RESTATED
BYLAWS
Anoka County Bar Association
This
instrument constitutes the Bylaws of the Anoka County Bar Association,
a Minnesota nonprofit corporation, adopted for the purpose of regulating
and managing the internal affairs of the corporation.
ARTICLE
I
Membership
and Dues
Section
1. Qualifications. Any
person who is a member of the Minnesota State Bar Association (MSBA)
may become a member of Anoka County Bar Association (the "Association")
upon payment of dues.
Section
2. Application. Application
for membership in the Association shall be made in writing to the
MSBA in the form prescribed by that organization.
Section
3. Classes of Membership. The
Association shall have regular members and such other membership
classes as used from time to time by the MSBA.
Section
4. Dues. The
dues of all members of the Association shall be assessed for the
fiscal year commencing July 1st of each year and ending June 30th
of the following year. The
amount of such dues shall be fixed by resolution of the members. The amount of dues for different classes of membership shall
parallel those utilized by the MSBA.
Dues of the Association shall be paid together with the dues
of the MSBA at the time or times and in the manner prescribed by
the MSBA.
Section
5.
Termination or Suspension of Membership. Membership
in the Association may be terminated or suspended as follows:
5.1 Nonpayment of Dues. A member
of any class may be expelled or suspended for nonpayment of dues
or fees.
5.2 Resignation. A member of any class may
resign upon filing a written resignation with the MSBA.
5.3
Disbarment or Suspension. Membership in the Association shall terminate
upon disbarment or suspension from the practice of law by the Supreme
Court of Minnesota, or termination of membership in the MSBA.
5.4 Suspension or Expulsion. A member
shall not be expelled or suspended, and a membership may not be
terminated or suspended, except for nonpayment of dues or fees,
unless the member is given:
(1) not
less than fifteen (15) days' prior written notice of the expulsion,
suspension, or termination, and the reasons for it; and
(2) an opportunity
for the member to be heard, orally or in writing, not less than
five (5) days before the effective date of the expulsion, suspension,
or termination by a person authorized to decide that the proposed
expulsion, termination, or suspension not take place.
ARTICLE
II
Officers
Section 1.
Officers. The officers of the Association shall
consist of a president, a president-elect/vice president, a treasurer,
and a secretary all of whom must be regular members of the Association. The Board of Directors may appoint such
other officers as may be desired to carry out such duties as the
Board of Directors may assign.
Section
2.
Election of Officers/Term. The officers shall be elected
by the affirmative vote of a majority of the regular members present
and voting at the meeting for a term of one year commencing the
first day of July and shall continue to hold office thereafter until
their successors are elected and qualified.
The President shall be ineligible for re-election as an officer
for two years after the expiration of his or her term of office.
Section
3.
Duties of Officers.
3.1 President. The President shall preside
at all meetings of the Association and the Board of Directors.
3.2 President-Elect/Vice President. The
President-Elect/Vice President shall perform the duties assigned
by the President or the Board of Directors and shall perform the
duties of the President when the President is absent or unable to
act.
3.3 Treasurer. The Treasurer
shall perform the duties of treasurer.
The Treasurer shall report periodically on the financial
condition of the Association to the membership and the Board of
Directors. The Treasurer shall comply with such requirements
concerning audit and/or bonding as the Board of Directors may adopt
by resolution.
3.4 Secretary. The Secretary
shall perform the duties of secretary. The Secretary (or his or her designee) shall keep, or cause
to be kept, a record of the proceedings of all meetings of the Association
and the Board of Directors.
The Secretary shall cause to be issued notices of all meetings
of the Association and the Board of Directors.
3.5 Other Duties. The officers
shall also perform such additional duties as may be assigned by
the Board of Directors.
ARTICLE
III
Board
of Directors
Section 1. Number
of Board of Directors. There shall be a Board of Directors composed
of the officers elected by the Association and the last preceding
president. The members
of the Association may also elect to the Board of Directors an additional
one, three or five other members of the Association for a term of
one year commencing on the first day of July of the year following
such election and continuing thereafter until their successors are
duly elected and qualified.
Section
2.
Quorum.
A majority of the members of the Board
of Directors shall constitute a quorum.
Section
3. Powers of the Board of Directors. The
Board of Directors shall have the power to make rules governing
its meetings and the conduct of its affairs, and to fill all offices
in which vacancies occur for the remainder of the term thereof. It shall have the power and authority to conduct and to administer
the procedures by which the annual elections to all elective positions
of the Association are held.
The Board of Directors shall have such other powers as provided
by Minnesota law.
Section 4. Written Action.
Any action required or permitted to be taken at a meeting
of the Board of Directors may be taken by written action signed
by the number of directors required to take the same action at a
meeting of the Board of Directors at which all directors were present.
Signed written action includes authenticated electronic communication
in which a director indicates assent or approval. The written action is effective when signed
by the required number of directors, unless a different effective
date is provided in the written action.
When written action is taken by less than all of the directors,
all directors shall be notified immediately of its text and effective
date, except that failure to provide such notice does not invalidate
the written action.
As used in this Section the term Òauthenticated electronic
communicationÓ means any form of communication, not directly involving
the physical transmission of paper, that
(a) creates
a record that may be retained, retrieved and reviewed by the recipient
of the communication,
(b) may
be directly reproduced in paper form by the recipient through an
automated process,
(c) is
delivered to the Board of Directors or a member thereof, and
(d) sets
forth information from which the Board of Directors can reasonably
conclude that the communication was sent by the purported sender.
Section
5. Regular Meetings. The
Board of Directors shall meet at least annually immediately preceding
or following the annual meeting of members, and shall have regular
meetings at such places and times as it shall establish by resolution.
Section
6. Special Meetings. Special
meetings of the Board of Directors may be called at any time upon
request of the President or any two (2) directors, provided that
any such request shall specify the purpose or purposes for the meeting. The President shall set the date for the special meeting within
three (3) working days of receiving such a request and shall give
not less than five (5) nor more than thirty (30) days written notice
of the time, place and purposes of such special meeting. The business transacted at a special meeting is not limited
to the purposes stated in the notice of the meeting unless otherwise
required in these Bylaws.
Section
7. Electronic Communications. A conference
among directors by a means of communication through which the directors
may simultaneously hear each other during the conference is a meeting
of the Board of Directors if the same notice is given of the conference
as would be required for a meeting, and if the number of directors
participating in the conference is a quorum.
A director may participate in a meeting of the Board of Directors
by any means of communication through which the director, other
directors so participating, and all directors physically present
at the meeting may simultaneously hear each other during the meeting.
Participation in a meeting by any of the above-mentioned
means is personal presence at the meeting.
Section
10. Resignation
of Directors. A director
may resign at any time by giving written notice to the Secretary/Treasurer
of the Association. The
resignation is effective without acceptance when the notice is given
to the Association, unless a later effective time is specified in
the notice. A director
who has failed to attend six (6) meetings of the Board in any fiscal
year is deemed to have resigned effective the date of the sixth
missed meeting.
Section
11. Removal of Directors. A director
may be removed from office, with or without cause, by the affirmative
vote of a majority of the directors present at a duly held meeting;
provided that not less than five (5) days and not more than thirty
(30) days notice of such meeting stating that removal of such director
is to be on the agenda for such meeting shall be given to each director.
Section
12. Filling Vacancies. In the
event of the death, removal or resignation of a director, a successor
to fill the unexpired term shall be elected by the affirmative vote
of a majority of the directors present at a duly held meeting.
ARTICLE
IV
Meetings
of the Members
Section
1. Annual Meeting. There shall be an annual
meeting of members not earlier than the first day of April and not
later than the third Saturday in June of each year, the date and
place to be fixed by the Board of Directors.
Section
2.
Notice of Annual Meeting. Notice of the annual meeting including the annual meeting agenda shall
be given by the Secretary to each member at least ten (10) days
before the annual meeting.
Section
3. Other Meetings.
Other meetings shall be held at such times and places and
with such notice as the Board of Directors may order. Twenty-five (25) regular members may call a meeting by written
request to the President and notice for such meeting must comply
with the notice requirements for the annual meeting.
Section
4. Quorum.
The presence in person of ten (10) regular members or five
percent (5%) of the district's members that reside in the district,
whichever is less, shall be necessary to constitute a quorum at
any meeting of the Association.
Section
5. Voting Rights.
Each regular member of the Association shall be entitled
to one vote at all meetings of the Association or on any matter
submitted to the membership for a vote by mail.
No other members of the Association shall have a right to
vote. No regular member shall be entitled to
vote by proxy and there shall be no cumulative voting.
Section 6. Members'
Right to Call Meetings. If a regular meeting of regular members has not been held during
the preceding fifteen (15) months, at least ten (10) members with
voting rights may demand a regular meeting of the members by written
notice of demand given to the President or the Secretary/Treasurer
of the Association. Within thirty (30) days after receipt
of the demand, the Board shall cause a regular meeting of members
to be called and held on notice no later than ninety (90) days after
receipt of the demand at the expense of the Association.
Section
7. Number Required for Action by Members. Except where a larger portion
or number is required by law or by these Bylaws, the members may
take action by the affirmative vote of a majority of the members
present at a duly held meeting.
ARTICLE
V
Election
of MSBA Assembly Representatives
Section
1. Members of the MSBA Assembly. The
members of the Association shall elect its representatives to the
MSBA Assembly and their respective alternates at the Association's
annual meeting. A majority of the votes cast shall be
necessary to elect the representative.
ARTICLE
VI
Committees
and Sections
Section
1. Establishment. The
Association shall have such committees and/or sections as may be
established from time to time by resolution of the Board of Directors.
Section
2. Chair and Membership. The
Board of Directors shall appoint a chair of each committee and/or
section whose term of office shall coincide with the term of office
of the current President. The membership of each committee and/or
section shall be appointed annually by the President or by such
other procedure as may be established by the Board of Directors. All members in good standing of the Association are eligible
for membership on any committee or in any section. Persons who are not members of the Association may be appointed
to membership on a committee or in a section and shall have such
privileges with respect to such membership as the Board of Directors
may from time to time determine.
Section
3. Limitation. No committee
or section shall represent its views, reports or comments as those
of the Association without prior approval of the Board of Directors
of the Association.
ARTICLE
VII
Miscellaneous
Section 1. Amendment
of Bylaws. These
Bylaws may be amended in accordance with the following procedure:
(a) The
Board of Directors shall propose the amendment by resolution setting
forth the text of the proposed amendment and directing that it be
submitted for adoption at a meeting of the members.
(b) A notice
of the meeting of the members stating the purpose thereof together
with the text or a summary of the text of the proposed amendment
shall be given to each regular member not less than ten (10) days
prior to the date of the meeting.
(c) The
proposed amendment is approved by the affirmative vote of a majority
of the regular members present and voting at the meeting.
Section
2. Fiscal Year. The fiscal
year of the Association shall begin on July 1 on each calendar
year.
Section
3. Notice. Unless
otherwise provided herein, notice shall mean a notification mailed
or delivered not less than five (5) nor more than thirty (30) days
before the meeting, including the day of the meeting.
Section 4. Form of Notice. Whenever
under the provisions of these Bylaws notice is required to be given
to any director or member, notice is given:
a)
when mailed to the at an address designated by the director
or member at the last known address or at the address in the corporate
records;
b)
when communicated to the director or member orally;
c)
when handed to the director or member;
d)
when left at the office of the director or member with a
clerk or other person in charge of the office, or if there is no
one in charge, when left in a conspicuous place in the office;
e)
when sent by facsimile, electronic mail (e-mail), or other
electronic means, to a facsimile number, e-mail address, or other
electronic designation provided by the director or member;
f)
if the director's or member's office is closed or the director
or member has no office, when left at the dwelling or usual place
of abode of the director or member with a person of suitable age
and discretion residing in the house; or
g)
when the method is fair and reasonable when all the circumstances
are considered.
Notice
by mail is given when deposited in the United States mail with sufficient
postage. Notice is
considered received when it is given.
Section
5. Waiver of Notice. Any
director or member may execute a written waiver of notice of any
meeting required to be given by statute or by any provision of these
Bylaws before, at or after that meeting, and such waiver when signed
and filed as hereinafter provided shall be equivalent to notice.
Such waiver shall be filed with the Secretary/Treasurer,
who shall enter it upon the minutes or other records of that meeting. Appearance at a meeting by a director or member shall be deemed
a waiver of notice thereof, unless the appearance is solely for
the purpose of asserting the illegality of the meeting.
ARTICLE
VIII
Indemnification
To
the full extent permitted by the Minnesota Nonprofit Corporation
Act, as amended from time to time, or by other applicable provisions
of law, each person who was or is a party or is threatened to be
made a party to any threatened, pending or completed action, suit
or proceeding, wherever and by whomsoever brought (including any
such proceeding, by or in the right of the Association), whether
civil, criminal, administrative or investigative, by reason of the
fact that he or she is or was a member, director or officer of the
Association, or he or she is or was serving at the specific request
of the Board of Directors of the Association as director, officer,
employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture,
trust or other enterprise, shall be indemnified by the Association
by the affirmative vote of a majority of the directors present at
a duly held meeting of the Board of Directors for which notice stating
such purpose has been given against expenses, including attorneys'
fees, judgments, files and amounts paid in settlement actually and
reasonably incurred by such person in connection with such action,
suit or proceeding; provided, however, that the indemnification
with respect to a person who is or was serving as director, officer,
employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture,
trust or other enterprise shall apply only to the extent such person
is not indemnified by such other corporation, partnership, joint
venture, trust or other enterprise. The indemnification provided by this Article
shall inure to the benefit of the heirs, executors and administrators
of such person and shall apply whether or not the claim against
such person arises out of matters occurring before the adoption
of this provision of the Bylaws.
ARTICLE
IX
Standard
of Care and Conflicts of Interest
Section
1. Standard of Care. It is the responsibility of each director
of this Association to discharge his or her duties as a director
in good faith, in a manner the director reasonably believes to be
in the best interests of this Association, and with the care an
ordinary prudent person in a like position would exercise under
similar circumstances.
Section
2. Conflicts of
Interests. A contract
or other transaction between this Association and:
(a) One
or more of its directors, or a member of the family of a director;
(b) A director
of a related organization, or a member of the family of a director
of a related organization; or
(c) An organization
in or of which one or more of the corporation's directors or a member
of the family of the director are directors, officers or legal representatives
or have a material financial interest.
is
not void or voidable because the director or directors or the other
individual or organization are parties or because the director or
directors are present at the meeting of the Board of Directors or
a committee of the Board of Directors at which the contract or transaction
is authorized, approved or ratified, if:
(a) The
contract or transaction was, and the person asserting the validity
of the contract or transaction sustains the burden of establishing
that the contract or transaction was, fair and reasonable as to
the Association at the time it was authorized, approved or ratified;
or
(b) The
material facts as to the contract or transaction and as to the director's
or directors' interest are fully disclosed or known to the Board
or a committee, and the Board or committee authorizes, approves
or ratifies the contract or transaction in good faith by a majority
of the Board or committee, but the interested director or directors
shall not be counted in determining the presence of a quorum and
shall not vote.
For
the purpose of this Section:
(a) A director
does not have a material financial interest in a resolution fixing
the compensation of the director or fixing the compensation of another
director as a director, officer, employee or agent of the Association,
even though the first director is also receiving compensation from
the Association; and
(b) A "member
of the family" of the director includes the spouse, parents,
children and spouses of children, brothers and sisters or spouses
of brothers and sisters of the director, or any combination of them.