Constitution & By-Laws

stla organization logo

Approved 07/11/2002

Article I - Name

The name of the organization shall be the New Mexico Trial Lawyers Student Association. The NMTLSA is an affiliate of the New Mexico Trial Lawyers Association.

Article II - Purpose

The purpose of the Chapter shall be

  1. To introduce students to the plaintiff's bar;
  2. Provide educational forums; and
  3. Encourage networking opportunities with practicing attorneys.

Article III - Membership

The membership of the Chapter shall consist of all UNM law students who are currently members of the New Mexico Trial Lawyers Association.

Article IV - Meetings

  1. Chapter meetings shall be held at least once every 8 weeks during the school year.
  2. Meetings may be called by the President, by any 2 of the other Chapter Officers, or by the consensus of a majority of Chapter members.
  3. Chapter meetings shall be open to all UNM law students.
  4. Orders of business may be raised by anyone in attendance at a Chapter meeting. All orders of business shall be seconded by a Chapter member and decided by an affirmative vote of a simple majority of members present at the meeting.
  5. Important decisions of the organization shall be made by a quorum vote of members present at a Chapter meeting. A majority of current Chapter members must be present in order to constitute a quorum. Important decisions shall include but are not limited to:
    1. election of Officers;
    2. amendments to by-laws; and
    3. any expenditure of Chapter funds of $50 or more.

Article V - Officers

  1. Composition
    1. Officers shall be elected from among the members of the Chapter who are currently 1st -year and 2nd-year students.
    2. The Officers of the Chapter shall consist of a President, Vice-President, Treasurer, Secretary.
    3. The President and Vice-President will serve as the NMTLSA representative to the New Mexico Trial Lawyers Association.
  2. Duties
    1. The President shall have the authority to approve the expenditure of Chapter funds, subject to the membership consensus requirement of 1/2 of the membership.
    2. The Vice-President will serve as the Chapter representative to UNM university functions.
    3. The Treasurer shall keep a record of Chapter funds and shall serve as liaison to the UNM School of Law Accounting Office.
    4. The Secretary shall record the minutes of Chapter meetings and publish them to the Chapter email list within one week of each meeting. The Secretary shall keep a record of the current members of the Chapter and be responsible for keeping the Chapter email list current. The Secretary will also be the liaison to CATs and will coordinate with the website designer to update the website as needed.
  3. Nominations and Elections
    1. All Officers shall be elected at the first Chapter meeting following Spring Break and shall serve for one year.
    2. Members may self-nominate or may be nominated by another member (unless the nominee declines the nomination). The Secretary shall keep a record of all nominations and publish them prior to the election meeting.
    3. Each Officer shall be elected by a simple majority vote of members present at the election meeting, subject to the quorum requirement of Article VI.
    4. In the case of more than two candidates for an Officer position, the two candidates with the most votes in the first election shall compete in a second run-off election.
    5. If any Officer steps down or is removed before the end of her or his term, another member shall be elected at the next Chapter meeting to fill that vacancy for the remainder of the term.
  1. Removal of Officers - the removal of any officer shall be accomplished by an affirmative vote of 1/2 of members present at a Chapter meeting, subject to the condition that at least 1/2 of the active members of the Chapter be in attendance.

Article VI - Amendments to By-Laws

  1. Amendments to Chapter by-laws may be proposed by any Chapter member. Any proposed amendments must be disseminated to all members - either in writing or through the email list - at least two weeks before a scheduled meeting at which the vote will be taken.
  2. Amendments to Chapter by-laws shall be passed by an affirmative vote of 1/2 of the members present at a Chapter meeting, subject to the condition that at least 1/2 of the active members of the Chapter be in attendance.