The Association of the Bar of the City of New York


	Association Governance

	Bylaws

	Constitution

	Financial Statements

	House / Library Rules

	Presidents & Officers

	Selected Resolutions

Article I
Name

This Association shall be called "THE ASSOCIATION OF THE BAR OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK."

Article II
Objects

The Association is established for the purposes of cultivating the science of jurisprudence, promoting reforms in the law, facilitating and improving the admin istration of justice, elevating the standard of integrity, honor and courtesy in the legal profession, and cherishing the spirit of collegiality among the members thereof.

Article III
Membership and Dues

Membership. In addition to the honorary and judicial members as hereinafter provided, there shall be such classes of membership in the Association as set forth in the By-Laws. The members shall be divided among, and within, such classes according to their eligibility.
Honorary and Judicial Members. Any member of the Association who may become, or is now, a judge or justice of any United States Court, or of any court of the State or City of New York, or a United States Magistrate, or is engaged on a full-time basis as a United States, New York State or New York City Administrative Law Judge or Hearing Examiner shall be, while holding such office, a judicial member of the Association, and any other member of the legal profession who may become, or is now, such a United States or State or City of New York judge or justice, United States Magistrate, Administrative Law Judge, or Hearing Examiner, as defined above, shall be eligible to be elected a judicial member of the Association in accordance with the by-laws of the Association.

Any member of the Association who may become, or is now, a judge of a court of a state other than New York may be elected a judicial member for the period such judge holds such office by the Executive Committee by an affirmative vote of all members present at any meeting of that Committee [1]

Justices, judges and members of the legal profession who are of pre-eminent distinction either in this country or any foreign country may be elected honorary members by the Executive Committee by an affirmative vote of all members present at any meeting of that Committee.
Honorary members shall be exempt from the payment of dues and admission fees. Judicial members shall pay no admission fee but shall pay dues, assessments and other charges as may from time to time be prescribed in or pursuant to the by-laws.
Membership Privileges. All members shall be entitled to all privileges of the Association except that honorary members shall not be entitled to vote.
Admission Fees, Dues and Other Charges. Except as otherwise provided herein with respect to honorary members, members shall pay such admission fees, dues, assessments and other charges as may from time to time be prescribed in or pursuant to the by-laws.

Article IV
Officers

The officers of the Association shall be a President, three Vice Presidents, a Secretary and a Treasurer, and they shall be elected at the annual meeting of the Association.

Article V
Executive Committee

The affairs of the Association shall be managed by an Executive Committee, to consist of sixteen elected members and the officers, who shall be ex officio members thereof with all the rights and responsibilities of elected members, including the right to vote.

The elected members of the Executive Committee shall be divided into four classes of equal number, each class holding office for four years and until their successors have been elected. Four members of the Executive Committee shall be elected at the annual meeting, and also such additional number, if any, as may be necessary to fill vacancies, to hold office during the remainder of the terms of the members whose places they fill. No member elected to the Executive Committee for a full term shall be eligible for re-election until one year after the expiration of such term
of office.

All appropriations of the funds of the Association must be made or approved by the Executive Committee, provided, however, that the Association itself may make or approve an appropriation by a two-thirds vote, and provided further that the by-laws may provide for a Finance Committee to be appointed by the President which, subject to such restrictions as the Executive Committee may impose, may authorize expenditures and the incurring of indebtedness for the account of the Association, other than for capital purposes.

Article VI
Committee on Audit

There shall be a Committee on Audit to consist of five members of the Association, each to be elected at the annual meeting of the Association. No member of this committee shall be an officer or a member of the Executive Committee.

Article VII
Other Committees

The Association may provide by its by-laws for such other committees as it may deem necessary.

Article VIII
Meetings of the Association

The annual meeting of the Association shall be held in May. At the annual meeting all the powers of the Association may be exercised.

Special meetings may be called at any time by the Executive Committee, and shall be called by the Secretary upon the written request of fifty members entitled to vote, specifying the purpose of such call. At special meetings no business shall be transacted except such as shall be specified in the call thereof.

At any meeting of the Association the presence of one hundred members entitled to vote shall be necessary to constitute a quorum.

No action taken at a prior meeting of the Association, or by mail ballot as provided in By-Law III, or by a committee of the Association, shall, within three years after the taking of such action, be reversed or modified at any meeting of the Association except by a vote of not less than two-thirds of the members present and voting at such meeting.

Article IX
Termination of Membership

Any member of the Association may be suspended or expelled for misconduct in his relations to this Association or in his profession, on adjudication thereof, in such manner as may be prescribed by the by-laws. All interest in the property of the Association of persons resigning or otherwise ceasing to be members shall vest in the Association.

Article X
Elections and Filling of Vacancies

All voting shall be by official ballot. Ballots shall be cast as provided for in the by-laws of the Association. The officers and members of the Executive Committee and the Committee on Audit shall enter upon their duties immediately upon their election and shall hold office until their successors are elected or are appointed. A vacancy in any office other than the office of President or in the membership of either of said committees shall be filled by appointment of the Executive Committee until the next annual election. In the case of a vacancy occurring in the office of President, the Executive Committee shall designate one of the Vice Presidents to perform the duties of the President pending the election of a President at the next annual meeting of the Association.

Article XI
Amendments

This Constitution may be amended at any meeting of the Association. The affirmative vote of one hundred members or of two-thirds of the members present and voting at such meeting, whichever is greater, shall be required for the adoption of any amendment. Notice of the proposed amendment, subscribed by twenty members entitled to vote, together with the text of the proposed amendment, shall be mailed or electronically mailed to the membership by the Secretary at least fifteen days before the meeting at which the amendment will be submitted to a vote.

Footnotes to Constitution

1. "Resolved that it is the sense of the Executive Committee that Article III of the Constitution requires the unanimous vote of all members of the Executive Committee present at any meeting of that committee to elect any person to be an honorary member of the Association."

" Resolved that the Executive Committee reaffirms its policy, adopted on March 7, 1928 , that no proposal to elect any person to be an honorary member of the Association shall be acted upon unless notice of such proposal has previously been given to the members of the Executive Committee at the next preceeding regular meeting of that Committee."

" Resolved that honorary membership shall not be presented in absentia..." (Executive Committee, December 8, 1971.)