The Virginia State Bar is comprised of all attorneys licensed to practice
law in Virginia.
The officers of the Virginia State Bar shall be a President, a
President-Elect, an Immediate Past President and a Secretary-Treasurer.
The term “Secretary-Treasurer,” “executive director,” and “Executive
Director” refer interchangeably to the same position throughout these
bylaws.
Sec. 1.
The Secretary shall give thirty days' notice of annual meetings of the
bar, and such notice of special meetings of the bar as the Executive
Committee shall prescribe in its call. Meetings of the organization shall
be held at such times and places and after such notices as may be
prescribed by the appropriate provisions of Section IV, Rules of the
Supreme Court for the Integration of the Virginia State Bar and Council
Bylaws.
Sec. 2.
A quorum at any such meeting shall be as set forth in the Court Rules.
Sec. 3.
The program and order of business at any meeting of the Virginia State
Bar, unless otherwise ordered by the Council, shall be determined by the
president in consultation with the president-elect and the executive
director.
Sec. 4.
Proceedings at any such meeting shall be governed by Roberts Rules of
Order, except that no member shall without unanimous consent speak more
than twice on any one subject nor more than five minutes at any one time.
Sec. 5.
Voting at any such meeting shall be viva voce with each active member
present entitled to vote, unless at least ten active members shall either
before or immediately after such vote demand a vote by judicial circuits
on a roll called in numerical order. In the latter event, each circuit
shall be entitled to one vote for each twenty-five active members or
fraction of twenty-five registered in that circuit. When a vote by
circuits is ordered, the active members present from each circuit shall
cast the entire vote to which such circuit is entitled. If there be a
division among the active members present from any circuit as to how the
vote of such circuit shall be cast, the vote of such circuit shall be
divided and cast in proportion to the vote on such division, unless such
circuit at a meeting of its members shall have adopted and caused to be
certified to the Secretary a resolution providing that the entire vote of
such circuit shall be cast as a majority of the active members from that
circuit present and voting shall determine.
Provided, however, that in any election for the office of president-elect,
voting shall be viva voce unless more than one candidate shall be duly
nominated, in which event voting shall be by ballot as provided in Article
III above.
Sec. 6.
An active member shall be deemed to be registered in the circuit where he
or she is entitled to vote for a member of Council provided that for the
purpose of this section, no member may change his or her registration
within five days preceding a meeting of the organization. At the opening
of the meeting the Secretary shall post in a conspicuous place a list
showing the number of votes to which each circuit is entitled and shall,
upon the request of a member of any circuit, also post a list of the
active members officially registered in that circuit. The lists so posted
shall be conclusive as to the number of votes to which each circuit is
entitled and as to the active members registered in each circuit, provided
that any interested active member challenging the correctness of any such
list, either as to the number of votes to which a circuit is entitled or
as to the circuit in which an active member is registered, may appeal to
the floor; but the circuits or members affected shall not vote on such
appeal.
Sec. 1.
Unless otherwise provided in the Supreme Court Rules, by action of
Council, or elsewhere in these by-laws or the by-laws of Council, all
committees shall be appointed by the president, who shall have power to
determine the size and composition of the committee and to designate the
chair thereof and to fill any vacancy therein.
Sec. 2.
A majority of any committee shall constitute a quorum.
Sec. 3.
In addition to the Executive Committee, district committees, and standing
committees specified in the by-laws of Council, there shall be special
committees to carry out the other ongoing work of the bar, and study
committees, where appropriate in the judgment of the president, to examine
and make recommendations on specific proposals or programs within a
reasonably brief and discrete period of time.
Sec. 4.
Members of special committees shall be appointed to three-year terms, with
the exception of the Special Committee on Lawyer Malpractice Insurance
whose members shall be appointed to five-year terms. No member shall serve
more than two consecutive terms on such a committee. A member appointed to
fill an unexpired term shall be eligible to serve two additional full
terms. An eligible member wishing to be reappointed to a special committee
shall be required to reapply in writing prior to the end of his or her
current term under procedures established by Council and administered by
the executive director. If any member of a committee fails to attend
either three meetings during any bar year or two successive meetings of
the committee without providing an explanation satisfactory to the
committee chair, or in the case of a lawyer member, is declared not in
good standing with the Virginia State Bar, such person’s position shall
automatically be considered vacated and filled as in the case of other
vacancies.
Sec. 5.
In making initial appointments to new special committees, the president
shall appoint members to one, two and three-year terms so as to allow for
the retirement or reappointment of one-third of the membership of each
special committee at the end of each bar year.
Sec. 6.
Effective July 1, 1996, the size of special committees shall be as
specified by Council. A list of the committees and their respective sizes
shall be maintained by the executive director. Changes in the size of
special committees may be approved by the Executive Committee.