DBA Young Lawyers Division Bylaws
Article 1. Name and Purpose
1.1 Name
This committee shall be known as the Young Lawyers Division of the Denver Bar Association (hereafter "Division").
1.2 Purpose
The purpose of this Division shall be:
1.2.1 To stimulate the interest of young and recently admitted lawyers in the objectives of the Denver Bar Association.
1.2.2 To promote professional and social understanding and cooperation among young and recently admitted lawyers.
1.2.3 To contribute to the educational and professional advancement of all lawyers in general and young and recently admitted lawyers in particular.
1.2.4 To take such other action and perform such other functions as may be deemed appropriate.
Article 2. Membership
2.1 Eligibility
All members of the Denver Bar Association in good standing, whether active or inactive, under the age of thirty-seven (37), or who have been admitted to their first bar less than five years shall be members of this division.
2.2 Termination of Membership
Membership in this division shall terminate automatically at the end of the Fiscal Year (defined below) within which a member attains thirty-seven (37) years of age or five years after admission to his or her first bar, whichever shall occur last; or upon such person's ceasing, prior to that time, to be a member of the Denver Bar Association.
Article 3. Council
3.1 Composition
The governing body of the Division shall be a Council, to be known as the Young Lawyers Executive Council, consisting of eleven (11) members appointed from among the membership of the Division.
3.2 Duties of Council
The Council shall have general supervision and control of the affairs of the Division, subject to the provisions of the Constitution and By-Laws of the Denver Bar Association
3.4 Termination of Council Membership
Each of the Council shall provide advance notice to a Council Officer if they are unable to attend a Council meeting. If any member of the Council shall fail to attend three (3) successive meetings of the Council, or a total of four (4) meetings during any Fiscal Year, the Chair or a majority of the Council shall issue and order to show cause why the office should not be vacated, when other circumstances so warrant. Should such members fail to provide timely notice in writing of special circumstances excusing their absences, or other performance issues, acceptable to a majority of the other members of the Council, the member's office shall be vacated. Any member of the Council may resign at any time by sending a written notice of such resignation to the Secretary of the Division. The resignation shall take effect upon receipt by the Secretary.
3.5 Vacancies
Any vacancy on the Council may be filled from among members of the Division, by appointment, upon a majority vote of the Council members. A Council member so appointed will serve only the unexpired term.
3.6 Eligibility of Council Members
A member of the Division in good standing, whether active or inactive, is eligible for election to the Council so long as he or she is an eligible member, as defined in Section 2.1, at the time of his or her election to the Council.
3.7 Nominations and Appointments
Any person wishing to be appointed to the Executive Council may indicate their candidacy by submitting a letter of interest to the Chair, or the Chair’s designee, in the form as set forth in The Docket, by the deadline publicized in The Docket.
The Secretary shall collect the letters of interest, and present the letters of interest to the Council for a vote by the Council. The Chair or the Secretary shall provide Council members at least seven (7) days prior notice by any reasonable means before the meeting at which the Council will vote on the candidates.
3.8 Timeline
Solicitation of candidates will appear in the April issue of The Docket; candidates will be asked to submit their names in time for a vote by the Council at the May meeting. Successful candidates will be notified in May, and announced in the July issue of The Docket. This timeline will be followed except as otherwise determined by a majority of the Council members.
Article 4. Officers
4.1 Offices
The officers of the Council shall be Chair, Chair-Elect, Secretary and Treasurer. Officers of the Council shall be deemed to be officers of the Division.
4.1 Duties of Officers
4.1.1 Chair
The Chair shall preside at all meetings of the Division and of the Council and shall perform such duties and acts as usually pertain to his or her office. He or she shall prepare an annual report of the activities of the Division for submission to the governing board of the Denver Bar Association. In addition, the Chair shall serve as a voting member of the Board of Trustees of the Denver Bar Association.
4.1.2 Chair-Elect
The Chair-Elect shall perform the duties of the Chair in the absence of the Chair at any meeting of the Division or of the Council. In addition, the Chair-Elect shall serve as the alternative voting member of the Board of Trustees of the Denver Bar Association.
4.1.3 Secretary
The Secretary shall be the custodian of all books, papers, and other property of the Division and shall act as secretary of all meetings of the Division of the Council, and shall give notices as may be required by these By-Laws. He or she shall update these By-Laws to conform with amendments adopted by the Council.
4.1.4 Treasurer
The Treasurer shall keep an accurate record of all moneys received, appropriated, or expended for use of the Section and shall provide this information to the Council at the monthly Council meeting.
4.1.5 Immediate Past Chair
The Immediate Past Chair of the Council may, at his or her option, remain as an ex officio member of the Council, to assist the Chair in whatever capacity the Chair may designate.
4.2 Election of Terms of Office
The officers shall be elected for one-year terms by the Council members; provided that after the expiration of his or her term as Chair-Elect, the Chair-Elect shall automatically be elected to the Office of Chair of the Council. The officers shall be elected from among the members of the Council. The Chair-Elect shall be elected at the June meeting of the Council. The remaining officers shall be elected no later than the following September monthly meeting. In the event of a vacancy in any office, the Council shall fill such vacancy by electing a member to serve for the unexpired term.
Article 5. Meetings
5.1 Annual Meeting
An annual meeting of the Division may be held at any appropriate time during the year. There shall be at least ten (10) days’ notice of the time, date and location of such meeting to members of the Division and such notice shall be printed in The Docket.
5.2 Special Meetings
Special meetings of the Division may be called by the Chair upon approval of the Council at such time and place as the Council may determine or upon the written petition of twenty-five (25) members of the Division. Such meetings, when called, shall be held at such time and place as the Council may determine. There shall be at least ten (10) days’ notice of the time, date, location and purpose of such special meeting to members of the Division. Such notice shall be mailed to the last known address of each member of the Division and shall be deemed given three (3) days after being sent via regular mail or one (1) day after being sent via overnight courier.
5.3 Regular Council Meetings
The Council shall meet one (1) time per month at such time and location as determined by the Council members. No separate prior notice shall be required for regular meetings.
5.4 Council Special Meetings
Special meetings of the Council may be called by the Chair or by three (3) members of the Council, at any time, provided that unless each Council member has been given seven (7) days’ prior written or oral notice of the meeting. An absence from this meeting shall not count as an absence for purposes of Article 3.4. The meeting shall be held at such time and place as may be designated in the notice.
5.5 Voting in Absence of a Meeting
When not assembled, the Council may act upon written submission by a majority vote of all of the members.
5.6 Quorum and Voting
Fifteen members shall constitute a quorum at any meeting of the Division and a majority of the Council shall constitute a quorum at any meeting of the Council. All binding action of the Division, or of the Council, shall be by a majority vote of the members present at any meeting at which a quorum is in attendance. Robert’s Rules of Order shall govern the proceeding.
5.7 Meetings by Electronic Communication
Any of the Council members may participate in any meeting by any means of communication by which all persons participating in the meeting may hear each other during the meeting provided such Council members notify the Chair or Chair-Elect at least one day before any such meeting that they will be attending the meeting via electronic communication. A Council member participating in a meeting by this means is deemed to be present in person at the meeting.
Article 6. Committees
6.1 Committees
The Council may appoint committees and define their duties.
6.2 Function of the Committees
The Council or individual members as designated by the Council shall work with and assist Committees of the Division in performing the functions of the Committee. The Council shall act upon requests made by the various Committees and shall act to approve or disapprove reports of the Committees and the requests for appropriations from andlor action by the Denver Bar Association. The Council shall function to coordinate the various Committees of the Division with other Sections and subcommittees of the Denver Bar Association
Article 7. Amendments
7.1 Amendments
These By-Laws may be amended by a vote of two-thirds (2/3) of the members of the Division at any duly constituted meeting of the members or by a vote of two-thirds (2/3) of the Council members present at any dulyconstituted meeting of the Council. Any proposed amendment must be submitted in writing to all Council members or members, as applicable, seven (7) days prior to the meeting at which the amendment is to be presented.
Article 8. Miscellaneous
8.1 Fiscal Year
The fiscal year of the Division shall be from July 1 through June 30 (“Fiscal Year”) to assure uniformity with the Denver Bar Association and its other Sections. The terms of the members of the Council shall be concurrent with the Fiscal Years.
8.2 Conflicts of Interest
No action taken by the Council shall be void or voidable solely because the action will adversely affect a Council member and that Council member is present at or participates in the meeting which approves or ratifies the action, or solely because the affected Council member’s vote is counted for such purpose if the Council in good faith approves or ratifies the action by the affirmative vote of a majority of the disinterested Council members, even though the disinterested Council members are less than a quorum. The interested Council member may be counted in determining the presence of a quorum at a meeting of the Council which approves or ratifies the action.