Official Bylaws of the College of William and Mary School of Law Military Law Society

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ARTICLE I - NAME

The name shall be the Military Law Society.

ARTICLE II - PURPOSE

The Military Law Society is a student-run organization dedicated to promoting knowledge and awareness of military law issues in America's Armed Forces. Membership in the military is not necessary. The Society is open to all individuals who wish to study the interface between the military, the government, and the legal system.

ARTICLE III - MEMBERSHIP

§3.1 Classification - Membership shall be Honorary, Regular, and Associate.

§3.2 Honorary - Honorary members shall consist of those individuals of distinction who are elected unanimously by the Board of Officers because of outstanding and noteworthy service to their community, country, or to the Law School. Honorary Members shall not be required to be graduates or former students of the Law School and shall not be required to pay dues.

§3.3 Regular - Any student of the Law School shall be eligible for Regular Membership.

§3.4 Associate - Any member of the Law School staff or faculty shall be eligible for Associate Membership.  This includes the society’s faculty advisor.

§3.5 Only Regular Members shall have voting rights.

§3.6 Resignation and Expulsion.

3.6.a Resignation - Any member may resign at any time by giving written notice to the Board of Officers. Such resignation shall take effect at the time specified therein or, if no time be specified, upon receipt. Resignation shall not entitle a member to return of any dues paid by him or her.

3.6.b Expulsion - At a meeting duly called in accordance with the By-laws, a member may be expelled for cause by a two-thirds vote of a quorum of all Regular Members. An expelled member may be reinstated by a vote of a majority of a quorum of Regular members at a meeting duly called in accordance with the By-laws.

ARTICLE IV - BOARD OF OFFICERS

§4.1 The governance and management of the society shall be vested in an executive body of at least 5 and not more than 10 of its Regular Members known as the Board of Officers. On all questions of interpretation of the By-laws or other rules of the society, the decision of the Board of Officers shall be final unless rescinded by the society at the Annual Business Meeting or at a special meeting called for the purpose. The Board of Officers shall have the authority to invest the society's treasury in whole or in part in the manner it deems prudent to achieve maximum growth with reasonable safety.

            §4.2 In the event of dissolution of the Military Law Society, all funds and property remaining clear and unencumbered following final receipts and disbursements will be offered to the following organizations in order of priority listed. This list is established to provide alternates in the event of dissolution of the primary organization(s).

            4.2.a William & Mary Student Bar Association.

            4.2.b William & Mary Public Service Fund.

            §4.3 The President, Vice-President, and Treasurer shall be elected each year at the Annual Business Meeting of the society by a majority vote. In the case of a tie, balloting shall continue until all vacancies have been filled.

            §4.4 Each year the President, Vice-President, and Treasurer serving shall nominate one candidate for each of the outgoing Officers’ vacancies.  Other nominations may be made from the floor at the Annual Business Meeting with the consent of the person being nominated.

            §4.5 Meetings of the Board of Officers may be held during the academic year while classes are in session at the call of the President. A quorum of the Board shall consist of three members, one of whom shall be either the President or Vice-President.

            §4.6 Special meetings may be held at any time upon call of the President, the Vice President, or any two members of the Board. At such meetings, business will be confined to that specified in the call for the meeting.

            §4.7 The Board shall establish operating committees as it deems necessary.

            §4.8 The Board shall submit a report of the affairs of the society, with the expenditures of the past year and an estimate of the expenses for the coming year, at each Annual Business Meeting. It shall report at other times if called upon to do so by ten or more members in writing.

ARTICLE V - OFFICERS

            §5.1 The officers of the society shall be a President, a Vice President, a Treasurer, an Alumni Affairs Officer, an Information Technology Officer, an Academic Officer, and such other officer or officers as the Board may from time to time determine.

            §5.2 Except for the President, Vice-President, and Treasurer, the society shall elect officers at its first meeting following each Annual Business Meeting of the society.  Officers must win by a majority vote.  In the case of a tie, balloting shall continue until all vacancies have been filled.

            §5.3 The term of office of each officer shall commence immediately.  The term of office is an academic year.  Officers may be re-elected.  With the exception of the President, Vice-President, and Treasurer, officers typically are elected and begin serving at the August society meeting and serve through April.

            §5.4 Resignations shall not be effective until accepted by the Board of Officers.

            §5.5 If a vacancy occurs during the academic year, it may be filled for the remainder of the academic year by a majority vote of a quorum of the society. Failure to attend two consecutive society meetings without justifiable reason shall be deemed grounds for the Board to consider the Officer’s dismissal.

            §5.6 President. The President shall preside at meetings and events of the society.  He shall nominate the chairmen of committees established by the Board and shall provide for the appointment of other committee members.  He shall supervise the elections of all officers and perform such other duties as the Board of Officers may assign him.  The President must work with the leaders of the Student Bar Association, the admissions office, public and private organizations, and other student organizations to promote the goals of the society.

            §5.7 Vice President. The Vice-President shall have such powers and duties as prescribed by the President and will discharge the duties of the President in his absence.  Aid and assist President in all Society activities.  Responsible for scheduling regular meetings and setting the agenda.  Reports on participation in and success of all society activities.  Aids President in developing yearly goals and activities for the society.  Keeping a roster showing the names and addresses of all members of the society.

            §5.8 Treasurer. The Treasurer shall be the custodian of the funds of the society and shall be responsible for the following: Collecting dues and event/activity fees.  Disbursing the funds to defray expenses authorized by the society or the Board of Officers.  Reimbursing members for use of their personal funds for appropriate society expenses.  Reporting the status of the funds at each meeting of the Board.  Having his accounts audited under the direction of the Board upon changeover of the Treasurer.  Presenting an annual financial report to the society at the Annual Business Meeting.  Submitting the budget to the Student Bar Association

            §5.9 Alumni Affairs Officer (AAO). The AAO is responsible for the maintenance of alumni contacts, including coordination with W&M alumni offices to ensure current alumni records, coordination of alumni social functions, and periodic updates of noteworthy events/accomplishments of alumni.  The AAO also functions as the society’s liaison to the John Marshall Regiment (JMR) and is responsible for coordination of MLS/JMR co-sponsored events and periodic updates of events within the JMR.

            §5.10 Information Technology Officer (ITO). The ITO is responsible for the upkeep and maintenance of the society’s website (http://www.wm.edu/so/mls).  This includes notifying members of the affairs of the society and publishing the list of officers and the By-laws.  The ITO handles inquiries received through the website and for posting relevant information to the website for public use.  The ITO is also responsible for Student Activities Resource Area (SARA) training and use of equipment in the William and Mary Campus Center, maintaining the society’s computers, and any other technical equipment needs, training concerns, and other duties assigned by the President.

            §5.11 Academic Officer (AO). The AO is responsible for organizing and keeping an inventory of the outlines and study aids already on file with the society and is also responsible for gathering new outlines and study aids from current members. At the end of each semester, the AO should contact the members of the organization to get electronic forms of their outlines. The outlines should be organized by subject and professor. The AO should send a list of the available outlines at the beginning of each semester to the ITO for publication on the website. The AO will distribute copies of any outline to regular members upon request.

            §5.12 In the event of the temporary absence of an officer, another member of the society appointed by the President may perform these duties.

ARTICLE VI - MEETINGS

            §6.1 The Annual Business Meeting of the society for election to the Board of Officers, and other business as prescribed in the By-laws, shall be held annually in conjunction with the last society meeting of the academic year, typically in April, or on such date as determined by the President.

            §6.2 Special meetings of the society may be called by the President or upon the written request of ten Regular Members. At least the Vice President shall give seven days notice to members.  Regular society meetings are normally held monthly.

            §6.3 A quorum at any regular meeting of the society shall consist of 10 percent of the Regular Membership. If any meeting of the society does not reach a quorum, another meeting shall be called within 10 days.

            §6.4 Business may be transacted as follows:

            6.4.a At the Annual Business Meeting, or

            6.4.b At any special meeting, but such business shall be limited to that specified in the call for the meeting, or

            6.4.c At any regular meeting by unanimous consent of the members present.

            §6.5 The order of business at the Annual Business Meeting of the society shall be as follows:

            6.5.a Ascertainment of the presence of a quorum.

            6.5.b Financial report.

            6.5.c Annual report of the preceding year's activities and suggestions by the retiring officers.

            6.5.d Unfinished business.

            6.5.e Election of the President, Vice-President, and Treasurer.

            6.5.f. New business.

            6.5.g Adjournment.

            §6.6 The order of business at special meetings shall be the same except the financial and annual reports and the election of the President, Vice-President, and Treasurer are not included.

ARTICLE VII – COMMITTEES

            §7.1 The President may appoint regular members to chair or serve on the following committees:

            7.1.a Financial and Budget Committee.  The Financial and Budget Committee shall prepare a financial program for the society at the beginning of each academic year and shall work with the Treasurer in obtaining the necessary funds for the society.

            7.1.b Program Committee.  The Program Committee will prepare and recommend to the Board a program of activities for the coming year to include dates and places for these activities.

            7.1.c Resolutions Committee.  The Resolutions Committee shall be responsible for periodic review and recommended revision of the By-laws and for the preparation or review of resolutions proposed for adoption by the society. Every third year the Committee will publish a booklet containing the By-laws, past officers, history, and other appropriate items.

ARTICLE VIII - DUES

            §8.1 Under the direction of the Board of Officers, dues shall be used to defray the expenses made necessary in the proper conduct of the affairs of the society.

            §8.2 Membership dues shall be determined annually by the Board of Officers.

            §8.3 The academic year begins the Monday following graduation and ends on graduation day of each year.

ARTICLE IX - AMENDMENTS

Amendments to or changes in By-laws may be made at any meeting of the society by a two-thirds vote of a quorum or members represented by proxy. Such proposed amendments and changes shall, however, be considered only when the Vice-President shall have distributed copies of the same to the members at least seven days prior to the meeting.

Disclaimer: The Military Law Society is NOT a military law aid society. We CANNOT provide legal advice. None of us are lawyers yet, and we cannot legally provide advice, even if we have the answers. Thanks!

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This page last updated on 18 Oct 2006.