Portions of the Bylaws for the Section on
Pro Bono and Public Service Opportunities

Membership:
Membership in the section is open to faculty members and professional staff of a law school that is a member of the AALS. Associate membership is open to any other person who is concerned with the teaching, administration and improvement of legal education in pro bono and public service.

Privileges of Members:
Regular members may be officers of the section and may vote in a section election. Associate members may participate in the programs, meetings and activities of the section, but may not vote or hold office in the section.

Officers:
The officers of this section are the chair and the chair-elect. The chair-elect shall be elected at each annual meting of the AALS, shall qualify by acceptance and shall succeed to the office of chair at the close of the next annual meeting. An officer shall serve until a successor has been elected and qualified.

The Executive Committee:
The Executive Committee of the section is the chair of the section, chair-elect and three other members elected annually; secretary, treasurer and a standing member of the section. The Executive Committee shall act on behalf of the section in the interval between annual meeting and may create standing and special committees.

Currently, the Section on Pro Bono and Public Service Opportunities has an Executive Committee, Nominations/Membership Committee, Planning Committee for the Section's Program at the Annual Meeting, Planning Committee for the Pro Bono Service Project at the Annual Meeting and a Committee on the Selection of Pro Bono/Public Service Awards.

Filling Vacancies:
If an officers or other member of the Executive Committee resigns, becomes ineligible to serve or dies, the position shall be promptly filled. If the position of chair becomes vacant, the chair-elect becomes the chair. If the position of chair-elect becomes vacant, the chair, with the advice and consent of the other members of the Executive Committee, shall appoint a person to serve as chair-elect until the next annual meeting of AALS at which time both a chair and a chair-elect shall be elected. If the position of a member of the Executive Committee becomes vacant, the chair, with the advice and consent of the other members of the Executive Committee shall appoint a person to the position to serve until the next annual meeting of the AALS.

Standing Committees:
(a) The Standing Committees of the Section are the Nominating Committee, Awards Committee, Annual Meeting Program Committee, Service Project Committee and the Section Newsletter Committee. The Standing Committees shall report to the Executive Committee and the Chairs of the Standing Committees shall serve as ex officio members of the Executive Committee.

(b) The Nominating Committee (1) shall solicit from section membership the names of potential nominees for section officers and executive committee members; (2)shall consider the suitability of the potential candidates for office and select nominees; and (3) shall report the names of the nominees to the section chair.

(c) The Annual Meeting Program Committee (1) shall determine the nature, format and content of the section program for the next annual meeting; (2) shall arrange for speakers, participants and materials for the annual meeting and (3) shall notify section members regarding the annual meeting.

(d) The Service Project Committee (1) shall determine the nature, format and content of the service project for the next annual meeting; (2) shall arrange for the implementation of the service project for the annual meeting and (3) shall notify section members regarding the service project.

(e) The Awards Committee shall supervise the nomination and selection of the recipients of the Section's two annual awards. The Awards Committee will be made up of five members, the chair and chair-elect of the section and three other members of the section not currently on the Executive Committee. The purpose of these Awards is to honore those who have dedicated significant efforts towards increasing access to justice through the law school environment and to inspire similiar efforts from others. The intent is to honor those who personally design and manage pro bono programs, those leaders in legal education who promote these programs, and those who personally give of their time and talents in pro bono service.

Each year at the Annual Meeting the Section will honor two individuals with the Deborah L. Rhode and Father Robert Drinan Awards. The Rhode Award will be awarded to a full-time faculty member or Dean who has made an outstanding contribution to increasing pro bono and public service opportunities in law schools through scholarship, leadership, or service. The Drinan Award will be presented to an individual, whether full-time faculty or not, who has forwarded the ethic of pro bono service through personal service, program design or management.

The Award Competition will be announced through the Section's listserv, its newsletter and/or the AALS Newsletter. Nominations may be made by any member of the AALS. Nominations will be accepted until October 31 of each year and the selection shall be made by November 30.

Amendments:
These amendments may be amended at the annual meeting of the section by a majority of the regular members of the section present and voting. The amendment takes effect when it is approved by the AALS.