SLBA Bylaws
These are the bylaws of the SLBA as of June 21, 2007. From this point forward they can only be changed as per their terms.
SLBA Bylaws
1) Membership is open to any Second Life resident. Yearly dues are L$500.
2) A General Meeting must be held at least once each calendar month. Preferably, the monthly General Meeting will be held the second Saturday of each month at 10:00 AM SLT, but they can be scheduled at any time depending on the evolving needs of the officers and membership.
3) All meetings must be publicized by a Group Notice at least one week prior to the meeting.
4) General Meetings will be conducted using basic parliamentary procedure, although the meeting chair (typically the President) is encouraged to open the meeting to general discussion to the extent that is practical. Transcripts of the meetings will be recorded and made available in the SLBA Forums.
5) A simple majority of members present at a General Meeting is required to pass a motion.
6) A 2/3 majority of members present at a General Meeting is required to amend the bylaws.
7) Elections are held in July of each year. Three executive positions are elected:
a) President-Elect
b) Vice President, Communication
c) Vice President, Finance
In addition, three members will also be elected to the Executive Board.
The President will run General Meetings and act as the public face of the organization. The Vice President, Communications will manage the web site and forums. The Vice President, Finance will handle financial matters.
VP Communication and VP Finance take office the August 1 following elections. The President-Elect takes over the office of President on February 1 of the year following elections.
In order to allow the President to carry out his or her duties as the public face of the SLBA, the President-Elect (and thus, the President) must (a) be a lawyer qualified to practice law, conduct litigation, act as advocate, and/or give legal advice, in at least one first-life jurisdiction, in accordance with the laws and rules of professional conduct (if any) of that jurisdiction and (b) make his or her "first life" name and bar memberships publicly available.
No other offices require lawyer status or disclosure of any first life information.
8) The Executive Board will consist of (a) the President, (b) the President Elect (during the portion of the year that the office exists), (c) the Vice President, Finance, (d) the Vice President, Communications, (e) all former Presidents, and (f) three elected members.
The formal role of the Executive Board is to set the agenda for meetings and make administrative decisions on proposals that need not go before the entire membership. It must meet monthly, and to the extent practical, it should meet approximately one week prior to the general membership meeting. The President will call and chair the monthly Executive Board meeting. The date and location of the Executive Board meeting should be publicized at least three days in advance of the meeting via in-world communication.
At the Executive Board meeting, the agenda will always include an opportunity for Executive Board members to propose new motions. Any member of the Executive Board can send any motion proposed to the Executive Board to a vote by the general membership by declaring that motion an agenda item for the next General Meeting. Any motion to amend the bylaws is automatically declared an agenda item for the next General Meeting.
Once a motion is set on the agenda for the General Meeting, the Executive Board cannot act on that motion.
For proposals that are not reserved for the General Meeting, a simple majority of the Executive Board can pass the proposal.
The informal role of the executive board is to advise the President and help shape the organization through active participation in activities and discussions.
Created on ... April 13, 2008