Monday, September 7, 2009

CONSTITUTION


Constitution of the James M. Douglas Board of Advocates
Thurgood Marshall School of Law
Preamble


This document is the Constitution of the James M. Douglas Board of Advocates of Thurgood Marshall School of Law, referred to as BOA in this Constitution. The BOA is a student organization formed to promote the practice of effective trial and appellate advocacy by
sponsoring all mock trials, moot courts, and other dispute-resolution competitions at Thurgood
Marshall School of Law; as well as hosting legal seminars and field trips to enhance the legal
knowledge of all BOA members. The BOA is charged by the Law School with selecting competitions for participation that will best enhance the reputation of the school and the
organization. The BOA also assists in preparing students for participation in national trial and
appellate advocacy competitions, as well as sponsoring seminars and workshops for law students. This educational goal will guide any interpretation of this Constitution. Wherever this
document permits more than one course of action by the BOA, the course of action that best furthers the goal of training law students to be effective advocates will be chosen.

Article. I. MEMBERSHIP

Section 1. General Rules of Membership
Clause 1 Initial eligibility. To qualify for membership on the Board of Advocates, a student must be enrolled at Thurgood Marshall School of Law, be in good standing, and have earned a inimum of five (5) participation points and/or competition points in their 1L year or seven (7) in their 2L year.

Clause2 Continuing eligibility. To maintain eligibility, members of the BOA must
not be on academic or disciplinary probation.

Section 2. Gaining Membership Status

Clause 1. Application. Any full-time student at Thurgood Marshall School of Law
may apply for membership during the annual membership drive in the
Spring.

Clause 2. Acceptance. The outgoing members of the BOA executive board will
review all applications for membership in the BOA. They will grant membership status to all applicants who have earned the required minimum points and have passed an interview conducted by members of the BOA executive board.

Section 3. Retaining Membership Status

Clause 1. Individual member responsibilities. Each member of BOA must fulfill
their BOA responsibilities as assigned, including but not limited to specific position responsibilities, attendance at meetings and staffing competitions, to retain membership status; and

Clause 2. Yearly review . Each BOA member is required to interview each academic year they seek to continue their status as a BOA member.

Section 4. Losing Membership Status

Clause 1. Failure to maintain. Members who fail to retain membership status in
accordance with Section 3 of this Article shall lose their membership status.
Clause 2. Appeal. Members who lose their membership status may appeal the loss of that status to the Executive Council. The appeal must be in writing and submitted to the Parliamentarian. The Executive Board shall act upon the appeal at its next meeting following receipt of the appeal. The Executive Board shall vote on the appeal at that meeting and, by simple majority, shall vote to take one of the following courses of action:

1. Deny the appeal; or
2. Grant a stay of the termination of membership status
contingent upon the performance of specified BOA duties. It will be the responsibility of the individual member to remit to the Executive Board accomplishment of duties assigned to reinstate his
membership status.
Clause 3. Executive Board termination. If any officer on the Executive Board
believes a member has acted in a manner that is a grave departure from conduct expected of a BOA member, the officer may recommend termination of that member’s membership status. The complaining officer must give written notice to the Parliamentarian or Chief Justice of the termination recommendation to member in question. The recommendation shall be voted on by the Executive Board at the next meeting held following written notice to the member in question. The member shall be afforded an opportunity to respond to the recommendation before the Executive Board takes its vote on the recommendation. A two-thirds vote of all officers (excluding the recommending officer, who shall not take part in the vote)
will be necessary to give effect to the recommendation.

Section 5. Moot Court Class.
Third year members of the Executive Board of the Board of Advocates become eligible for enrollment in the Moot Court Seminar for academic credit.

Article II. POINTS

Section 1. Generally. BOA points are used to determine eligibility to join the BOA. There are 2 ways to get points:
1. Compete. If a student competes in a BOA competition they receive 2 points. If
they win such competition they receive 3 points.
2. Volunteer. A student who volunteers to help the BOA or a student team
receives 1 point for each round they volunteer in, with a maximum of 2 points per
competition.
EXAMPLE: Student A is a timekeeper in 1 round of negotiations. Student
A receives 1 BOA point for volunteering. Student B is a timekeeper for 3 rounds of negotiation. Student B receives 2 BOA points for volunteering.
Section 2. Eligibility.
To be eligible to join a first year student must have 5points when applying for membership. To be eligible to join a second year student must have 7 points when applying for membership.

Article III. OFFICERS

Section 1. Executive Board

Clause 1. Composition. The Executive Board shall be composed of the following
officers: Chief Justice, Associate Justice, Of Counsel, Secretary, Treasurer, Associate Treasurer, Parliamentarian, Judge Coordinators (2), Moot Court Coordinators (2), Mock Trial Coordinator, Client Counseling and Negotiation Coordinator, Publicists, and four (5) Associate
Coordinators.

Clause 2. Purpose . The Executive Board shall initiate, plan, establish objectives, adopt goals and program plans for the competitions of the BOA and evaluate the effectiveness of all activities.

Clause 3. Qualifications. To become eligible for positions on the Executive Board, persons must be able to serve one complete academic year, both Fall and Spring semesters. They must have competed in one of the following competitions: a National Moot Court Competition, National Mock Trial Competition, State bar competition, an ABA client counseling competition, or an intramural competition. The Executive Board has the discretion to make exceptions, as it deems necessary.

Clause 4. Appointment. To be considered for an executive position a person
shall request consideration on their application to gain or retain membership. The outgoing Executive Board members shall select the new Executive Board by majority vote. Members seeking an appointment may not participate in the selection process. Final approval of
the new executive board rests with the Faculty Advisor.


Clause 5. Senior Members. Senior Members of the Executive Board of Advocates
are the Chief Justice, the Associate Justice, Of Counsel, Judge Coordinators, the Moot Court Coordinator, the Mock Trial Coordinator, the Client Counseling and Negotiation Coordinator, the Secretary, the Treasurer, and the Parliamentarian.

Clause 6. Vacancies. The Executive Board members shall fill vacancies on the
Executive Board by a majority vote of the remaining Executive Board, except that if the Chief Justice position becomes vacant, the Associate Justice shall automatically ascend to that position.

Clause 7. Involvement. It shall be mandatory for all the officers to attend all the
meetings and functions of the BOA.

Section 2. Executive Board Duties

Clause 1. Generally. The BOA will initiate, plan, and publicize all intramural,
regional, and national advocacy competitions that are sanctioned by Thurgood Marshall School of Law. Coordination of competitions not listed below will be assigned by the Executive Board as they arise. The Executive Board will also establish objectives for, adopt goals for, and
sponsor activities designated for the edification of effective advocacy skills in the student body. The Executive Board will be required to maintain office hours as assigned.

Clause 2. Chief Justice. The duties of the Chief Justice shall include, but are not
limited to, presiding over all BOA meetings according to this Constitution and Robert’s Rules of Order and representing the BOA in its official capacity. The Chief Justice is the Chief Executive Officer and shall represent the BOA in all official contact with the Dean of the law school,
Faculty of the law school, and the legal community with the assistance of the Executive Board. The approval of the Chief Justice shall be required for any disbursement of BOA funds. The Chief Justice shall appoint all committee members with the provision that his/her authority can be delegated. The Chief Justice may actively seek alternative funding sources to augment the BOA annual budgeted funds.

Clause 3. Associate Justice. The duties of the Associate Justice shall include but are
not limited to assisting the Chief Justice as so directed. The Associate Justice shall be the Chief Executive Officer in the absence of the Chief Justice and will assume all of the aforementioned authority of the Chief Justice.

Clause 4. Of Counsel. The of counsel shall advise the Chief Justice and Associate
Justice and assist them as directed. The of counsel shall be the Chief Executive Officer in the Absence of the Chief Justice and Associate Justice and will assume all of the aforementioned authority of the Chief Justice.

Clause 5. Secretary. The Secretary shall take the minutes of all meetings of the
BOA. The Secretary shall publish the minutes of the Executive Board meetings and General Body meetings unless instructed otherwise by the Executive Board. The Secretary shall maintain and have custody of all records of the BOA, which are not specifically assigned to other officers. The Secretary shall give notice of all meetings to members at least four (4)
business days prior to that meeting. The Secretary shall perform such other duties as assigned by the Executive Board from time to time.

Clause 6. Treasurer. The Treasurer shall maintain custody of all funds of the BOA.
The Treasurer shall serve as Chief Financial Officer of the BOA and shall advise the BOA on financial matters. The Treasurer shall make reports on the budget and financial status of the BOA at all executive meetings. Such reports shall include all receipts, disbursements and voucher requests. The status of the BOA budget and finances shall be made available to upon
request to any Executive Board member. The Treasurer’s approval shall be required on all disbursements of the BOA funds. The Treasurer shall assist the Chief Justice with obtaining alternative funding for the BOA annual budget. The Treasurer shall perform such other duties as assigned by the Executive Board.

Clause 7. Associate Treasurer. The Associate Treasurer shall assist the Treasurer
with all financial matters and reports. The Associate Treasurer shall perform such other duties as assigned by the Executive Board.

Clause 8. Parliamentarian. The Parliamentarian shall see that all BOA meetings
conform to Robert’s Rules of Order. The Parliamentarian shall maintain order at all meetings and inform the Executive Board of any irregularities during the meeting. The Parliamentarian shall take care to see that all members of the BOA receive a copy of the constitution, inform any
member of violation of the constitution, report any violation of the constitution to the Executive Board and impose the appropriate penalty as directed by the Executive Board. The Parliamentarian shall perform such other duties as assigned by the Executive Board.

Clause 9. Judge Coordinators (2). The Judge Coordinators shall oversee the
recruitment of volunteers to serve as Judges for all competitions. Judge Coordinators will work with the competition coordinators to insure that all judging needs are fulfilled. Judge Coordinators shall schedule all volunteer judges and provide them with all necessary materials for the competition. The Judge Coordinators shall maintain a list of contacts for all Volunteer
Judges. This list shall be kept confidential, except as requested by the Chief Justice or the Associate Justice. The Judge Coordinators shall perform such other duties as assigned by the Executive Board.

Clause 10. Publicist (2). The Publicist shall publicize the appropriate literature and
correspondence to the faculty, staff, students and the public. The Publicist shall maintain the BOA website consisting of all BOA activities. The Publicist shall also assist the Chief Justice with alternative funding for the BOA annual budget. The publicist shall perform other duties as assigned by the Executive Board.

Clause 11. Coordinators and Associate Coordinators.
1. Mock Trial Coordinator. The Mock Trial Coordinator shall develop,
plan, implement, and coordinate the Helen Dawn Williams Mock Trial
competition. This includes but is not limited to the following:
1.Selecting competition dates, times, and rules
2.Making brackets
3.Re-planning and re-structuring due to exigent circumstances
4.Requesting services of any and all BOA members, if needed, and
5.Obtaining judges and verification.

The Mock Trial Coordinator shall perform such other duties as assigned
by the Executive Board.

2. Moot Court Coordinator. The Moot Court Coordinator shall develop,
plan, implement, and coordinate The Henry Doyle Moot Court
competition. This includes but is not limited to the following:
1.Selecting competition dates, times, and rules
2.Making brackets
3.Re-planning and re-structuring due to exigent circumstances
4.Requesting services of any and all BOA members, if needed, and
5.Obtaining judges and verification

The Moot Court Coordinator shall perform such other duties as assigned
by the Executive Board.

3. 1L Moot Court Coordinator. The 1L Moot Court Coordinator shall
develop, plan, implement, and coordinate The Neil Speedon Moot Court
competition. This includes but is not limited to the following:
1.Selecting competition dates, times, and rules
2.Making brackets
3.Re-planning and re-structuring due to exigent circumstances
4.Requesting services of any and all BOA members, if needed, and
5.Obtaining judges and verification

The 1L Moot Court Coordinator shall perform such other duties as
assigned by the Executive Board.

4.Client Counseling Coordinator. The Client Counseling Coordinator
shall develop, plan, implement, and coordinate the Client Counseling
competition. This includes but is not limited to the following:
1.Selecting competition dates, times, and rules
2.Making brackets
3.Re-planning and re-structuring due to exigent circumstances
4.Requesting services of any and all BOA members, if needed, and
5.Obtaining judges and verification

The Client Counseling Coordinator shall perform such other duties as
assigned by the Executive Board.

5. Negotiations Coordinator. The Negotiation Coordinator shall develop,
plan, implement, and coordinate the Negotiation competition. This
includes but is not limited to the following:
1.Selecting competition dates, times, and rules
2.Making brackets
3.Re-planning and re-structuring due to exigent circumstances
4.Requesting services of any and all BOA members, if needed, and
5.Obtaining judges and verification

The Negotiation Coordinator shall perform such other duties as assigned
by the Executive Board.

6. Associate Coordinators. The Associate Coordinators shall assist the
coordinators of the Moot Court, Mock Trial, 1L Moot Court, Client Counseling and Negotiations events in developing, implementing, and coordinating all competitions. The Associate Coordinators shall perform such other duties as assigned by the Executive Board.

Clause 12. Member Duties. The duties of members are to assist executive board
members in coordination and implementing advocacy competitions by fulfilling assigned duties from the executive members.

Article IV. MEETINGS

Section 1. General

Clause 1. Date & Time. The regular BOA meeting of the entire BOA membership
shall be held monthly unless otherwise ordered by the membership.

Clause 2. Absences. A member of the BOA may not be absent from more than three
(3) BOA meetings. Absence from BOA meetings will only be excused for good cause such as illness, death, etc. Good cause will be determined by the Chief Justice and Associate Justice. Notice of absence and reason for absence must be given to the Parliamentarian or Chief Justice at least 24 hours prior to or after the meeting time. Absences in excess of three (3)
will result in dismissal from the BOA. Communications regarding absences will be made by the Parliamentarian. One (1) absence will result in a warning phone call. Two (2) absences will result in a written warning. Three (3) absences will result in a letter of dismissal.

Section 2. Special Meetings

Clause 1. First Executive Board Meeting. The Chief Justice shall call the first
Executive Board meeting during the first two weeks of class in the fall
semester. The meeting must entail:
1.A review of all duty assignments as per the constitution
2.A selection of competitions to be entered into and the creation of a
preliminary schedule master schedule, and
3.The establishment of a preliminary budget.

Clause 2. First General Meeting. The Chief Justice shall call the first general
meeting during the first month of class in the fall semester.

Article V. SANCTIONS

Section 1. General

Clause 1. Reasons for sanctions. The conduct of any member of the BOA or
competition participant during a BOA sponsored activity that results in injury, shame, or embarrassment to Thurgood Marshall School of Law, its faculty or students, shall be grounds for review, reprimand, and/orexpulsion from participating in BOA sponsored activities. Sanctionable conduct shall be determined at the discretion of the BOA Executive Board
on a case by case basis.

Clause 2. Sanction Procedure.
Any Executive Board Member can ask for a vote of the Executive Board
to impose individual sanctions on members and non-member participants.
The Chief Justice and Secretary must be give notice of intent for the sanction vote at least two weeks before the Executive Board meeting where the vote is to be taken.

Clause 3. Rights of Accused. Any person who is charged with any violation shall:
1. Have the right to appear before the Executive Board and argue against
their sanction before the vote is taken.
2. Be given notice of alleged violation and proposed sanction at least one
(1) week prior to the Executive Board meeting where the sanctions vote is
to be taken.
3. Have the right to present evidence and witnesses in their defense at the
hearing.
4. Have the right to demand the Faculty Advisor’s presence at the hearing.

Section 2. Non-Members

All non-members who participate in BOA sponsored competitions must sign a form subjecting them to the BOA constitution, all rules, review and sanctions.

Section 3. Officers

Clause 1. Absences. Any Executive Officer who has acquired two (3) unexcused
absences from Executive Board meetings or BOA functions shall be terminated from their position on the BOA. An unexcused absence is classified as: 1. not being present at a BOA meeting or function 2. failing to give a valid reason or justification to the Chief Justice, or
3. failing to attend BOA meetings or functions without notice for reasons other than exigent circumstances. Exigent circumstances are situations that require immediate attention or effort (i.e., emergency).

Clause 2. Removal from Office. Any Executive Officer may be removed from the
BOA for any of the following reasons:
1.Not performing his/her duties as designated by the constitution,
2.Cumulative GPA has fallen below 2.0, or
3.Abusing his/her privileges as an officer, including but not exclusive of
the acts described in the above reasons.

Clause 3. Removal Process.

1. Complaint. Any officer may initiate the complaint process by filing a
written complaint with the Chief Justice or the Associate Justice.
Furthermore, any officer may initiate a complaint against the Chief Justice
by filing a written complaint with the faculty advisor.
2. Notice. The Chief Justice or the Associate Justice shall inform the
accused officer, in writing, and a hearing shall be set no later than seven
(7) school days after the Chief Justice has so informed the accused.
3. Hearing. The Chief Justice shall establish a date and time to hear
evidence as to the merits of the said complaint. The hearing shall require
the presence of a least a majority of the BOA excluding the complainant
and the accused
4. Evidence. The complainant shall have an opportunity to present
evidence as to the fitness of the accused to be an officer. And the accused
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shall have an opportunity to present evidence to rebut the complainant or
to defend himself/herself.
5. Deliberation. The BOA, excluding the complainant and the accused,
will discuss the matter in closed session and the Senior Members will take
a vote at the end of the session.
6. Recommendation & Resolution. The findings and a recommendation
supported by the findings shall be forwarded to the Faculty Advisor for
final resolution.

Article VI. Supplementary Provision

Any situation that arises concerning the BOA, its competitions or sponsored activities not addressed by this constitution shall be handled at the discretion of the senior most Executive Board member present and the presiding competition coordinators.

Article VII. ADOPTION OF CONSTUTION

Section 1. Process.

Clause 1. Adoption. This constitution shall be adopted by a majority vote of the
Senior Members of the Executive Board.

Clause 2. Amendment. This constitution shall be amended by a majority vote of the Senior Members of the Executive Board.

Clause 3. Approval. Adoption and amendment(s) to this constitution require
approval of the Faculty Advisor and the Office of the Dean.

Article. VIII. FACULTY PARTICIPATION

Section 1. Advisor.

Clause 1. Selection. A faculty person shall be appointed by the Dean of the Law School to serve as faculty advisor for the Board of Advocates.

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

200-2010 BOA Application for Membership

Dear Prospective BOA Member & Executive Board Member,

On behalf of the James M. Douglas Board of Advocates, we invite you to apply for membership for the 2010-2011 academic year. We are looking for talented advocates who care about improving the oral and written advocacy skills of the TMSL student population.

In order to qualify for membership, 2Ls must have obtained at least 7 points combined between his or her 1L & 2L year. 1Ls may apply if he or she has obtained at least 5 BOA points. This year, we have a special opportunity for 1Ls who are 1 point shy of the 5 point minimum. These 1Ls must satisfy certain conditions in order to be allowed to interview for membership on BOA. These conditions are listed on the BOA Application for Membership. Satisfaction of the conditions does not guarantee membership, it merely allows a student to interview for membership. Points are listed on the BOA TWEN page.

The 2009-2010 BOA Application for Membership is also posted on the BOA TWEN Page/ BOA Documents & Forms/ Application Forms. Please fill it out and submit to the BOA office by Wednesday, April 15, 2010 at 5:00 p.m.

Please sign up for an interview time slot on the BOA TWEN Page under the Sign-Up Sheets Tab. We may accomodate a few interviews on Friday for exceptional circumstances.

If you have any questions, please email me at sarahduncan@yahoo.com.

Thank you for your interest in BOA!

Sincerely,
Sarah Duncan
Chief Justice
Board of Advocates

Thursday, April 9, 2009

Henry Doyle Winners

Congratulations to the winners of the
2009 Henry Doyle 2L/ 3L Moot Court Competition!!!!!

1st Place = Sharae Bassett and Stephen Sanders

2nd Place = Yvonne Berry and Brennan Dunn

Best Orator = Brennan Dunn