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CAPSL CONSTITUTION
As amended in Melbourne April 2003 |
| 1. NAME
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The full title of the Association shall be "The
Commonwealth Association of Public Sector Lawyers"
hereinafter referred to as the Association. |
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| 2. AIMS |
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The aims of the Association are: |
| 2.1 |
to promote interest within the Commonwealth in all
aspects of public sector law and its practice; |
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to provide a focus and forum for the exchange of
information and ideas; |
| 2.3 |
to support public sector
lawyers in the carrying out their professional duties: |
| 2.4 |
to provide machinery for the organisation or
promotion of training and consultancy services for
public sector lawyers; |
| 2.5 |
to assist the Commonwealth
Secretariat, the Commonwealth Lawyers Association and
the organisers of the Commonwealth Law Conferences on
all matters relating to public sector law and its
practice; and |
| 2.6 |
to undertake any activity relevant to
and calculated to implement and foster all or any of the
preceding aims. |
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3. MEMBERSHIP |
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3.1 |
Institutional Membership of the
Association shall be open to such
organisations and on such terms as the
Association in General Meeting may from
time to time decide but shall include
national, state or regional professional
bodies (or the appropriate committees or
groups thereof), government legal services
and the Legal and Constitutional Division
of the Commonwealth Secretariat. |
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3.2 |
Individual
Membership of the Association shall be
open to any person who is qualified to be
a member of the Commonwealth Lawyers
Association and has a professional
interest in the promotion of the aims of
the Association. Membership of the
Commonwealth Lawyers Association shall not
be a requirement but shall be encouraged.
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3.3 |
All
applications for Membership of the
Association shall be made to and dealt
with by the Association Secretary in
consultation as necessary with the
Association Chairman. Approval of
applications from qualified applicants
shall not be withheld without reasonable
cause. |
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3.4 |
Any member
may resign from the Association at any
time by notifying the Association
Secretary accordingly. |
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3.5 |
All
members shall pay such subscription if any
as the Association in General Meeting
may decide. Any membership may be
terminated by the Association Secretary
if, notwithstanding reminders, a member's
subscription is more than three years in
arrears or, where a subscription is
not payable, the member has not responded
within the preceding year to any approach
by the Association Secretary. |
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| 4. GENERAL MEETINGS |
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4.1 |
A General Meeting of the
Association shall normally be held during each
Commonwealth Law Conference at the Conference venue. |
| 4.2 |
The business of a General Meeting shall be: |
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1. |
To order
the affairs of the Association; |
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2. |
To issue any
guidelines to the Association officers for the operation
and management of the Association's activities until the
next General Meeting. |
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4.3 |
A General Meeting shall in
particular have power: |
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To approve the minutes of the
preceding General Meeting; |
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2. |
To receive, consider and
adopt with or without modification any report from the
Association officers |
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3. |
To receive and approve the
audited accounts of the Association; |
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4. |
To delegate to
the Association officers such authority as it considers
necessary to facilitate the due conduct of the
Association's affairs; |
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5. |
To determine applications for
Institutional Membership; |
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6. |
To fix membership
subscription rates; |
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7. |
To define Association regions for
any purpose; |
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8. |
To elect Association officers. |
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4.4 |
The
Association Secretary shall, wherever practicable, give
not less than six months notice to all members of the
date, time and place of a General Meeting. |
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4.5 |
Decisions
at General meetings shall normally be by consensus but
if necessary may be made by a simple majority of those
members present and voting, each member having one vote. |
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| 5. OFFICERS |
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5.1 |
A Chairman, a Secretary and a
Treasurer shall be elected at the General Meeting to
hold office until the conclusion of the next General
Meeting held at a Commonwealth Law Conference at which
they shall, if willing, be eligible for re-election. |
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5.2 |
If any of these officers vacate office by resignation or
otherwise before the conclusion of their term of office
the vacant office shall be filled by the Chairman of the
Association or, in the case of a vacancy in the post of
Chairman, by the President of the Commonwealth Lawyers
Association after carrying out such consultations as the
President shall consider appropriate. |
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5.3 |
The Chairman,
if present, shall preside at any General meeting. In the
absence of the Chairman, another officer or member shall
preside as decided by the General Meeting. |
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5.4 |
The
Secretary and the Treasurer shall be responsible through
the Chairman to the General meeting for respectively the
administration and financial affairs of the Association.
The Secretary and the Treasurer shall for ease of
communication normally be from the same Commonwealth
country but the same person shall not hold both offices. |
| 5.5 |
The Secretary and Treasurer in the execution of
their duties shall act in accordance with any guidelines
given by the Association in General Meeting or otherwise
as directed by the Chairman. |
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| 7. AMENDMENTS TO CONSTITUTION |
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7.1 |
This Constitution
can only be amended by the Association in General
Meetings following the consideration of a report from
the Association officers. Notice of amendment proposed
in any such report shall be included in the Notice of
meeting. |
| 7.2 |
Amendments to the Constitution approved by
a General Meeting shall take immediate effect unless the
meeting otherwise decides. |
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| As
amended in General Meeting in Melbourne in April 2003 |
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