, eligibility may be extended to the general student body of the LL.B programme.
5. Upon notification that an Executive Committee Officer is unable or unwilling to fulfill his or her duties, the President shall fill the vacancy in accordance with the provisions of Article IV.
6. The Executive Committee will be responsible for announcing and conducting any referenda considering amendments to this Constitution. With the exception of the stipulation outlined in Article 3(2) of this Constitution.
7. Protests of election results or procedures shall be made to the Executive Committee in writing. The Executive Committee shall have sole responsibility for tallying votes, scheduling run-off elections, and declaring winners. Decisions of the Executive Committee are final. The Executive Committee shall make a written report of any protest and its disposition and shall present its report at the next General Meeting.
Article IV. The Executive Committee Officers
1. The Law Society President shall preside over an Executive Committee, which shall consist of the following officials:
i. President
ii. Vice President - Public Service and Events
iii. Secretary
iv. Treasurer
v. Public Relations Officer
vi. Class Representative
vii. Committee Representatives
2. The Law Society President will oversee the entire organization, including but not limited to:
I. Serving as the liaison between the Law Society and both the Law Faculty and the surrounding communities;
II. Selecting a faculty sponsor for the entire academic year before fall semester of that year, or otherwise maintaining the established faculty sponsor from the previous year;
III. Scheduling all appropriate meetings, including the Executive Committee elections, with the approval of the Executive Committee;
IV. Overseeing the election of new Executive Committee Officers;
V. Timely submitting any budget proposals necessary to promote the activities of the office of Law Society President to the Law Society Secretary/Treasurer; and
VI. Submitting a tentative agenda and mission statement to the Executive Committee before the first general meeting of the fall semester.
3. The l Law Society Vice President - Public Service and Events shall:
. Serve as the representative of the Law Society in seeking and maintaining partnerships with community organizations dedicated to providing relief to communities and community members;
i. Establish a partnership with at least one community service organization, or maintain a preexisting partnership throughout the academic year;
ii. Contribute to providing for the participation of the Law Society membership in a community service activity at least once a month during the academic year; and
iii. Assist the Law Society President in all duties related to that position as outlined in Article IV;
iv. Timely submit any budget proposals necessary to promote the activities of the office of Law Society Vice President - Public Service and Events to the Law Society Treasurer; and
v. Assume the duties related to the position of l Law Society President, or any other Executive Committee Officer, in cases of emergency or absence, as outlined in Article IV.
vi. Design, organize, and implement events related to the study of law and the legal profession, but specifically involving members of the bar and bench, and career preparatory advice and activities;
vii. Prepare two such events per semester with the assistance of the Executive Committee Officers, or other members of the Law Society;
viii. Design, organize, and implement at least one field excursion per academic year to any destination intimately related to the study of the law;
ix. Assist the Law Society President in all duties related to that position as outlined in Article IV;
x. Timely submit any budget proposals necessary to promote the activities of the office of Law Society Vice President – Public Service and Events to the Law Society Treasurer; and
xi. Assume the duties related to the position of Law Society President, or any other Executive Committee Officer, in cases of emergency or absence, as outlined in Article IV.
4. The Law Society Secretary shall:
Act as the record keeper for the Law Society; maintain an accurate account of all Law Society proceedings and accurate membership records.
Act as the record keeper for the Law Society; maintain an accurate account of all Law Society proceedings and accurate membership records.
5. The Law Society Treasurer shall:
. Be responsible for the allocation of all funds relating to Law Society events;
i. Timely submit the Law Society budget to the Student Affairs Office (Campus Life);
ii. Act as the liaison between Law Society and the Student Affairs Office (Campus Life) in all matters pertaining to the financial affairs of the organization (so far as they relate to any grant received from Student Affairs Office (Campus Life))
6. The Law Society Class Representatives and Committee Representatives shall:
. Assist all other members of the Executive Committee in any capacity requested and required; and
i. Assume the duties related to the position of any other Executive Committee Officer, in cases of emergency or absence, as outlined in Article IV.
7. With the consent of a majority of the Executive Committee Officers, the President may appoint such other members of the Law Society as deemed necessary to serve on the Executive Committee for that academic year. Executive Committee appointees may be relieved from the Council at any time by the President, with a majority of the Law Society body voting in support.
8. The Officers of the Executive Committee shall meet monthly, either in person or by e-mail with all Officers responding to an original message sent by the President, during the academic year, except when such meetings are prevented due to Faculty of Law recess. The monthly meeting may be waived if a three-fourths majority of the Executive Committee votes to do so, for reasons thereafter reported at the next General Meeting. The Executive Committee may periodically choose to invite other Law Society members or the general public to attend their meetings, but only those Executive Committee Officers listed above shall have the power to vote on any Executive Order or other issue.
9. Executive Committee members may delegate unto Law Society members such tasks as may be deemed necessary, proper, and expedient in pursuance of the power and responsibilities listed herein, and the Executive Committee may organize ad hoc committees to conduct specified tasks in pursuance of the powers and responsibilities listed herein or as approved by the Executive Committee.
10. If at any time a vacancy shall occur on the Executive Committee, the Law Society President may, with the advice of the Executive Committee, appoint another member to fill the vacant office until the next General Meeting. A retainer vote shall be taken at such time, and the appointed member shall be retained as a member of the Executive Committee for the term of the original holder’s office, unless a majority of those members eligible to vote elect not to retain said member.
Article V. Impeachment and Expulsion
1. Upon introduction of a Resolution for Impeachment or for Expulsion, the Law Society Executive Committee shall convene an impeachment or expulsion hearing no sooner than five but no later than ten school days after the resolution is introduced if a two-thirds majority of those present votes to hold a hearing. The accused Law Society Officer or member and each member of the Law Society Executive Committee shall be given a written statement of the charges and specifications before the impeachment or expulsion hearing is convened.
2. The Law Society President or the Executive Committee may appoint an independent commission to investigate the charges and specifications and that commission’s findings shall be made available to the Law Society membership at the impeachment hearing. In any event, the Law Society President and the Executive Committee shall review all charges and specifications and each member of the Executive Committee shall make a recommendation to the Law Society membership to approve or not approve the resolution. In the event a member or members of the Executive Committee is (are) the subject(s) of charge(s) and specification(s) for impeachment, a simple majority of the Law Society membership may appoint an independent commission in accordance with this section.
3. The Executive Committee shall determine the format for each hearing, but in every case the accused shall be consulted as to the format of the hearing; shall enjoy the right to be represented by counsel; shall have the right to address the Law Society membership and present evidence at the hearing; shall have the right to confront the sponsors of the impeachment or expulsion resolution; and shall enjoy the right to vote on the resolution.
4. No hearing shall consider charges against more than one person at a time, and with the exception of the Law Society President, Officers facing both impeachment and expulsion charges must be given an opportunity to separately address each resolution. For the Law Society President, an impeachment resolution shall be treated as an expulsion resolution.
5. At the conclusion of the impeachment or expulsion hearing, the Law Society membership shall vote, and if three-fourths of the entire Law Society membership votes in the affirmative, the resolution shall pass.
Article VI. Amendments
1. Any member of the Law Society may propose an amendment to this Constitution, and discussion of such amendment shall be placed on the agenda for the General Meeting immediately following the meeting at which the amendment is first proposed.
2. Upon the written petition of thirty-five percent or more of the Law Society membership, the Executive Committee shall call a Convention for considering amendments to this Constitution.
3. The Law Society President and Executive Committee shall review all proposed amendments and shall make a recommendation to the Law Society membership to approve or not to approve any amendment.
4. Any amendments to this Constitution proposed in accordance with 1 or 2 of this Article shall become effective only with a majority of the Law Society membership in attendance at a Special Election, and ratification by a three-fourths majority of those members voting occurs.
Article VII. Ratification
1. This Constitution shall be ratified upon the affirmative vote of all of the Executive Officers or Transition Team as stipulated in Article 3(2) of this Constitution of the Law Society and three fourths of the current student membership voting at an election called to consider its passage.
2. Once ratified, this constitution shall come into effect immediately.
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