NOTICE OF 2016 ANNUAL MEETING
Annual Meeting. The 2016 WACDL Annual Meeting will be held at the Potawatomie Hotel and Casino in Milwaukee at 6:00 P.M. on July 8, 2016. All members are invited to attend. Members wishing to suggest items for the agenda should contact the Executive Director, Peter McKeever, at wacdl@wacdl.com.
Proposed Amendments to WACDL Bylaws. Several amendments to the Bylaws of WACDL have been proposed and will be presented for consideration at the Annual Meeting. The proposed amendments are described in the enclosed materials.
Annual Election. We are electing officers of the Association for two year terms of office expiring at the annual meeting in 2018. We are also electing one directors from each judicial district for a three year term expiring in 2019. Ballots will be distributed soon.
NOTICE OF PROPOSED CHANGES TO WACDL BYLAWS
HIGHLIGHTS
Attached are the bylaws changes recommended by the Ad Hoc Bylaws Committee for consideration by the membership at WACDL’s July 8, 2016 Annual Membership Meeting in Milwaukee.
Submitting Comments in Advance of the Meeting.
To make the meeting go more smoothly, we suggest that members review these proposed changes and submit comments in writing to WACDL Executive Peter McKeever by June 30, 2016, at wacdl@wacdl.com. You can also come to the meeting to discuss and vote on the changes, and discuss the proposed bylaws changes on the listserve as you wish.
These changes are being submitted as a package, but any part of it can be amended at the Annual Meeting. Once any amendments are discussed and voted on, the package as amended will be voted on by all members present at the Annual Meeting. A majority of the votes cast prevails.
Some Highlights of the Proposed Changes.
Many of the proposed changes are to clarify and update language. For example, we have tried to eliminate or at least reduce the use of “shall” unless the context specifies who is being directed to act.
There are some substantive changes, too.
Provisions relating to the removal of officers and directors for habitual absence were described as “automatic,” and so were never used -- who determines when someone should be removed because they never come to meetings? The proposed changes create a procedure for the Board to consider whether to remove a truant officer or director after notice and an opportunity to be heard.
The bylaws currently allow removal of officers, directors or members by Board votes ranging from a simple majority to a 3/4 majority. The proposed changes standardizes the required vote at a 2/3 majority, consistent with Roberts Rules of Order, which the membership adopted as the governing procedure in the 2012 bylaws revisions. The proposed changes also create a right of notice and an opportunity to be heard for anyone who is the subject of a motion to remove from office.
The proposed changes also clarify how vacancies are filled, conforming to current practice where the President appoints and the Board ratifies. The need for this was demonstrated when Vice-President Amelia Bizzarro left Wisconsin to practice in Nevada, and it turned out there was no process to fill that vacancy.
The proposal also provides that an officer cannot also serve as a Director at the same time. Over time, many officers have retained their district director positions while serving as officers. Because officers are full voting members of the Board of Directors, this meant that a district director’s slot went to waste when it could have been filled by bringing an additional person onto the Board.
The list of standing committees has been pared down from 11 to 7 by combining some and eliminating others that have not acted in years.
We also propose a change in notice to membership of bylaws changes, from publication in the newsletter to notice by electronic means. The newsletter has not been published in years, having been largely rendered obsolete by the listserve and the website. However, about 20% or so of our members do not use the listserve, so the proposal allows the Board to require additional U.S. Mail notice of bylaws changes, which members could then see on the website or request a hard copy from the Executive Director.
Respectfully submitted,
John Tradewell
Michael Cohen
Kirk Obear
May, 2016
WACDL BYLAWS PROPOSED AMENDMENTS
Submitted for July 8, 2016 Annual Meeting
Key—Deleted language indicated by strikethroughs. Added language indicated by underlining. [Bracketed material gives reasons for some of the changes.] Portions of Bylaws not discussed are not amended.
ARTICLE I
Section 2 —
Delete.
Section 3 —
Renumber as Section 2, change last word from “appoint” to “provide.”
[Reason — There is no WACDL Seal. And one does not appoint an office.]
ARTICLE III
Section 1(b)
Delete current language, substitute the following:
Applications for membership in the Association shall be made on a form prescribed by the Board of Directors. Applications are subject to approval by the President. An applicant may appeal rejection of membership to the Board of Directors at the next regularly scheduled meeting. The Board’s decision on the appeal is by majority vote.
[Reason — simplifying and updating language.]
Section 3 —
(a) Any person who shall have has made an outstanding contribution to the public welfare and aided in the achievement of the goals of this Association may be proposed for Honorary Membership by five (5) regular members of the Association.
(b) The proposal for an Honorary Membership must be made in writing, subscribed by five (5) members of the Association and submitted to the President of the Association.
(c) An affirmative vote of the majority of the Board of Directors shall be is required to elect any Honorary Member.
[Reason — simplifying language; eliminating unnecessary “shalls”.]
Section 5 —
VOTING: Each member in good standing shall be is entitled to one (1) vote at the Association’s proceedings. Honorary, auxiliary and law student members shall are not be entitled to vote at any of the Association’s proceedings.
[Reason — archaic use of shall.]
ARTICLE IV
OFFICERS
Section 1. DESIGNATION: The elected officers of the Association shall consist of a President, a President-Elect, a Vice-president and Secretary. In addition to the elected officers of the Association, there shall be appointed by the Executive Committee immediately following the annual meeting of the Association, a Treasurer. The Executive Committee shall appoint a Treasurer, who must be a member in good standing of the Association. The appointment is subject to ratification by majority vote of the Board of Directors. The Treasurer shall have a vote and be on the Executive Committee is a voting member of the Board of Directors and the Executive Committee.
[Reason—Clarifies Treasurer’s status as voting member of the Board and Executive Committee; simplifies description of appointment process.]
Section 2. QUALIFICATIONS: Honorary, auxiliary and law student members shall are not be eligible to become elected officers of the Association. Eligibility for election to office in the Association shall be extended to all other classes and categories of the Membership. All other members are eligible to become elected or appointed officers or the Association.
[Reason — Cleans up and simplifies language.]
Section 3. ELECTION AND TERM OF OFFICE:
(a) Elected Officers: Elected Officers of the Association shall be are elected by the procedure set forth in Article VI of these Bylaws, and shall hold that elected office until the next Membership Meeting or until their successors are elected, unless they resign or are removed pursuant to these Bylaws.
[Reason — Terms of elected officers are not annual, so they may serve beyond the next Annual Meeting, depending on when they are in their term.]
(b) President-Elect: At the end of the term of the President, or if the office of President becomes vacant, the President-Elect shall automatically become becomes President of the Association and shall serve as President for a period of two (2) years in addition to any period of time necessary to fulfill the unexpired term of his/her predecessor, who may have died, resigned or been removed from office.
[Reason -- clarifies/simplifies language.]
Section 4. REMOVAL: In addition to the provisions of Section 5 of this Article, an officer may be removed for cause by a 2/3 majority vote of the Board of Directors at the next lawfully called meeting, after notice and a reasonable opportunity to be heard. The procedure to be used in removals for cause shall be that which is set out in Article V, Section 11 (REMOVAL).
[Reason — Simple majority changed to 2/3 majority consistent with Roberts Rules of Order (See Article VII Section 1). Creates right to notice and opportunity to be heard.]
Section 5. ABSENCE: An officer shall not accept office unless that person intends to attends all regularly scheduled Board meetings called in the absence of unless excused by the President or his/her designee for reasons of illness, personal problems, or official court business, or other reasons in the discretion of the President. In any event, that person shall be officially excused by the President, or his/her designee forty-eight (48) hours before required attendance. Failure to be officially excused twice during that person’s term shall be an automatic may be grounds for forfeiture of the office, and the unexpired term shall be filled by majority vote of the Board of Directors at the next lawfully called meeting. The Board may order the office forfeited due to absence by 2/3 majority vote, after notice to the officeholder. If the office forfeited is the President or President-Elect, vacancies are filled as provided for in Article IV, Section 6.
[Reason -- Automatic forfeiture is unworkable -- who decides? This proposed change establishes a process, including right to notice and opportunity to be heard.]
Section 6. DUTIES OF ELECTED OFFICERS: The duties and powers of the elected officers of the Association shall be as follows:
- President: The President shall be is the Chief Executive Officer of the Association, and it shall be It is his/her responsibility to oversee and coordinate the activities of the Association and to preside at its meetings. He/she shall be the spokesperson for the Association and whenever practicable, shall publicly appear for the Association and speak its policies. He/she shall organize the annual meetings of the Association at the place designed by the Board of Directors. He/she shall have responsibility for all facets of said meetings upon asking and receiving the advice of the Board of Directors.
The President may appoint successors to fill the unexpired terms of elected officers and directors, subject to ratification by the Board.
The President shall have the authority to may discontinue committees (other than standing committees listed in Article XIII) and to appoint or remove the committee Chairpersons and other committee members. The President may create ad hoc committees to address particular issues relating to the interests, purposes and objectives of the Association. The duties of the President shall include overall responsibility for serving as The President is an ex officio member to of all Committees.
(b) President-Elect: The President-Elect of the Association shall assist the President in the performance of his/her duties and shall also perform such other duties as may be prescribed for him/her as directed by the Board of Directors
In the case of the absence of the President, he/she shall act as Chief Executive Officer of the Association.
At the end of the President’s term the President-Elect becomes President.
If the office of President becomes vacant before the end of his/her term, the President-Elect becomes President for the unexpired portion of his/her predecessor’s term, as well as the two-year term to which the President-Elect was elected.
In case of the death of the President or in the event of his/her resignation or removal from office, the powers and duties of the President shall devolve upon the President-Elect who shall conclude the term of office of the President in accordance with the provision of these By-Laws.
[Reason -- clarifies that the President-Elect becomes President if the President leaves office, rather than just covering the President’s duties.]
(c ) Vice President: The Vice President shall assist the President and the President-Elect in the performance of his/her and their duties and perform such other duties as may be prescribed for him/her directed by the Board of Directors.
` In the event of the death, incapacity, resignation, or removal from office of both the President and President-Elect, the Vice President shall fulfill the unexpired term of both officers and assume the duties of the office of the becomes President.
(d) Secretary: The Secretary shall attend and keep minutes of all meetings of the Association and shall have other powers and perform such other duties as are incident to the office of the Secretary or as may be assigned to him/her from time to time by the Board of Directors or by the President.
Section 7. DUTIES OF THE APPOINTED OFFICERS: The duties of appointed officers are:
(a) Executive Director: The Executive Director shall be the managing officer of the Association and it shall be his/her responsibility to effectuate the policies of the Association as dictated by the Board of Directors.
Within limits defined by the policies of the Board of Directors, he/she shall be empowered to do all of the day-to-day acts and make all of the day-to-day decisions which shall, in his/her discretion be deemed necessary to the achievement of the ends of the Association.
The Executive Director shall:
(1) Supervise, engage or dismiss in his/her discretion, the subordinate employees of the Association;
(2) Organize and facilitate the annual meeting of the membership and all regularly scheduled meetings of the Board of Directors;
(3) Report to the President, either by mail or in person each month;
The Executive Director shall serve at the pleasure of the Board of Directors and may be required to execute a surety bond in an amount and at such time as the Board of Directors determines. The Association shall bear the cost of any required bond.
(b) Treasurer: That person The Treasurer shall serve at the pleasure of the Board of Directors and at the expense of the Association. The duties of the Treasurer are to shall maintain the funds and pay the obligations of the Association as directed by the Board of Directors. The Treasurer may, at the discretion of the Board, be required to execute bond in an amount fixed by the Board of Directors so as to insure the safety of the funds of the Association. The Association shall bear the cost of any required bond.
Section 8. EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE. The purpose of the Executive Committee of the Wisconsin Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers shall be is to act on Association business and transactions during the interim periods between Board of Director’s meetings. The members of the Executive Committee shall consist of are the President, Immediate Past President, President-Elect, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer. The Executive Committee shall be charged with the duty of reviewing review applications for the position of Executive Director of the Association. The Executive Committee shall, prior to the annual meeting of the Association, review the performance of the current Executive Director and determine whether he/she shall be recommended for a successive term of office retention.
ARTICLE V
ARTICLE V
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Section 1. NUMBER OF MEMBERS: The Board of Directors shall consist of 25 members of the Association, in addition to members of the Executive Committee., as follows:
(a) Twenty district directors, comprised of two (2) members selected from each of the state’s ten (10) judicial districts. The appropriate judicial district may be determined by a candidate’s principal office or his/her residence.
(b) There will be f Five (5) at large members of the Board of Directors selected from the membership at large. These members will be appointed by the Board of Directors at the first meeting following the board members’ general election. At large directors are appointed by the President, subject to ratification by the Board.
Section 2. POWERS: The Board of Directors shall manage the business and affairs of the Association. Any act of a majority of the voting Directors present at a meeting shall be the act of the Board of Directors, except as otherwise provided by these Bylaws.
[Reason -- “Otherwise provided” refers to some provision requiring a 2/3 majority, rather than a simple majority.]
Section 3. TERM OF OFFICE:
(a) The term of office for district directors shall be three (3) years.
(b) The five (5) “at large” directors shall serve for a term of office of (2) years. At large directors serve until the Annual Meeting occurring after election of officers.
Section 4. ABSENCE: A director shall not accept office unless that director intends to attend all meetings.
Section 5. REMOVAL FOR ABSENCE. A Director will may be deemed to have resigned forfeited his/her position as director unless he/she if he/she fails to attend attends at least two Board meetings each year, unless he/she has submitted in writing an excuse and it has been approved excused by the President. Removal under this section is by 2/3 majority of the Board of Directors, on motion with notice to the director affected. Any unexpired term of a Director who has resigned shall be declared vacant and shall be filled by a majority vote of the Board of Directors at the next lawfully called meeting. The request for reinstatement may be made either by the Director deemed to have resigned or by another Director. The President may appoint a successor to serve out the unexpired portion of the removed director’s term, subject to ratification by the Board.
[Reason -- establishes procedure for removal based on repeated absence and filling vacancy created by removal.]
Section 5. FORFEITURE: When a seat on the Board of Directors has been declared vacant, the following procedure shall govern when the Board member contests his/her removal:
(a) The Secretary shall notify that person of forfeiture of his/her seat on the Board of Directors. A response and request for personal appearance must be submitted to the President within thirty (30) days of the date the notice was mailed.
(b) Copies of the response shall be provided to all members of the Board of Directors.
(c) The Board of Directors may vote to reinstate a Board Member by a Majority vote of those in attendance at the next regular meeting of the Board of Directors.
(d) The unexpired term of a Board Member who is not reinstated shall be filled by a majority vote of the Board of Directors.
Section 6. QUORUM: At each meeting of the Board of Directors, a majority of the voting members of the Board shall constitute a quorum of the transaction of business.
Section 7. DEFINITION OF “MAJORITY QUORUM”: For the purpose of determining the presence or absence of a quorum, duly elected Past Presidents of the Association (except the Immediate Past President) shall not be counted. All Past-Presidents of the Association, however, shall be eligible to vote at all regular and Board of Director’s meetings of the Association as long as they are members in good standing. (Members in good standing are members whose yearly dues are paid.)
[Reason — corrects title of section, which deals with quorum; the Immediate Past President is a member of the Executive Committee, and so is a full member of the Board.]
Section 8. ORGANIZATION: The President of the Association shall serve as Chairman of the meetings of the Board of Directors. In the absence of the President, the President-Elect shall serve as Chairman. The Secretary of the Association shall act as Secretary of the Board of Directors.
[Reason -- Chairman? Not in the 21st Century.]
Section 9. PROCEDURE: The Board of Directors may act at meetings.
Section 10. MEETINGS: The Board of Directors shall meet immediately after the annual meeting of the Association at the site of the annual meeting. There should be at least four (4) regular meetings during the year at a location determined by the Board of Directors. The Board may meet by phone, or by other agreed upon electronic means.
Section 11. REMOVAL: A Director may be removed for cause by a vote calling for such removal by three-quarters (3/4) 2/3 vote of the members of the Board of Directors, after notice and a reasonable opportunity to be heard.
[Reason -- conforms level of majority needed for removal of directors with Roberts Rules of Order and that required for removal of elected officers.]
ARTICLE VI
NOMINATIONS AND ELECTIONS
Section 1. NOMINATING COMMITTEE: The President-Elect shall appoint a Nominating Committee consisting of at least five (5) members of the Association, three (3) of whom shall not be officers of the Association and, if practical, none of whom shall be from the same Judicial Circuit. The President-Elect shall designate the Chair Person of such committee. Honorary and Auxiliary members shall not be eligible to serve on the committee. The duty of the Nominating Committee shall be to nominate candidates for election as Directors and Officers at the next annual meeting of the Association.
The President shall appoint a nominating committee from the membership of the Association, consisting of between one and three members, at least one of whom is not a current member of the Executive Committee. The Nominating Committee shall nominate a slate of candidates for election as district directors and elected officers of the Association at the regularly scheduled elections.
[Reason — conforms to longstanding practice of usually only having one Board member act as nominating committee.]
Section 2. NOTICE: The Executive Director shall send a copy of a list of candidates and the names of the petitioned candidates to the last recorded address of each voting member simultaneously with the notice of the annual meeting.
Section 3. OTHER NOMINATIONS: Any member of the Association qualified to vote may nominate any other member qualified to hold office by forwarding to the Executive Director, a written petition for such nomination signed by any member in good standing no later than forty-five (45) days prior to the said annual business meeting. The Executive Director shall, immediately upon receipt of the nominations by petition, notify each opponent of such candidacy by telephone, mail or email.
[Reason -- removes redundancy.]
Section 4. ELECTIONS COMMITTEE: The President shall appoint an Elections Committee of no less than five (5) members, none of whom shall be from the same Judicial Circuit. The Committee shall promulgate fair rules for conducting the elections, which rules must be approved by the Board of Directors at its regular meeting not less than seventy-five (75) days preceding the annual meeting of the Association. It will be the duty of the Elections Committee to count the valid ballots and certify the results to the Chair Person of the Elections Committee. Upon a majority vote of the Board of Directors this duty may be delegated to the Executive Director.
ADMINISTRATION OF ELECTIONS: The Executive Director shall administer the elections of the Association, subject to direction by the Board of Directors and Executive Committee.
[Reason -- conforms to longstanding practice.]
Section 5. VOTING: Written ballots shall be mailed The Executive Director shall mail written ballots to members in good standing no later than thirty-five (35) days prior to the annual meeting of the Association. Ballots, to be valid, must be received by the Executive Director from the members no later than five (5) days before the annual meeting of the Association to be valid. Each member, in good-standing, shall be entitled to one vote for each contested race. A plurality of votes cast shall elect. The Secretary shall announce the voting results at the annual meeting of the Association.
Section 6. No person may serve as a Director and Officer of the Association at the same time.
[Reason — This change addresses practice of elected officers also taking up a director slot. This will open up slots for new blood on the Board. And it’s not like an officer can vote twice…]
Article VII
MEETINGS RULES
Section 1. RULES OF MEETINGS: All Membership and Board of Directors Meetings shall be conducted in accordance with Robert’s Rules of Order, unless otherwise provided herein. All Executive Committee meetings may be conducted in accordance with Robert’s Rules of Order, upon proper motion
Section 2. Construction. These Bylaws shall be strictly liberally construed in favor of the objectives, purposes and policies of the Association.
[Reason — Consistent with current practice, and strict construction of the Bylaws would hamper day-to-day operations of the Association.]
Section 3. TIME AND PLACE: The Board meetings of the Association shall be held at such time and place as may be fixed by the Board of Directors. Special meetings may be called at any time by the President or by a majority of the Board of Directors.
Section 4. MEETINGS DEFINED: As used herein, Membership Meetings refer to the Annual Meeting of the Association. Board of Directors Meetings refer to those meetings specifically organized and called in accordance with the enumerated sections set forth herein these Bylaws.
[Reason -- simplifies language.]
Section 5.QUORUM FOR MEMBERSHIP MEETINGS: Those members who are eligible to vote and are present at any Membership meeting of the Association shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business at said meetings.
Section 6. QUORUM AND MAJORITY FOR BOARD MEETINGS: The number necessary to constitute a quorum for the transaction of Association business at a Board Meeting is governed by Robert’s Rules of Order. In order to determine a quorum for Board of Directors Meetings, Officers members of the Executive Committee and Directors of the Association in attendance shall be counted. For the purposes of determining the majority vote at a Board of Directors Meeting, all other past presidents of the Association shall be eligible to vote as long as their yearly dues are paid. For purposes of transacting Association Board business, all Officers members of the Executive Committee are shall be included as members of the Board of Directors and shall be are entitled to vote.
Article VIII
no changes
Article IX
FINANCES
Section 1. ANNUAL DUES: The Board of Directors shall set the annual dues of for all classes of membership shall be set by the Board of Directors in the Association.
Section 2. PAYMENTS OF DUES:
(a) New Members: Dues are payable upon tendering of an application for membership and its acceptance.
(b) Old Members: Dues are payable in advance of the new fiscal year.
Article X
No changes.
ARTICLE XI
AMENDMENTS TO THESE BYLAWS
Section 1. NOTICE: These By-Laws may be amended by a majority vote of the members who are eligible to vote and are present at any annual or semi-annual meeting PROVIDED that copies of each proposed amendment shall have been mailed to all members present and eligible to vote, or published in an issue of the Association’s official journal, or posted on the Association email list and website at least ten (10) days in advance of the annual or semi-annual meeting at which such action is proposed to be taken.
Section 2. WAIVER: The notice required by Section of this Article can be waived by the unanimous vote of those members present and voting at such annual meeting.
ARTICLE XII
ARTICLE XII
VACANCY
In the event that an Officer, Officer-Elect, or Director is incapable of serving and will remain so for a substantial period of his/her time term, such person shall may be deemed to have vacated his/her office. The Board shall determine vacancies, after notice, at the next scheduled meeting of the Board. A two-thirds majority is required to declare an office or directorship vacant. The determination of said vacancy shall be made by a majority of the voting members of the Board of Directors actually present at the scheduled meeting. The vacancy so created shall may be filled in accordance with these By-Laws.
ARTICLE XIII
STANDING COMMITTEES
Standing Committees shall have a membership of not less than three (3) persons who are members in good standing and shall be appointed to such position by the Present-Elect thirty (30) days before the commencement of his term as President. Persons so appointed shall serve during the same term as President. The Standing Committees shall be:
The President may appoint members of the following standing committees:
(a) Amicus Curiae
(b) Annual Meeting/Seminars
(c) Finance
(d) Lawyer’s Assistance Lawyers’ Strike Force
(e) Legislature
(f) Nominating
(ge) Public Relations and Legislative Affairs
(h) Newsletter/Publications
(if)
(f) Liaison with Law Students and other Bar Organizations
(j) Criminal Justice Ethics
(k)
(g) Membership Services
The members of the standing committees appointed shall serve for the duration of the term of the President who appointed them, unless removed earlier under Article IV Section 6(a) of these bylaws.
The President may create additional committees as needed under Article IV, Section 6(a).
ARTICLE XIV
NOTICE OF AMENDMENTS TO BY-LAWS
When and if these By-Laws are amended, The Executive Director shall give notice of such amendments shall be given to all members in good standing in the next edition of the Association Newsletter. by posting the Bylaws as amended on the membership email listserve and the Association website. The Board of Directors may also require the Executive Director to send additional notice via U.S. Mail to the Members.
[Reason -- The newsletter is no longer an appropriate vehicle for notice because it is moribund, a victim of the success of the email listserve and website. This proposed change provides an alternative process for notice, and allows the Board to require notice by mail because some members may not be on listserve. For example, the Board might require postcard notice to members that the new bylaws are on the website, or tell them they can request a hard copy. This will save postage and trees.]
Respectfully submitted,
WACDL Ad Hoc Bylaws Committee
John Tradewell
Michael Cohen
Kirk Obear
May 2016
Notice of Proposed Amendment to WACDL Bylaws
Women’s Caucus
Attorney and WACDL Board Member Amanda Riek has proposed amending the WACDL Bylaws to provide for a Women’s Caucus. That proposed amendment follows:
Proposed Amendment to WACDL’s Bylaws,
ARTICLE XV
WOMEN’S CAUCUS
Section 1. Creation and Name: A section of WACDL composed of women lawyers shall be established within the Association. The name of the section shall be "The WACDL Women’s Caucus."
Section 2. Eligibility: All new or active women members of WACDL shall automatically be enrolled as members of the WACDL Women’s Caucus.
Section 3. Purpose: The purpose of the WACDL Women's Caucus is to promote and encourage female lawyers’ participation in WACDL.
Section 4. Mission: The mission of the WACDL Women’s Caucus is to:
- advance WACDL’s Mission,
- broaden the membership base of WACDL to include women by informing them of WACDL’s membership services and Mission,
- provide a support system of women lawyers to network, socialize, form professional relationships and develop female leadership for WACDL,
- identify and promote women to committees and offices within WACDL,
- play an instrumental role in WACDL activities including legislative and political efforts, and continuing legal education programs,
- strive to provide positive role models as women lawyers and provide fellowship and mentorship to newly-licensed female lawyers who embark on a career of law.
Section 5. Policy: This section shall have no authority to formulate or disseminate policy, to take a public position on a public issue or to obligate or attempt to obligate WACDL without prior written approval from the WACDL Executive Committee.
Section 6. Appointments: The Executive Committee shall confer any rights, benefits and privileges of section membership under this bylaw, as well as approve additional requirements for membership in this unit. The Executive Committee of WACDL shall have the authority to expand or contract the organizational structure of the Women’s Caucus. The President-Elect of WACDL shall serve as the director of the Women’s Caucus and shall report regarding it to the Executive Committee of WACDL. The President-Elect of WACDL, in consultation with the members of the Women’s Caucus, shall appoint members in good standing of the WACDL Women’s Caucus to serve as chairperson and vice-chairperson of the section. These appointments shall be made at the time of each annual meeting of WACDL.