Notice is given that the Association membership will meet at a special called meeting on Saturday, October 19th at 9:30 AM at its Fall meeting at the Greensboro Marriott Downtown, Greensboro, NC, solely to consider the following Law Practice Division Bylaws amendment:
Report of the Executive Committee to Law Practice Division Council
The Executive Committee proposes that the Law Practice Division Council support, and recommend to the Division membership, several amendments to the Division Bylaws:
The first Resolution seeks to establish a new Executive Committee position called “Content Officer”. This position has been informally created for the present bar year pursuant to the Chairs discretion but is therefore not presently an Executive Committee position. The resolution explains the duties and obligations of the position. The Executive Committee believes the Division needs a single person to better coordinate Division content by exercising the duties listed.
The second resolution was borne out of the process undertaken when Council quickly passed a resolution by electronic meeting, followed by electronic vote, this past December. The resolution considered through the process employed at the time was approved overwhelmingly, however the LP Governance Liaison pointed out that certain archaic portions of the process were not undertaken. Because some of the details of the current process for electronic meetings and voting no longer make sense due to advances in technology, the second resolution resolved to amend the electronic meeting and voting processes, and believes the process being recommended is similar to the process used in December.
Each Resolution is to be considered separately:
First Resolution
RESOLVED, that the Bylaws of the American Bar Association Law Practice Division be amended as follows:
1. Section 4.02(a) be deleted in its entirety and replaced with the following:
“Members of the Division’s Executive Committee, including the officers, the immediate past Chair, the Governance Liaison, the Division Delegates, the Division Board of Governors Representative (if any) the Director of Finance and the Content Officer.”
2. Section 4.06 be deleted in its entirety and replaced with the following:
“EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE. An Executive Committee, which shall consist of the Division officers, the immediate past Chair, the Governance Liaison, the Division Delegates to the ABA House of Delegates, the Division Board of Governors Representative (if any), the Content Officer and the Director of Finance, shall have full authority to act for the Division at all times between meetings of the Council.”
3. Section 4.9 be amended to add the following subsection (c):
(c) The Content Officer shall be appointed by the Chair. The Content Officer shall be a person knowledgeable of all Division publications, and generally familiar with other Association content resources and products. The Content Officer shall facilitate communication and collaboration by and among all content delivery boards of the Division, and carry out the following:
A. Communicates regularly with each content delivery board, reporting on the status of the work of each directly to the Division Executive Committee
B. Schedules and leads regular meetings to be attended by all Division content delivery board chairs and vice chairs with the purpose of open communication, collaboration, and to encourage coordination of content development and delivery among the Division content delivery boards.
C. Work with those Division content delivery board chairs and vice chairs who are responsible for day-to-day supervision of Division publications and editorial boards but shall not exercise editorial control over Division editorial boards that have operated historically under a policy of editorial independence.
D. Acts as a liaison between Division content delivery board chairs and Division staff
E. With the input of all Division content delivery board chairs and vice chairs, and in coordination with the Division Strategy and Planning Committee, develops and implements a long-range strategic plan for innovation, coordination and expansion of the delivery of written and electronic content, CLE (and other educational) content, and other committee generated content to Division members.
F. Attends all Division Executive Committee meetings.
G. Communicates regularly with (and where appropriate, is a liaison to) other ABA content producing entities, and the larger ABA leadership with the purpose of: 1) discovering gaps in Division content, 2) seeking collaborative content production opportunities with other ABA entities, or outside organizations, and 3) promoting Division content to the greater ABA communities.