BYLAWS
OF THE AMERICAN SAMOA BAR ASSOCIATION
ARTICLE
I
CLASSES
OF MEMBERSHIP
Section 1. Active Members:
Any person admitted to the Bar who practices law in
Section
2. Inactive Members: Any person admitted to the Bar who is not a judge
and who does not practice law in
Section 3. Honorary members: Judges and distinguished
non-resident lawyers may be elected honorary members.
ARTICLE
II
DUES
Section 1. Annual
dues are payable on or before January 1st for each calendar year at
the following rates:
(a) Regular members: $75 per annum
(b) Inactive members: $35 per annum
(c) Honorary members: No dues
Dues paid after January 1 of each year but on or before March 1st
of each year shall be subject to a late fee of $25. On March 1st of each year,
members who have not paid all dues and late fees owing shall cease to be
members of the Bar Association. Not
later than April 1st of each year, the Treasurer shall transmit to
the Chief Justice of the High Court of American Samoa the names of all persons
who have ceased to be members in accordance with this paragraph. (Amended on
Section 2. Members in Military Service.
Members who are in the military service of the
ARTICLE III
MEETINGS
Section 1. Annual Meeting. The annual
meeting of the Association shall be held at a place and on a date to be
selected by the executive committee in the month of April. The time and place
of the annual meeting shall be announced at 1east one month in advance of the
meeting with notice being given the members by letter. At the annua1 meeting , annua1 reports of the officers and committees
shall be delivered and officers and the executive committees shall be selected.
Section 2. Meetings. Meetings shall be
held at a time and place to be designated by the executive committee at least
once every two months.
Section 3. Special Meetings. Special
meetings may be called by the president or by a majority of the executive
committee or may be called by the secretary on request of two-thirds of the
members in writing. Members shall have fourteen days advance written notice of
the time, place, and object of the meeting.
Section 4. Quorum. At all meetings ten
active members shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business. The
latest edition of Robert's Rules of Order shall govern the proceedings.
Section 5. Order of Business. At the
annual meeting the order of business shall be as follows:
1. Report of the President
2. Report of the Secretary
3. Report of the Treasurer
4. Reports of the Standing Committees
5. Reports of the Special Committees
6. Old business
7. New business
8. Election of officers
ARTICLE
IV
OFFICERS
Section 1. President. The president shall preside at all meetings of
the Association and meetings of the Executive committee. He shall perform all
duties ordinarily incident to his office, and shall recommend such action as he
deems proper.
Section 2. Vice President. The vice president
shall act as president in the absence of the president, plan programs in
cooperation with the executive committee and perform such other duties as may
be assigned him by the president of the Association.
Section 3. Secretary. The secretary
shall keep minutes of meetings, send out notices, and shall be custodian of
correspondence files. He shall act as administrative assistant to the
president, shall assist committee chairman in carrying out the work of
committees and ,shall perform such other duties as may
be assigned to him by the executive committee. Upon being succeeded in office
he must turn over all Association records and correspondence to his successor.
Section 4. Treasurer. The treasurer
shall receive and disburse all funds of the Association, and shall deposit or
invest its money in a manner approved by the executive committee. He shall
submit at the annual meeting a report of monies received and expended, amounts
due the Association and an estimate of the resources and expenditures for the ensuing
year.
Section 5. Executive Director or Secretary.
The executive committee may hire and assign duties to an executive director or
secretary of the Association, who shall be assigned duties and given
compensation as the executive committee directs and such person shall served at the pleasure of the executive committee.
Section 6. No person may be elected to any office for more than
two consecutive terms.
ARTICLE
V
NOMINATION
AND ELECTION OF OFFICERS
Section 1. The first election of officers shall occur at the
first annual meeting and candidates for the offices of president, vice
president, secretary, and treasurer shall be nominated from the floor, with the
election.to. be conducted
immediately thereafter. Nominations for each office shall be limited to four
persons.
Section 2. Subsequent elections of officers shall also take
place at annual meetings, but the president shall appoint any six members of
the Association to be a nominating committee to select candidates for the
offices of president, vice president, secretary, and treasurer, and to report
name's of nominees to the secretary not less than one month before each annual
meeting of the Association. Nominations may also be made f rom
the floor during each annual meeting by any member in good standing in the
Association.
Section 3. At any annual meeting, election shall be by secret
ballot, and each officer shall be elected by a simple majority of those active
members present and voting.
ARTICLE VI
COMMITTEES
Section 1. Designation of Standing Committees.
There shall be standing committees on:
1 . Continuing Legal Education of the Bar
Section 2. Jurisdiction of Standing
Committees.
a . Committee on Continuing Legal
Education. This committee shall develop and carry out a program of
continuing legal education of the bar in order to aid members of the profession
in keeping informed of new developments and to assist the beginning lawyer or
practitioner toward a better understanding of the practice of law.
b. Ethics and Grievance Committee. This
committee shall have three purposes.
(1) To recommend to the High Court of
American Samoa standards of ethics and conduct in the practice of law which are
in Conformity with the Code of Professional Responsibility of the American Bar
Association.
ARTICLE
VII
APPROPRIATIONS
AND EXPENSE
Section 1. Appropriations of Association funds for officer,
committee; or other expense shall be made by the executive committee.
Section 2. Any liability incurred by an Association officer or
committee in excess of the appropriation authorized by the executive committee
shall be the made by the executive committee (sic).
Section 3. Any liability incurred by an Association officer or
committee in excess of the appropriation authorizes by the executive committee
shall be the personal liabi1ity of the person or persons responsible for
incurring or authorizing the same.
ARTICLE
VIII
AMENDMENTS
TO BYLAWS
Bylaws may be adopted, amended, or rescinded by
a majority vote of the active members present and voting at any annual, regular
or special meeting provided that notice of such a proposed change shall be
given in writing to all active members one week in advance of the meeting at
which the vote is to be taken.
I certify this to be a true copy of the
Bylaws of the American Samoa Bar Association in effect on this date. Dated this 4th day of December, 2003.
/s/Martin McCarthy
MARTIN McCARTHY
Secretary