Constitution

• Constitution of Law Women of UCLA

  Article I. Name
  The name of our organization is Law Women of UCLA, hereinafter referred to as Law Women. We are part of the School of Law at the University of California, Los Angeles.

  Article II. Mission Statement
  Our mission is to bring awareness to issues and challenges facing female law students and lawyers, and to prepare law students to meet these challenges.

  Article III. Affiliation
  Law Women is a Ms. JD National Women Law Students Organization Affiliate.

  Article IV. Statement of Purpose
  The purposes of Law Women are to:

  1. advocate for the recruitment and retention of female faculty;
  2. increase academic opportunities for students in the areas of feminist legal theory and the interaction of women and law, including the recruitment of faculty specializing in these areas;
  3. encourage administrative support of and commitment to the appropriate treatment of gender-related topics in the classroom;
  4. actively recruit female applicants and advocate for the admission of women who will contribute to the diversity of the female voice at UCLA School of Law;
  5. provide academic, social, moral, and mental health support for female students to ensure the success of female students;
  6. educate the UCLA Law community on issues facing women in the workplace and strive to better prepare female students for the challenges they will face;
  7. provide a forum for conversation regarding gender-related issues in the law.

  Article V. Statement of Non-Discrimination
  Law Women of UCLA, in accordance with applicable Federal and State law and University Policy, does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, ancestry, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, age, marital status, pregnancy, medical condition (cancer-related or other), personal appearance, veteran status, citizenship, or any other protected class of persons.

  All existing, prospective, and previous members of Law Women have the right to be treated with respect and dignity. Law Women of UCLA prohibits harassment of any form, including, but not limited to, sexual harassment. Law Women of UCLA has a zero-tolerance policy regarding hazing of any form.

  This non-discrimination policy covers organization membership, eligibility for leadership positions, access to organization programs and activities, and the general treatment of members in the organization. Additionally, Law Women invites interested faculty members, staff personnel, and alumni to actively participate in the organization and its events.

  Article VI. Membership
  Section 1. Eligibility: Membership shall be open to all students at UCLA School of Law who support the purposes of Law Women.

  Section 2. Member Defined: A member shall be defined as a student of UCLA School of Law who attends general body meetings on a regular basis. As used throughout this Constitution, members include both general body members and Board members.

  Article VII. Board Members
  Section 1. Board Members: The Board members of this organization shall include the following: Chairperson(s); Secretary; Treasurer; Academic Support Chairperson(s); Programming Committee Member(s); Alumni/LEAD Liaison(s); Publicity Chairperson(s); Class/Program Representative(s).

  Section 2. Chairperson(s): The Chairperson(s) shall:

  1. preside at all Law Women Board Meetings;
  2. preside at all Law Women General Body Meetings;
  3. act as the official representative of Law Women;
  4. be a member, ex officio, of and oversee all subordinate boards and committees of Law Women;
  5. have signatory powers over Law Women bank accounts;
  6. maintain organizational calendar;
  7. assist Treasurer in the creation of the organization’s budget and adjustments as needed;
  8. oversee board member transitions/onboarding;
  9. facilitate all voting procedures and elections.

  Section 3. Secretary: The Secretary shall:

  1. record minutes of all regular meetings and maintain permanent records of such minutes;
  2. maintain a membership list, including name, email address, and class year;
  3. maintain contact information for board members, including name, email address, and phone number;
  4. record attendance at each Board Meeting, General Body Meeting, and Law Women Event;
  5. in the event the Secretary cannot attend an event, they shall delegate attendance keeping duties another Board member;
  6. receive and delegate correspondence according to Board member responsibilities;
  7. maintain Law Women email account;
  8. coordinate sending emails to general members with Publicity Chairperson(s);
  9. attend all Board Meetings and General Body meetings;
  10. act as Chairperson in the event of the Chairperson(s)’s absence.

  Section 4. Treasurer: The Treasurer shall:

  1. develop an annual budget with the Chairperson(s);
  2. have signatory powers over Law Women bank accounts;
  3. keep financial records and make such financial records available to University officials upon request
  4. manage and direct fundraising efforts;
  5. act as chief financial officer of Law Women as required;
  6. attend all Board Meetings and General Body Meetings;
  7. act as Chairperson in the event of the Chairperson(s)’s and Secretary’s absence.

  Section 5. Academic Support Chairperson(s): The Academic Support Chairpersons(s) shall:

  1. develop and provide academic support programming to help members succeed academically;
  2. develop and maintain career programming in conjunction with the Office of Career Services;
  3. work with faculty for the promotion of female scholarship and related events;
  4. advocate for the hiring of female faculty members;
  5. promote scholarship/fellowship opportunities that relate to Law Women’s members;
  6. attend all Board Meetings and General Body Meetings.

  Section 6. Programming Committee Member(s): The Programming Committee shall:

  1. schedule and organize social events for Law Women;
  2. schedule and organize service opportunities for Law Women;
  3. establish and maintain relationships with other organizations, both on and off campus;
  4. maintain lists of past and potential speakers for Law Women events;
  5. attend all Board Meetings and General Body Meetings.

  Section 7. Alumni/LEAD Liaison(s): The Alumni/LEAD Liaison(s) shall:

  1. work in conjunction with UCLA School of Law Alumni Office to maintain a current list of female alumni and their contact information;
  2. maintain a list of Law Women alumni and contact information;
  3. organize at least one alumni event each academic year;
  4. attend all Board Meetings and General Body Meetings.

  Section 8. Publicity Chairperson(s): The Publicity Chairperson(s) shall:

  1. coordinate with the Secretary to publicize Law Women events and meetings;
  2. maintain the MyLaw website for Law Women;
  3. maintain social media accounts for Law Women;
  4. create promotional materials for Law Women;
  5. attend all Board Meetings and General Body Meetings.

  Section 9: Class/Program Representative(s): The Class/Program Representative(s) shall:

  1. offer support to the other Board members for events and planning as needed;
  2. promote Law Women events to their specific constituencies;
  3. attend all Board Meetings and General Body Meetings as available.

  Section 10: Other Board positions may be added with the consent of the Chairperson(s) and a majority vote by the current members of the Board.

  Article VIII. Election of Board Members
  Section 1. Who is Eligible to Vote: Only those members present at the meeting of the election being held are eligible to vote. Absentee voting will be taken into account if a member provides notice to the Law Women Secretary or Chairperson(s) that they require absentee voting at least 48 hours prior to the election.

  Section 2. Election Procedures: Elections shall be held during the spring semester preceding the academic year in which elected Board members shall serve. Board members must receive a majority of votes by the general body members in attendance. Votes shall be cast by secret ballot to be counted by the Secretary and Chairperson(s). In the event either the Chairperson(s) and/or Secretary are running for re-election, the secret ballot shall be counted by at least two board members who are not running for reelection. Newly elected Board members shall assume office by the end of the school year.

  Article IX. Operating Procedures
  Section 1. The Board shall hold regularly constituted meetings.

  Section 2. Any member may propose an issue before the board, provided such member gives appropriate notice of the proposal to the Board. Issues that come before the Board must receive a majority of votes to be approved.

  Section 3. The Board shall hold a General Body Meeting at the beginning of each semester.

  Section 4. Members of the Board shall carry out their responsibilities as set out in Article VI.

  Article X. Removal of Officers, Resignation, and Vacancies
  Section 1. Removal of Officers. A petition for removal of a Board member may be submitted to the Chairperson(s) by a member. The petition must state the reason(s) for removal. In the event that the petition is to remove a Chairperson, the petition shall be submitted to the Secretary. A Board member may be removed only by unanimous vote of the remaining Board members or by two-thirds of the general body members in attendance.

  Section 2. Notice of Action. Prior to any vote for removal, the Board member in question must receive two weeks written notice stating the reasons for the requested removal.

  Section 3. Resignation. A Board member who wishes to resign shall provide written notice to the remaining Board members, continue fulfilling their responsibilities until a replacement Board member has been elected, and provide transitional information to the replacement Board member.

  Section 4. Vacancies. In the event of a vacancy on the Board, an election shall be held within two weeks by the Board. Candidates must receive two-third of Board member votes to be approved.

  Section 5. Positions Reserved for 1Ls and LLM, MLS, or SJD candidates. In accordance with the bylaws, elections for any positions held open for 1Ls or program representatives shall be held within the first month of the fall semester.

  Article XI. Provision to Make Financial Records Available to Authorized University Officials Upon Request
  Upon written request, authorized university officials may request that financial records be made available to them. The Treasurer shall make these records available to authorized university officials within 30 days or as specified in the request.

  Article XII. Procedures for Amending Constitution
  Section 1. Who May Submit Amendments or a New Constitution. An amendment to the Constitution or a new Constitution may be proposed to the Board by any member.

  Section 2. Submission of Amendments or a New Constitution. Any proposed amendment or new Constitution shall be submitted to the Chairperson(s) for review to ensure compliance with University rules and procedures.

  Section 3. Submission to and Approval by the Board. After meeting the requirements of Section 2 of this Article, the Chairperson(s) shall submit any proposed amendment or new Constitution to the Board within two weeks. The amendment or new Constitution must receive approval by three-quarters of Board members to be passed.

  Section 4. Submission to the General Body. After meeting the requirements of Section 3 of this Article, the Chairperson(s) shall submit any proposed amendment or new Constitution to the General Body. The proposed change must be made available to all members at least five school days prior to voting. The amendment or new Constitution must receive approval by two-thirds of General Body members present to be passed. Absentee voting will be taken into account if a member provides notice to the Secretary or Chairperson(s) that they require absentee voting at least 48 hours prior to the election.

  Section 5. Enactment. Upon passage of an amendment or new Constitution, the Chairperson(s) shall implement the changes and in the case of an amendment, shall ensure internal consistency within the Constitution. The amendment or new Constitution shall take effect within 30 days of passage under Section 4 or by the beginning of the next semester, whichever comes first. The Chairperson(s) shall notify the Board upon enactment.

  As Amended by Jill Kleinkauf ’23 and Katherine Ramos ‘23
  July 25, 2021 in Los Angeles, CA