Constitution & By-Laws

MALSA Student Organization logo

ARTICLE I - PURPOSE AND PRINCIPLES OF LALSA

LALSA is formed exclusively for the following purposes:

  1. To encourage, promote, and further the education of Latino Law students;
2. To carry out, promote, and foster, by all legal means within its power, public service educational, as well as such goals either directly or through the assistance with and collaboration of third parties;
3. To acquire, in accordance with the laws of the United States of America, whatever property and rights LALSA deems necessary to establish its existence and perform and achieve its purpose;
4. To engage in whatever actions, agreements, and contracts it deems necessary to achieve its purposes, including acts of ownership, administration, and defense of its property and rights; and,
5. To support initiatives relating to the objectives referenced above.

Lexican American Law Student Association is organized exclusively for charitable and educational purposes within the meaning of 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, or corresponding provisions of any subsequent federal laws. It is organized for charitable and educational purposes.

The purpose of LALSA, and the implementation of those purposes, shall be in accordance with the policies now and hereafter established by Mexican American Law Student Association, Inc. (LALSA), a New Mexico Non-profit corporation.

ARTICLE II - NAMES, SEALS AND OFFICES

Section 1. NAME. The name of this corporation is Lexican American Law Student Association, Inc.

Section 2. SEAL. The board of Directors may designate and change the form of the seal or the inscription hereon at their discretion.

Section 3. OFFICES. The principal office of LALSA shall be in Albuquerque, New Mexico. LALSA may also have offices in such other places as the Board of Directors may from time appoint or as the purposes of LALSA may require.

ARTICLE III - MEMBERS AND MEETING OF MEMBERS

Section 1. MEMBERSHIP. The members of LALSA shall consist of any law student enrolled in the University of New Mexico School of Law who has paid membership dues.

Section 2. REMOVAL OF MEMBERS. Any member may be removed from membership by the affirmative vote of a majority of the entire membership, registered in person, at any regular or special meeting called for that purpose, for conduct detrimental to the interests of LALSA, for lack of sympathy with its objectives or principles or unity, or for refusal to render assistance in carrying out its purposes.

Section 3. RIGHTS OF MEMBERS. Each member of LALSA shall have the right to cast one vote on all actions for which members shall have a right to vote. Any member may inspect all books and records of LALSA for any proper purpose at any reasonable time. The right of a member to vote and their right, title and interest on or to LALSA shall cease on the termination of his membership. No member shall be entitled to share in the distribution of LALSA assets upon the dissolution of LALSA. Every member has a right to attend all Executive Board meetings as well as Committee meetings.

Section 4. RESIGNATION OF MEMBERS. Any members may resign from LALSA by delivering a written resignation to the President, Vice-President, or Secretary.

Section 5. ANNUAL MEETINGS. An annual meeting of LALSA shall be held at the principal office of LALSA during the first full week in April for the purposes of electing next year's officers, and for the transaction of such other business as may properly come before the meeting. If the annual meeting is not held within a thirteen-month period, the district court may, on the application of any member, order a meeting to be held. However, failure to hold the annual meeting at the designated time shall not work a forfeiture or dissolution of LALSA.

Section 6. NOTICE OF ANNUAL MEETING. Notice of the time, place, and purpose or purposes of the annual meeting shall be served, either personally or by campus email, not less than five (5) days nor more than thirty (30) days before the meeting upon each person who appears upon the books of LALSA as a member and, if mailed, such notice shall be directed to the member at their campus mail address as it appears on the books of LALSA, unless she/he shall file with the Secretary or Treasurer of LALSA a written request that notices intended for them to be mailed to some other address, in which case it shall be mailed to the address designated in such request.

Section 7. SPECIAL MEETINGS. Special meetings of the members other than those regulated by statute, may be called at any time by the President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, New Mexico Hispanic Bar Association Representative, or the UNM Liaison, and must be called by the President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, New Mexico Bar Representative or UNM Liaison on receipt of a written request of twenty percent (20 %) of the members of LALSA.

Section 8. NOTICE OF SPECIAL MEETINGS. Notice of special meetings stating the time, place and purposes or purpose thereof shall be served personally, campus email, or by campus mail upon each member not less than five (5) days nor more than thirty (30) days before such meeting and, if mailed, such notice shall be directed to each member at his campus mail address as it appears on the books or records of LALSA, unless they have filed with the Secretary of LALSA a written request that notices intended for him shall be mailed to the address designated in such request.

Section 9. QUORUM. At any meeting of members of LALSA, the presence of twenty percent (20%) of the members in person or by proxy, or the number or percentage of votes represented in person or by proxy, shall be necessary to constitute a quorum for all purposes except as otherwise provided by law and shall be the act of the full membership except as may otherwise be specifically provided by statute or by these bylaws. In the absence of a quorum, or when a quorum is present, a meeting may be adjourned from time to time by vote of a majority of the members present in person without notice other than by announcement at the meeting at which a quorum shall be present. Any business may be transacted at the meeting as originally notified. A quorum, once attained at a meeting, shall be deemed to continue until adjournment notwithstanding the voluntary withdrawal of enough members to leave less than a quorum.

Section 10. VOTING. At every meeting of members, each member shall be entitled to vote in person or by proxy executed in writing by the member or by his duly authorized attorney-in-fact. No proxy shall be valid after eleven months from the date of its execution, unless otherwise provided in the proxy. Voting may also take place by school Email when properly executed within the day(s) of the election and the Email time/date reflects such action. Each member of LALSA shall be entitled to one vote on each matter to be submitted to a vote of members. Upon the demand of any member, the vote upon any question before the meeting shall be by written ballot. All questions shall be decided by a simple majority vote of the persons present and proxy cast.

Section 11. WAIVER OF NOTICE. Whenever under the provisions of the Certificate of Incorporation or Bylaws of this Corporation, LALSA or the Board of Directors or any committee thereof is authorized to take any action after notice to the members of LALSA or after the lapse of a prescribed person or time, such action may be taken without notice and without the lapse of any period of time of at any time before or after any such action be completed, such requirements be waived in writing by the person or persons entitled to such notice or entitled to participate in the action to be taken. Attendance at any meeting by member shall constitute a waiver of notice of the meeting, except where a member attends a meeting for the express purpose of objecting to the transaction or any business because the meeting was not lawfully called or convened.

Section 12. REMOVAL OF DIRECTORS OR OFFICERS. Any director or officer may be removed from office by the affirmative vote of a majority of the full membership, registered in person at any regular or special meeting called for that purpose, for conduct detrimental to the interest of LALSA, for lack of sympathy with its objectives or for refusal to render reasonable assistance in carrying out its purposes. Furthermore, any member of the Board of Directors who misses three (3) consecutive Board meetings without reasonable excuse may be replaced by the affirmative vote of the majority of the other members of the Board of Directors. Any such officer or director proposed to be removed shall be entitled to at least five (5) days notice in writing by campus mail or by campus Email of the proposed removal and of the meeting time and place at which such removal is to be voted upon and shall be entitled to appear before and heard at such meeting. The removal of an officer shall be without prejudice to the contract rights, if any, of the officer to removed.

Section 13. COMPENSATION AND EXPENSES. Members of LALSA shall not receive any stated salary for their services.

Section 14. ROBERT'S RULES OF ORDER. Upon demand of any member, the meetings of LALSA shall be conducted in accordance with Robert's' Rules of Order.

ARTICLE IV - BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Section 1. BOARD OF DIRECTORS. The Board of Directors shall consist of the elected officers.

Section 2. ELECTION FOR FIRST YEAR CLASS REPRESENTATIVE. The First Year Class Representative shall be elected by Corporation members consisting of the incoming first year law student within a month after the first day of classes begin in the fall semester. The Board of Directors will conduct the election and the results of the election will be made public via campus email to all LALSA members at the conclusion of the election. All LALSA first year members who have paid their annual dues are eligible to run for the position of the first year class representatives. A nomination period will be held two weeks prior to the election. Any first year LALSA member can be nominated for the position by either another first year LALSA member or by a personal nomination by the member interested in the position.

Section 3. BOARD OF DIRECTOR MEETINGS. The newly elected Board of Directors shall meet prior to the start of the upcoming fall semester after the election for the purpose of planning and organizing the business of the upcoming school year and the transaction of any other pertinent LALSA business. A quorum of the Board of Directors must be present in order to conduct a meeting.

Section 4. SPECIAL MEETINGS. Special meetings of the Board of Directors may be scheduled by the President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, New Mexico Hispanic Bar Association Representative, UNM Liaison, or the First Year Class Representative. A special meeting may also be scheduled on the written request of two or more LALSA Members. The Board of Directors may meet at any time during the year or on a monthly basis if necessary to conduct the business of LALSA.

Section 5. NOTICE OF MEETINGS. Notice of all Board of Directors meetings, except as herein otherwise provided shall be in writing and notice of the meeting shall be made public to the LALSA membership not less than five (5) days before the meeting, excluding the day of the meeting by campus email. In an emergency situation notice of the meeting shall be made public as soon as possible.

Section 6. QUORUM. At all meetings of the Board of Directors a majority of the directors shall be necessary and sufficient to constitute a quorum for the transaction of business. If at any Board of Directors meeting there is less than a quorum present, a majority of those present may adjourn the meeting without further notice to any absent director. A quorum, once attained at a Board of Directors meeting, shall be deemed to continue until adjournment, notwithstanding the voluntary withdrawal of enough directors to leave less than a quorum.

Section 7. CONTRACTS AND SERVICES. The Board of Directors of LALSA may be interested directly or indirectly in any contract relating to or incidental to the operations conducted by LALSA, and may frequently make contracts, interactions, or otherwise act for and on behalf of LALSA, notwithstanding that they may also be acting as individuals, or as trustees or trusts or as agents for other persons or corporations, or may be interested in the same matters as stockholders, officers, or otherwise, provided however, that any contract, transaction or act on behalf of LALSA in a manner in which officers are personally interested as stockholders, directors or otherwise shall be at arm's length with full disclosure of such interest to the Board of Directors, and not violate of the prescriptions in the Certificate of Incorporation against LALSA's use or application of its funds for private benefit; and provided further that no contract, transaction or act shall be taken on behalf of LALSA if such contract, transaction, or act is prohibited or would result in the denial of the tax exemption under Section 503 or Section 504 of the Internal Revenue Code and its regulations as they now exist or as they may hereafter be amended.

Section 8. COMPENSATION. Directors shall not receive any stated salary for their services.

Section 9. POWERS. All the corporate powers, except such as are otherwise provided for in these Bylaws and in the laws of the State of New Mexico shall be and are hereby vested in and shall be exercised by the Board of Directors and the general membership only. The Board of Directors at their discretion may designate any number of awards to LALSA members at any time during the school year. The award(s) may be presented to LALSA members based on outstanding contributions to the University of New Mexico School of Law and/or to LALSA. The Board of Directors does not need to consult the general membership for approval of any award the Board chooses to present to an outstanding member of LALSA.

Section 10. DUTIES. The Board of Directors shall be present at all general membership meetings and attend all Board of Directors meeting unless extenuating circumstance is presented.

Each Board of Director at the request of the President shall provide either a written or verbal report to the general membership related to any and all activities, committees or events in which the individual officer has participated in relation to the business of LALSA. Each Board of Director will be responsible for the successful completion of any and all LALSA business conducted during the school year.

ARTICLE V - OFFICERS

Section 1. NUMBER. The officers of LALSA shall be the President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, New Mexico Hispanic Bar Association Representative, Mentorship Chair, and First Year Class Representative, and such other officers with such powers and duties not inconsistent with these Bylaws as may be appointed and determined by the General Membership. No two offices may be held by the same person.

Section 2. ELECTION, TERM OF OFFICE AND QUALIFICATIONS. The officers of LALSA shall be elected annually by the members of LALSA from among their number. Members elected to be officers shall by such election also become members of the Board of Directors.

The Board of Directors shall appoint an election Committee. The Election Committee shall consist of current paid corporate members and shall follow the Bylaws of LALSA. Members of the Election Committee cannot be a candidate for a newly elected office.

The election shall take seven (7) days. Nominations will be accepted by the Election Committee the first five days followed by a candidate forum, and a two-day election. The Election Committee shall determine the time and deadline for accepting nominations, and shall provide the general members a list of all candidates. The Election Committee will designate a forum for all candidates. The election will be held for two (2) days, most convenient for the entire Corporation, determined by the Election Committee.

The candidate must receive a plurality, an excess of the votes cast for one candidate over those cast for any other, and the person who receives the greatest number of votes has a plurality.

In an event of a tie, the newly elected Board of Directors shall cast a secret ballot to un-break the tie within two (2) days of the election. In an event of a Board of Directors tie, the two candidates will again have a special election by the General members of LALSA.

The Election Committee shall announce the results within twenty-four (24) hours to the General members. The new officers shall assume their responsibilities on the last day of spring semester final exams. Each officer shall hold office for one year commencing and ending on the last day of spring semester final exams.

A member is eligible to vote in the annual election of officers, as well as in any ensuing special election, provided that LALSA member pays his or her dues by the deadline established by the Board of Directors each year. The Treasurer shall give notice to the general membership at least a month in advance regarding the corporate dues deadline.

Section 3. VACANCIES. In case any office of LALSA becomes vacant by death, resignation, disqualification, or any other cause, the majority of the general membership may elect an officer to fill the vacancy, and the officer so elected shall hold office and serve until the next annual election.

Section 4. PRESIDENT. The President shall preside at all meetings of members and of the Board of Directors. He or she shall have and exercise general charge and supervision of the affairs of LALSA and shall do and perform such other duties as may be assigned to him or her by the Board of Directors.

Section 5. VICE-PRESIDENT. At the request of the President in the event of his or her absence or disability, the Vice-President shall perform the duties and exercise the powers of the President; and to the extent authorized by law, the Vice-President shall have such other powers as the Board of Directors may determine, and shall perform such other duties as may be assigned to him or her by the Board of Directors. In the event the office of the President becomes vacant by death, resignation, disqualification, or any other cause, the Vice-President will exercise the power of the President until a new President is elected.

Section 6. SECRETARY. The Secretary shall have charge of all papers and documents as the Board of Directors may determine and shall have the custody of the Corporate Seal. The Secretary shall attend and keep the minutes of all the meetings of the Board of Directors and members of LALSA. The Secretary will keep a record containing the names of all persons who have placed their names of membership rolls, showing their places of residence, and such records shall be opened for inspection as prescribed by law. The Secretary may sign with the President in the name of and on behalf of LALSA, any contracts or agreements authorized by the Board of Directors, and shall affix the Seal of LALSA if there is any. The Secretary shall execute and fill all annual reports required by law. The Secretary in general, perform all the duties incident to the office of Secretary, subject to the control of the Board of Directors and shall do and perform such other duties as may be assigned by the Board of Directors.

Section 7. TREASURER. The Treasurer shall have custody of all trust funds, property, and securities of LALSA subject to such regulations as may be imposed by the Board of Directors. The Treasurer may be required to give bond for the faithful performance of the duties of the office, in such sum and sureties as the Board of Directors may require. The Treasurer when necessary or proper may endorse on behalf of LALSA for collection of checks, notes and other obligations, and shall deposit the same to the credit of LALSA in such bank or banks or depository as the general membership may designate. The Treasurer shall sign all receipts and vouchers and together with such other officer or officers, if any, and shall be designated by the Board of Directors. The Treasurer shall sign all checks of LALSA and all bills of exchange and promissory notes issued by LALSA together with such other officer or officers designated by the Board of Directors, except in cases where the signing and execution thereof shall be expressly designated by the Board of Directors or by these Bylaws to some other officer or agent of LALSA. The Treasurer shall make such payments as may be necessary or proper to be made on behalf of LALSA. The Treasurer shall enter regularly on the books of LALSA to be kept by the Treasurer for the purpose, full and accurate account of all monies and obligations received and pain or incurred by the Treasurer for or in account of LALSA and shall exhibit such books at all reasonable times to any director or member on application at the offices of LALSA. The Treasurer shall issue a report of the Treasury at all meetings of the Board of Directors and meetings of LALSA. The Treasurer shall, in general perform all duties incident to the office of the Treasurer subject to the control of the general membership.

Section 8. NEW MEXICO HISPANIC BAR ASSOCIATION REPRESENTATIVE.

The New Mexico Hispanic Bar Association Representative is charged with the usual decision making duties of an Officer with regards to all Corporation operations and activities. Specifically the NMHBA Representative will act as a direct link between LALSA and the New Mexico Hispanic Bar Association by maintaining contact with the New Mexico Hispanic Bar Association and ensuring ongoing collaboration with the New Mexico Hispanic Bar Association in Corporation endeavors. Additionally, the New Mexico Hispanic Bar Association Representative occupies a seat on the New Mexico Hispanic Bar Association Executive Board and as such, is required to attend all New Mexico Hispanic Bar Association meetings and shall issue a report to the Board of Directors upon their request regarding the New Mexico Hispanic Bar Association meetings.

Section 9. MENTORSHIP CHAIR.

The Mentorship Chair will be responsible for coordinating, organizing and planning any and all LALSA mentorship activities and events. These activities include, but are not limited to: 1) the annual Minority Mentorship Mixer, sponsored and organized by LALSA in conjunction with other student organizations; 2) LALSA’s law school mentorship program, in which upperclass students mentor 1L members; and, 3) opportunities to participate in mentorship programs with high school and undergraduate students. The Mentorship Chair is responsible for initiating and maintaining relationships between LALSA and various institutions and entities at the high school, undergraduate and graduate/professional student levels in order to facilitate mentorship activities and events. The Mentorship Chair position also entails the usual decision making duties of the Board of Directors concerning all other Corporation operations and activities.

Section 10. FIRST YEAR CLASS REPRESENTATIVE. The purpose of the First Year Class Representative is to ensure representation of the first year law class and participate in LALSA's policy and decisions. The First Year Representative in general, shall serve as a liaison between the first year class and the Board of Directors. This shall entail regular communication with members of the first year class to discuss their concerns, ideas, needs, etc. and report these concerns to the Board of Directors. In addition, the First Year Representative shall do and perform such other duties as may be assigned by the Board of Directors.

Section 11. REMOVAL. Any officer may be removed from office by the affirmative vote of a majority of the members of LALSA at any regular or special meeting called for that purpose, for non-feasance, malfeasance or misfeasance, for conduct detrimental to the interest of LALSA, for lack of sympathy with its objectives or for refusal to render reasonable assistance in carrying out its purpose. Any officer proposed to be removed shall be entitled to at least five (5) days notice in writing by campus mail or by campus email or by personal delivery by an officer of LALSA and shall include the time and place and of the fact that this removal is proposed. Such officer shall be entitled to appear before and be heard by the Board of Directors at such meeting. The removal of an officer shall be without prejudice to the contract rights, if any, of the officer to be removed.

ARTICLE VI - CONTRACTS

All contracts or other documents binding LALSA shall be executed by the Board, or by any other person that the Board authorizes according to the requirements set forth in these Bylaws. The Board may enter into contracts and or engagements whereby pledging to bind LALSA for no more than one thousand dollars ($1,000). The General Membership, except as in these Bylaws otherwise provided, may authorize the Board or agent to enter into any contract or execute and deliver any instrument in the manner of and on behalf of LALSA, and such authority may be general or confined to a specific instance, in interests exceeding one thousand dollars ($1,000). All expenditures made for LALSA shall be pre approved by the Board. The Board, Officers, Employees and Members of LALSA shall not be personally liable for the obligations of LALSA.

ARTICLE VII - COMMITTEES

Section 1. COMMITTEE APPOINTMENTS. The Board of Directors may appoint members from the general membership or members of the LALSA Board as either the Chair or Co-Chair of any committee formed for the purpose of conducting the business of LALSA. The Members of any such committee shall serve at the pleasure of the Board of Directors. Such committees shall aid, advise and consult with the officers of LALSA in all matters designated by the Board of Directors. Each committee may, subject to the approval of the General Membership prescribe rules and regulations for the call and conduct of the meetings of the committee and other matters relating to this procedure. The members of any committee shall not receive any stated salary for their services. Each Committee Chair or Co-chair shall provide either a written or verbal report to the Board of Directors regarding the activities of the committee. The Chair or Co-Chairs may also be asked to update the general membership regarding the activities of the committee at any general membership meeting. The Chair or Co-Chairs of any committee shall have the responsibility of keeping minutes of all committee meetings that shall include a list of all LALSA members and non-members who attended the committee meeting. The minutes of the committee meetings shall be published for membership to review.

Section 2. COMMITTEES AND GENERAL RESPONSIBILITIES OF COMMITTEE CHAIRPERSON(S). The Board of Directors will be responsible for appointing a Chairperson(s) to each of the following LALSA committees:

  • Annual Golf Tournament Committee - The Chairperson(s) shall be responsible for the coordination, organization and planning of the Annual LALSA Golf Tournament.
    • A contract for the golf tournament shall be presented to the Board of Directors for review. Upon approval by the Board of Directors the contract shall be presented to the general membership for a vote whether to accept or reject the contract.
  • Annual Matanza Committee - The Chairperson(s) shall be responsible for the coordination, organization and planning of the Annual Matanza.
  • Fighting For Justice Banquet Committee - The Chairperson(s) shall be responsible for the coordination, organization and planning of the annual Fighting For Justice Banquet held at the end of each spring semester.
    • Fighting For Justice Nomination Period. The Fighting For Justice Nomination Period will commence at the beginning of the spring semester and will last for thirty days. LALSA members may nominate an individual during this time period by presenting the general membership with an official nomination accompanied by a biography of the proposed award recipient along with the reasons why they believe that individual is deserving of the Fighting For Justice Award.
    • The Board of Directors shall conduct an election at the conclusion of the nomination period. An election shall be held if there are more than two proposed award recipients. If only one individual is nominated then that person will be the Fighting For Justice award recipient by unanimity. The results of the election will be published via email to all LALSA members at the conclusion of the election. The LALSA member(s) who choose to nominate an individual are free to distribute or publish any type of literature describing the qualifications of the proposed recipient and the reasons why they believe the individual is deserving of the Fighting For Justice Award.
  • Community Service Committee - The Chairperson(s) shall be responsible for coordinating, organizing and planning community service projects on behalf of LALSA.
  • Fundraising Committee - The Chairperson(s) will be responsible for the coordinating, organizing and planning of any and all fundraising events sponsored by LALSA.
  • Public Relations Committee - The Chairperson(s) will be responsible for coordinating, organizing and planning of any and all public relation events or projects hosted by LALSA.

ARTICLE VIII - CALENDAR YEAR

The fiscal year of LALSA shall begin on the first day of January and end on the 31st day of December of the same calendar year.

ARTICLE IX - PROHIBITION AGAINST SHARING IN CORPORATE EARNINGS

No member, director, officer or employee or member of a committee of or person connected with LALSA, or any other private individual shall receive at any time any of the net earnings or pecuniary profit from the operations of LALSA, provided that this shall not prevent the payment to any such person of such reasonable compensation for service rendered to or for LALSA in effecting any of its purposes as shall be filed by the General Membership; and no such person or persons shall be entitled to share in the distribution of any of the corporate assets upon the dissolution of LALSA. All members of LALSA shall be deemed to have expressly consented and agreed that upon such dissolution or winding up of the affairs of LALSA, after all debts have been satisfied, then remaining in the hands of the Board of Directors shall be distributed, transferred, conveyed, delivered and paid may be determined by a Court of competent jurisdiction upon which would then qualify under the provisions of Section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code and its regulations as they now exist or as they may be hereafter be amended.

ARTICLE X - INVESTMENTS

LALSA shall have the right to retain all or any part of any securities or property acquired by it in whatever manner, and to invest and reinvest any funds held by it, according to the judgment of the General Membership, without being restricted to the class of investments which a trustee is or may hereafter be permitted by law to make or any similar restriction, provided, however, that no action be taken by or on behalf of LALSA if such action is a prohibitive transaction or would result in the denial of the tax exemption under Section 503 or Section 504 of the Internal Revenue Code and its regulations as they now exist or as they may hereafter be amended.

ARTICLE XI - PROMOTION OF LEGAL EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES

Section 1. GENERAL. Individual members of LALSA may petition for reimbursement organizational funds in order to reimburse said member for activities that a member engages in for the purpose of promoting their academic or legal enrichment, or are intended to further the goals stated in LALSA bylaws. If the petitioner seeking funds qualifies under these Bylaws, reimbursement will occur only after the petitioner has attended the approved event. Approval of the event and amount of reimbursement will be determined by a committee comprised of the Board of Directors and a volunteer representative from each class.

Each year, the number and the amounts of all reimbursements will depend upon the availability of existing funds during that school year. The committee will review the petitioner's undertaken expenses and issue awards based on propriety and reasonableness of those expenses. LALSA will reimburse members based on available funding.

All petitioners should abide by the following guidelines when seeking reimbursement of Corporation funds:

Section 2. PETITION FOR REIMBURSEMENT. All petitioners should fill out an application seeking approval of the proposed event. The petitioner should detail the nature of the event, the date and time of the event, the nature of each expense, and a reasonable estimation of the amount of those expenses. The petitioner should express why the proposed event qualifies for consideration of Corporation reimbursement. Reimbursement of LALSA funds will be limited to one event per LALSA member per semester.

Section 3. RECOGNIZED EVENTS. * The following events are hereby recognized as events that qualify for reimbursement, contingent upon the availability of LALSA funds and the level of LALSA participation by the petitioner:

  • Hispanic National Bar Association (HNBA) Annual Convention
  • Latina/o Law Student Conference
  • Moot Court Competitions

Section 4. REVIEW. The committee will review all applications to determine if the petitioner's proposed event qualifies for reimbursement consideration. Additionally, the petitioner can elect to speak before the committee, advocating their position. Appearance before the committee is not mandatory. The committee may also take into consideration the petitioner's past and present commitment, dedication, and involvement in LALSA.

Section 5. PETITIONER NOTIFICATION. The committee will meet when necessary to consider applications and will make a decision at that meeting or within a reasonable amount of time. The decision should be based on the result of a majority vote by committee members. The petitioner shall be notified within forty-eight hours of the committee decision. All committee decisions are final.

Section 6. REIMBURSEMENT PROCEEDINGS. Petitioners shall keep track of all expenses incurred. Documentation of expenses shall be submitted with all applications. These stipulations apply to requests for full reimbursement as well as partial reimbursement. All reimbursements will be in the form of Corporation checks. Reimbursements will be received within the same school year within which the event took place.

The petitioner's original application, documentation, committee notes, amounts of reimbursement, and all other information shall be in Corporation files.

ARTICLE XII - AMENDMENTS

Section 1. BY MEMBERS. The Bylaws may be altered, amended or repealed at any meeting of members of LALSA by a majority vote of all the members, represented in person, proved that the proposed action is inserted in the notice of such meeting.

I Hereby Certify that the foregoing Bylaws of the Mexican American Law Student Association, Inc. consisting of Articles I through XII, and being 12 pages, are the Bylaws adopted at a meeting of the members of the Mexican American Law Student Association, Inc.

I FURTHER CERTIFY that said Bylaws remain in full force and effect and without changes as of the date of this certification.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand as Secretary of LALSA this 7th day of April, 2005.

__________________________________

Dahlia Olsher 
SECRETARY