Constitution and By-Laws of the Georgia Bar Association Revised by Special Committee appointed at the Amended and Adopted at the Twenty-fourth Annual Meeting, Tybee Island, May 30 and 31, 1907 CONSTITUTION. ARTICLE I. The object of this Association shall be to advance the science of jurisprudence, promote the administration of justice, uphold the honor of the profession of the law, and establish cordial intercourse among the members of the bar. This Association shall be known as The Georgia Bar Association. ARTICLE II. All members of the bar of this State in good standing shall be eligible to membership in this Association. The Governor, the Justices of the Supreme Court, Judges of the Court of Appeals, the Attorney General and the Judges of the Superior and City Courts of this State, and the Judges of the Federal Courts resident in this State, and the Clerks of the Supreme Court and of the Court of Appeals, shall, so long as they remain in office, be honorary members of this Association, with all the rights and privileges of regular members without liability for dues. ARTICLE III. The officers of this Association shall consist of a President, five Vice-Presidents, a Secretary and a Treasurer. There shall also be an Executive Committee composed of the President, Secretary, Treasurer and four members to be chosen by the Association, one of whom shall be chairman of the Committee. These officers and the members of this Committee shall be elected at each annual meeting for the year ensuing; but the same person shall not be elected President two years in succession. All such elections shall be by ballot, The officers and members of the Executive Committee so elected shall hold office from the adjournment of the meeting at which they are elected until the adjournment of the next succeeding annual meeting, and until their successors are elected and qualified according to the Constitution and By-Laws. ARTICLE IV. At the meetings of the Association all elections to membership shall be by the Association upon the recommendation of the Executive Committee. All elections for members shall be by ballot. Five negative votes shall suffice to defeat an election to membership. Except during the meetings of the Association, the Executive Committee shall have power to elect members of this Association. ARTICLE V. Each member shall pay five dollars ($5.00) to the Treasurer as annual dues. Payment thereof shall be enforced as may be provided by the By-Laws. ARTICLE VI. By-Laws may be adopted, repealed or amended at any annual meeting of the Association, by a majority vote of the members present; provided, that the number voting for such amendment shall not be less than twenty-five. ARTICLE VII. The following committees shall be annually appointed: 1. On Legislation. 2. On Jurisprudence, Law Reform and Procedure. 3. On Federal Legislation. On Interstate Law. On Legal Education and Admission to the Bar. 4. 5. 6. A vacancy in any office or committee provided for by this Constitution shall be filled by appointment by the President, and the appointee shall hold office until the next meeting of the Association. ARTICLE IX. The Executive Committee, when the Association is not in session, shall be invested with all the powers of the Association needful to be exercised and not inconsistent with the Constitution and By-Laws of the Association. ARTICLE X. This Association shall meet annually at such time and place as the Executive Committee shall select, and those present at such meeting, not less than twenty-five, shall constitute a quorum. The Secretary shall give thirty days' notice of the time. and place of the meeting. ARTICLE XI. Any member of the Association may be suspended or expelled for misconduct in his relation to this Association or in his profession, on conviction thereof in such manner as may be provided by the By-Laws. ARTICLE XII. This Constitution may be altered or amended by a vote of three-fourths of the members present at any annual meeting, but no such change shall be made except upon the concurrent vote of at least thirty members. BY-LAWS. ARTICLE I. The President shall preside at all the meetings of the Association, and shall open each meeting with an annual address. In case of his absence, one of the Vice-Presidents shall preside. ARTICLE II. The Secretary shall keep a record of all meetings of the Association, and of all matters of which a record shall be deemed advisable by the Association, and shall conduct the correspondence of the Association. He shall notify the officers and members of their election, shall keep a roll of the members, and shall issue notices of all meetings. His salary shall be three hundred dollars ($300.00) per annum. ARTICLE III. The Treasurer shall collect, and under the direction of the Executive Committee, disburse all funds of the Association. He shall report annually, and oftener if required. He shall keep regular accounts, which shall at all times be open to the inspection of members of the Association. His accounts shall be audited by the Executive Committee. He shall execute a bond with good and sufficient security, to be approved by the President, payable to the President and his successors in office, in the sum of two thousand dollars ($2,000.00) for the use of the Association, and conditioned that he will well and faithfully perform the duties of the office. The cost of this bond shall be paid by the Association. The Treasurer's salary shall be one hundred and fifty dollars ($150.00) per annum. ARTICLE IV. The Executive Committee shall meet upon the call of the chairman. They shall arrange the program for the annual meetings and make such regulations, not inconsistent with the Constitution and By-Laws, as shall be necessary for the pro tection of the property of the Association, and for the preservation of good order in the conduct of its affairs. They shall keep a record of their proceedings, and shall report at the annual meeting of the Association. They shall examine and report upon all matters proposed to be published by the authority of the Association, and attend to the publication and distribution of the same. ARTICLE V. At each annual, stated or adjourned meeting of the Association the order of business shall be prescribed by the Executive Committee, except as provided in these By-Laws. This order of business may be changed by the vote of a majority of the members present. ARTICLE VI. All applications for membership in the Association shall be in writing, signed by the applicant, and addressed to the Executive Committee. The application shall be endorsed by a member of the Association, and shall be accompanied by the first year's dues. ARTICLE VII. In pursuance of Article VII of the Constitution, there shall be the following standing committees: 1. A Committee on Legislation, consisting of three members, to be appointed by the President during the session of the Association. This committee shall prepare for legislative action such matters requiring legislation as may have received the approval of the Association. It shall further be the duty of this committee to make due presentation of such proposed legislation to the appropriate Legislative committees or bodies. 2. A Committee on Jurisprudence, Law Reform and Procedure, who shall be charged with the duty of reporting such amendments of the law as in their opinion should be adopted and of scrutinizing all proposed changes in the law, and when necessary reporting upon the same. It shall also be the duty of this committee to observe the practical working of the judicial system of this State and recommend such changes therein as observation or experience may suggest. |