ARTICLE
I
NAME AND PURPOSE
1.1 Name. The name of the Division shall be the
Young Lawyers Division of the Oklahoma Bar Association (the "Division").
1.2 Purpose. The purpose of the Division shall
be:
(a) To stimulate the interest of members of the Division in the
activities, objectives and purposes of the Oklahoma Bar Association.
(b) To encourage study and the interchange of thought and material
among members of the Division pertaining to the problems, duties
and responsibilities of members of the legal profession.
(c) To provide members of the Division with a more effective means
to participate in activities directed toward improving the administration
of justice and promoting involvement in public service activities.
(d) To promote cooperation and fellowship among members of the
Division, to coordinate the activities of members of the Division
in the Oklahoma Bar Association, and to provide an organization to
further the interests of members of the Division.
(e) To assist law students in preparing for the practice of law
and to assist new members of the Bar in establishing themselves in
the practice of law.
(f) To perform and carry on such activities as may be assigned
to the Division by the Board of Governors of the Oklahoma Bar Association.
ARTICLE II
MEMBERSHIP
2.1 Eligibility. All members of the Oklahoma Bar
Association in good standing who were first admitted to the practice
of law in any jurisdiction 10 years ago or less.
2.2 Termination of Membership. Membership in the
Division shall terminate automatically on the latter of: (1) the
end of any term of office or position of which a member is elected
or appointed to while the member meets the eligibility requirements
of Section 2.1; or (2) the end of the calendar year within which
a member has been admitted to practice for ten years. Membership
in the Division shall also terminate upon a member’s ceasing,
before that date, to be an active member of the Oklahoma Bar Association.
ARTICLE III
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
3.1 Composition. The Board of Directors shall
be composed of a Chairperson, Chairperson-Elect, immediate Past-Chairperson,
twenty (20) voting Directors and the ex-officio members provided
for in subparagraphs (c), (d) and (e). The Directors and ex-officio
members are as follows:
(a) One (1) Representative from each Supreme Court Judicial District,
with the districts containing Oklahoma and Tulsa Counties each having
two (2) additional Representatives, and
(b) Seven (7) At-Large Representatives, five of whom are to be
elected at large from the Division without regard to geographic residence
and two of whom are to be elected from counties other than Oklahoma
and Tulsa counties.
(c) One (1) ex-officio, non-voting member for each young lawyers'
affiliate division or section of any county bar association in Oklahoma.
This ex-officio member shall be the chairperson of the affiliate
or his/her designee.
(d) One (1) ex-officio, non-voting member of the
OBA Law Student Division, who will be either the Chair of the Division
or his/her designee.
(e) One (1) ex-officio, non-voting member for the student bar association
of each law school in Oklahoma. Said ex-officio member shall be the
American Bar Association Law School Division representative of that
law school or his/her designee.
(f) One (1) ex-officio, non-voting member for the American Bar
Association/Young Lawyer Division District Representative for the
district including the State of Oklahoma.
3.2 Duties of Board of Directors. The Board of
Directors shall have general supervision and control of the affairs
of the Division, subject to the provisions of the Constitution and
Bylaws of the Oklahoma Bar Association. The Board of Directors may
adopt policies, rules and/or procedures to govern the administration
of the Division.
3.3 Election and Terms of Directors. Directors shall
be elected for a two (2) year term by the membership of the Division
pursuant to the election procedures set forth in these Bylaws. In
even numbered years, one (1) Director shall be elected from Judicial
District Nos. 1, 3, 5, 7 and 9, two (2) Directors shall be elected
from District 6, and three (3) additional Directors shall be elected
at-large (one of which is an at-large Rural seat). In odd numbered
years, one (1) Director shall be elected from Judicial District Nos.
2, 4, 6 and 8, two (2) Directors shall be elected from District 3,
and four (4) additional Directors shall be elected at-large (one
of which is an at-large Rural seat). Any vacancy on the Board of
Directors shall be filled by interim appointment by a majority vote
of the Board of Directors for the balance of the term vacated.
3.4 Eligibility of Directors. In order to be eligible
for election to the Board of Directors, a person must be a member
of the Division in good standing and must be eligible for membership
in the Division for the full term for which elected.
3.5 Meetings of Board of Directors. Meetings of
the Board of Directors shall be at the call of the Chairperson, upon
at least forty-eight (48) hours actual notice to the Directors.
3.6 Removal. The Board of Directors may, by a
two-thirds (2/3) vote of its members, remove any Director from office
if the Director so removed has failed to attend four meetings of
the Board during any calendar year.
3. 7 Term. The term of each Director shall be
the calendar year following his or her election.
ARTICLE IV
OFFICERS
4.1 Officers. The Officers of the Division shall
be Chairperson, Chairperson-Elect, Secretary, Treasurer and Past-Chairperson.
4.2 Election, Qualifications and Duties of Officers.
4.2.1 Chairperson. The Chairperson-Elect of the
previous year shall automatically become the Chairperson of the Division
for the calendar year following his or her term as Chairperson-Elect
and shall serve for a term of one (1) year. In the event that the
Chairperson-Elect for the previous year shall be unable to serve
as Chairperson, then an election for a new Chairperson shall be held
pursuant to the election procedures set forth in these Bylaws. The
Chairperson shall preside at all meetings of the Division and the
Board of Directors and shall perform such other duties and acts usually
pertaining to this office. He/she shall, in addition, act as the
Division's Representative to the Governing Board of Oklahoma Bar
Association and shall prepare a report of the activities of the Division
for the past year for presentation at the annual meeting of the Division
and for submission to said Governing Board.
4.2.2 Chairperson-Elect. The Chairperson-Elect
shall be elected for a one (1) year term by the membership of the
Division pursuant to the procedures set forth in these Bylaws from
any member of the Division having previously served for at least
one (1) year on the Board of Directors of the Division. In the event
that no previous members of the Division's Board of Directors shall
desire to or be eligible for election as Chairperson-Elect, then
any member of the Division shall be eligible for election as Chairperson-Elect.
The Chairperson-Elect shall perform the duties of the Chairperson
at any time the Chairperson is unable to perform such duties and
shall perform such other duties as may be assigned to him/her by
the Chairperson. In addition, the Chairperson-Elect shall coordinate
the activities of the committees of the Division with the committee
Chairpersons, and Director liaisons and regularly report the activities
of the committees to the Chair of the Division.
4.2.3 Secretary. The Secretary shall be elected
for a one (1) year term by the membership of the Division pursuant
to the election procedures set forth in these Bylaws from one of
the Directors elected by the Division to serve on the Board of Directors
for the next year. The Secretary shall keep a true record of the
proceedings of all meetings, give notice of all meetings, make arrangements
for all meetings of the Divisions and Board of Directors and shall
be the custodian of all books, papers, documents and other property
of the Division. The Secretary shall perform such other duties as
may be assigned to him by the Chairperson.
4.2.4 Treasurer. The Treasurer shall be elected
for a one (1) year term by the membership of the Division pursuant
to the election procedures set forth in these Bylaws from one of
the Directors elected by the Division to serve on the Board of Directors
for the next year. The Treasurer shall maintain a record of and safely
keep all funds belonging to the Division.
4.2.5 Past-Chairperson. The immediate Past-Chairperson
of the Division shall be a member of the Board of Directors of the
Division. The immediate Past-Chairperson shall act as Chair of the
nominating committee and shall perform such other duties as may be
assigned to him/her by the Chairperson.
4.3 Vacancies. Any vacancy in office shall be
filled by interim appointment by a majority vote of the Board of
Directors until the next annual election of the Division, at which
time new Officers shall be elected as provided by these Bylaws.
4.4 Term. The term of each Officer shall be the
calendar year following his or her election EXCEPT the Chairperson-Elect
which shall be as above set forth in 4.2.1.
4.5 Removal. The Board of Directors may, by a
two-thirds (2/3) vote of its members, remove any Officer from his/her
office if the Officer so removed has failed to attend four meetings
of the Board during any calendar year.
ARTICLE V
ELECTIONS
5.1 Time and Place of Elections. All elections
of Officers and Directors of the Division shall be held pursuant
to the election procedures as set forth in Section 5.4.
5.2 Nominating Committee. It shall be the duty
of the Chairperson of the Division to select a Nominating Committee
at the mid-year meeting of the Division. The Nominating Committee
shall include the Past-Chairperson and at least two (2) other members
of the Board of Directors. All members of the Nominating Committee
shall be serving their last year on the Board and will not be eligible
for any office or position during the upcoming elections. The Past-Chairperson
of the Division shall serve as the Chairperson of the Nominating
Committee.
5.3 Duties of the Nominating Committee. It shall
be the duty of the Nominating Committee to seek out qualified candidates
for all positions that will become available during the annual meeting.
The Nominating Committee shall publish a description of all available
positions in the Oklahoma Bar Journal during the months of September
and October. Each person wishing to be nominated for any position
shall submit to the Nominating Committee a Petition containing the
signatures of at least ten (10) members of the Young Lawyers Division
of the Oklahoma Bar Association. A Petition must be submitted for
each position each person seeks to be nominated for, except that
a Petition for the position of Director will be valid for both District
Directorships and At-Large Directorships. All Nominating Petitions
must be submitted to the Nominating Committee at least forty-five
(45) days prior to the annual meeting of the Division. It shall be
the duty of the Nominating Committee to publish in the Oklahoma Bar
Journal a list of all persons submitting Nominating Petitions to
the Committee. The Nominating Committee shall prepare a list of all
qualified candidates who have submitted Nominating Petitions and
submit this list to the Division pursuant to the election procedures
in these Bylaws. It shall be the duty of the Nominating Committee
to conduct the election of Officers and Directors of the Division.
5.4 Election Procedure. The election of all Officers
and Directors of the Young Lawyers Division shall be conducted by
ballot prior to the annual meeting. At least thirty (30) days prior
to the annual meeting of the Oklahoma Bar Association the names of
each candidate for any Directorship or Office shall be listed in
the Oklahoma Bar Journal with the pictures and resumes of the candidates.
The Nominating Committee shall have the authority to determine the
space allotted for each candidate in the Oklahoma Bar Journal.
At least thirty (30) days prior to the annual meeting of the Oklahoma
Bar Association, the Nominating Committee shall cause the official
ballot to be distributed in the Oklahoma Bar Journal or other means
determined by the Committee, to each young lawyer at the same address
as he/she receives his/her Oklahoma Bar Journal. All voting young
lawyers will send the ballot to the place designated at least one
(1) week prior to the annual meeting. All ballots must be cast pursuant
to the official election rules and prescribed by the Nominating Committee.
All members of the Division shall be eligible to vote for those
individuals nominated to fill vacancies for the positions of Chairperson-Elect,
Secretary, Treasurer and At-Large Directors. With respect to the
positions of Chairperson-Elect, Secretary and Treasurer, the person
receiving the most votes will be declared the winner. The persons
elected to serve as At-Large Directors shall be ranked according
to the number of votes received. The terms of At-Large Directors
shall be determined on the basis of the number of votes received.
The person receiving the highest number of votes shall serve the
longest term with the person receiving the next highest number of
votes serving the longest term then available until all Directorships
have been filled.
Only those members of the Division who reside in the Supreme Court
Judicial District or County to be represented by a Director(s) other
than At-Large Directors shall be eligible to vote for individuals
nominated to fill a vacancy(ies) for Directors who will represent
such Judicial Districts or Counties.
In the event an election for any Officer or Director shall result
in a tie, the tie shall be broken by the members of the Nominating
Committee casting their vote by secret ballot. In the event that
the Nominating Committee's vote results in a tie, that tie shall
be broken by the Chairperson of the Division casting his vote. The
members of the Nominating Committee and the Chairperson of the Division
shall not be entitled to vote unless there is a tie in the election
for any Officer or Director.
Results of the elections of Officers and Directors as provided
in this section shall be announced at the annual meeting of the Division.
5.5 Challenges. Challenges to nominations shall
be presented by a person with standing to the Chairperson of the
Nominating Committee in writing within three business days after
the close of nominations. Challenges to elections shall be presented
by a person with standing to the Chairperson of the Nominating Committee
in writing within three business days after the results of the elections
are announced at the annual meeting of the Division. A written response
to a challenge shall be offered within three business days after
a challenge is raised. Challenges shall be decided by the members
of the Nominating Committee submitting their vote to the Chairperson
of the Nominating Committee within three business days after the
response is due. Decisions by the Nominating Committee are final.
ARTICLE VI
MEETINGS
6.1 Annual Meeting. The annual meeting of the
Division shall be held in conjunction with the annual meeting of
the Oklahoma Bar Association. At the meeting reports of Officers
and committees shall be delivered. Notice of said meeting shall be
published in the Oklahoma Bar Journal at least two (2) weeks prior
thereto.
6.2 Special Meetings. Special meetings may be
called by the Chairperson or by a majority of the Board of Directors
and shall be called by the Secretary on request of five (5) members
in writing. The time and place of special meetings shall be announced
at least one (1) week in advance by publication in the Oklahoma Bar
Journal.
6.3 Quorum. At all properly called meetings of
the Division, the members of the Division present shall constitute
a quorum for the transaction of business. All meetings will substantially
adhere to generally accepted parliamentary procedures.
ARTICLE VII
COMMITTEES
7.1 The Chairperson, with the approval of the Board of Directors,
shall designate the committees, define their duties and appoint the
committee Chairperson and members.
ARTICLE VIII
AMENDMENTS
8.1 These Bylaws may be amended at any meeting of the Division
by a two-thirds vote of the members of the Board and the Division
present and voting, provided that notice of the substance of the
proposed amendments shall have been published in the Oklahoma Bar
Journal at least two (2) weeks before the meeting.
APPROVED by majority vote of the Division on the 14th day of August,
1993.
APPROVED by the Board of Governors of the Oklahoma Bar Association
on the 27th day of October, 1993.
Amendments Approved by majority vote of the Division on November
16, 2006.
Amendments Approved by the Oklahoma Bar Association Board of Governors
on December 8, 2006.
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