By-Laws
1. NAME AND PURPOSE
The name of this organization shall be the Pre-Law Advisors National Council (PLANC). PLANC is incorporated under the laws of the State of North Carolina as a non profit organization.
The purpose of PLANC are fivefold:
(1) To advocate the interests of the various regional associations of Pre-Law Advisors;
(2) To act as a liaison among the regional Pre-Law Advisor Associations;
(3) To act as a liaison between the associations and Law School Admission Council and such other organizations as are relevant;
(4) To assist through appropriate means in the improvement of the skills of Pre-Law Advisors.
(5) To sponsor a quadrennial national conference
II. FUNCTIONS
The functions of the Council shall be:
(1) To serve as a forum for discussion of items pertinent to Pre-Law Advisors;
(2) To make recommendations to organizations interested in pre-law advising and legal education;
(3) To engage in special projects deemed necessary or valuable;
(4) To render decisions and perform functions appropriate for a national coordinating council;
(5) To enact bylaws as appropriate.
III. MEMBERSHIP
A. Voting Members
(1) Presidents of Regional Pre-Law Advisors’ Associations shall, during the time of their active service, automatically be members of the Council. If the President of any APLA is unwilling or unable to serve in this capacity, the APLA may designate another member of that APLA to serve as an official representative at a PLANC meeting or meetings.
(2) Each Regional Association may designate by whatever manner it chooses one additional representative to serve on the Council for a term to be determined by each Regional Association. Each member in this category shall have one vote.
B. Non-Voting Members
(1) LSAC/LSAS shall be invited to designate one member of their professional staff as an ex officio, non-voting member of the Council. The Chair of the LSAC/LSAS Services and Program Committee shall serve as non-voting member of the Council during the term of service. The Council may choose to invite representatives of other organizations directly connected to law school, pre-law advising or legal employment to serve as partners or non-voting members of the Council on an ad hoc basis for specific meetings or a given term if the Council so desires.
(2) At Large Members
In addition, PLANC may designate as necessary additional members to serve on the Council at the pleasure of the Council as long as those so named are members in good standing of one of the Regional Associations. These at large members might include, but are not restricted to, officers and coordinators of special projects sponsored by the Council.
IV. OFFICERS OF THE COUNCIL
A. The Officers of the Council shall consist of a Chair, a Chair Elect, the Immediate Past-Chair and a Treasurer.
B. Agents
(1) Newsletter Editors: Each year the Council shall elect at least one Newsletter editor for a two year term who shall serve as a non-voting, at-large member of the Council during the time of service. The Editor(s) of the Newsletter shall edit and publish the Newsletter in accordance with the wishes of the Council.
(2) Other Agents: PLANC may appoint such other agents as deemed necessary for the orderly operation of the Council. These agents shall be non-voting members of the PLANC Council.
C. Elections of Officers
Elections for PLANC Chair-elect and Treasurer will be held during the spring meeting prior to July 1 of each odd-numbered year. The Chair-elect shall serve for two years beginning on July 1, and automatically succeed as Chair for a two-year term. The Treasurer shall serve for two years beginning on July 1.
1. At the fall meeting immediately preceding the spring meeting at which elections will be held, the Chair will notify the members of the Council of the upcoming election and request that nominations be forwarded to the Chair no later than two months prior to the spring meeting. The Chair will confirm the willingness of those nominated to accept the nomination, and if they agree, will request biographical and other appropriate information from the nominees. The Chair will provide the members of the Council with a list of nominees and the appropriate information no later than one month prior to the meeting. Nominations may be made by any voting member of the Council during the spring meeting at which elections are held. Nominees will be given an opportunity to make brief remarks to the Council during the spring meeting or to send a written statement if they are unable to attend.
2. Election shall be by secret ballot with a majority of votes cast required for election. Should no one receive a majority of the votes cast, runoff election shall be held between the two candidates receiving the highest number of votes.
3. The persons designated as Chair-elect, Chair and Treasurer shall be, during the time of active service, members in good standing of one of the Regional Associations. During the time of service as Chair/Chair-elect, the persons so selected shall be designated as at-large members of the Council, and the Regional Association which they represent shall remain entitled to their two members (President and Designated Representative) as provided for in the “By Laws, Section III, A, 1 & 2.”
D. Factors to be considered in electing the Chair-elect include rotation of the positions among the Regional Associations and previous experience on the Council. Neither of these factors is mandatory except that the Chair and Chair-elect shall not be representatives of the same Regional Associations.
E. The Chair-elect shall be a non-voting member of the Council during the time of active service unless otherwise serving as a voting member and shall perform the duties assigned as described in Section IV, H of the “By Laws.”
F. The Chair of the Council shall arrange for meetings of the Council, provide an agenda in a timely manner prior to the meetings, preside over meetings, coordinate activities of the Council, appoint necessary committees, initiate and administer policies, represent PLANC at appropriate meetings, prepare an annual report and perform such other duties as normally associated with this office and/or designated by the Council. The Chair, unless otherwise entitled to vote as an APLA President or designated member may vote only when his/her vote could change the outcome of the question, except in the case of election of officers when the Chair may not vote.
G. The Chair, once his or her term of service is completed, shall, as immediate past chair serve as a non-voting member of the Council (unless otherwise entitled to vote as an APLA President or Designated Member) for a period of two years. The Immediate Past Chair shall perform such duties as assigned by the Chair and/or the Council.
H. The Chair-elect shall perform such duties as assigned by the Chair and/or Council including those of Secretary. Should the Chair be unable to serve a full-term, the Chair-elect will automatically succeed to the position of Chair for the remainder of that term as well as the term for which he/she was duly elected and another chair-elect shall be chosen.
I. The Treasurer shall formulate a budget for approval by the Council, maintain the accounts of the Council, and perform other functions as assigned by the Council.
V. MEETINGS, VOTING AND RULES OF PROCEDURE
A. The Council shall meet at least twice annually. These meetings shall be open to all persons concerned with Pre-Law Advising/Legal Education provided that they are members in good standing of a Regional Association or invited to attend by the Council.
B. It is hoped that the Council will function by consensus. Where a formal vote is necessary and proper, all members as specified in Item III, A shall be entitled to an equal vote, a majority being sufficient for approval, the Chair voting only as specified in IV, G. (Actions deemed by the Council to be of major significance may, in addition, need the approval of the Executive Boards and/or membership of the Regional Associations as each association deems proper.) The latest edition of ROBERT’S RULES OF ORDER shall constitute the rules of procedure when consensus decision-making is not possible and a formal vote is called for. A parliamentarian may be designated by the Chair from among the membership of the council.
VI. CONFERENCES
A. PLANC shall make every attempt to sponsor quadrennial conferences to be held during national presidential election years, at times and places to be determined by PLANC. Ordinarily these conferences shall alternate between meeting in the spring and in the fall.
B. A conference chair shall be selected by PLANC and shall serve as a non-voting member of the PLANC Council unless otherwise entitled to vote as a APLA president or designated member during the period of active service.
C. A Conference Committee of no more than six people (including the Conference Chair) shall be selected by PLANC to oversee the Conference. Each member of the Conference Committee shall be a member in good standing of his/her regional APLA, and shall be a non-voting member of PLANC during his/her service on the Conference Committee unless otherwise entitled to vote as an APLA president or designated member. Conference Committee members shall be selected with the intention of allowing representation from each of the APLA’s.
D. Alterations to the above structure can be authorized by a vote of the council.
E. The costs and expenses incurred by the conference committee in the performance
of this function shall be considered operating expenses of the Council and shall be
fully funded by the Council.
VII. TREASURY AND EXPENSES
A. At the fall meeting the Council shall formulate and approve an annual budget and a projected budget for the next four-years. All projected revenues and expenses for the Council, including Conference expenses, shall be included in these budget projections. The Council has the duty to insure that adequate operating funds are available to fulfill its activities. The fiscal year shall run from January 1 through December 31 of each calendar year.
B. The Council shall set annual dues for each of the regional APLAS. In addition, the Council may solicit and accept funding from other organizations/institutions involved in pre-law advising, legal education or providing relevant services.
C. The Council shall maintain a treasury in its name sufficient to meet the budgetary requirements set out in its budget projections.
D. Receipts from PLANC sponsored Conferences and other events shall be retained in amounts sufficient for future conferences as determined by the Council. PLANC funds exceeding this need shall be used in a manner consistent with the purposes and functions of PLANC including distribution of such funds to the Regional APLAS as determined by the voting members of the Council.
VIII. AMENDMENTS
Upon motion and second by voting members of the Council, amendments may be proposed and discussed. No amendment, however, may be voted on prior to the subsequent meeting of the Council. Approval by two thirds of the voting members present and voting is required.
(Adopted October 14, 1984)
(Amended October 19, 1986)
(Amended June 10, 1987)
(Amended February 24, 1991)
(Amended October 23, 1993)
(Amended November 6, 1994)
(Amended April 6, 1997)
(Amended, November 15, 2000)
(Amended, October 16, 2008, IV, I deletion of term limits on
Treasurer’s position)
(Amended, March 7, 2010, IV, C Election of Officers)
PLANC CHAIRS 1984 -2013
Gerald Lee Wilson 1984 - 1989 (Duke University - SAPLA)
Robert Gibson 1989 - 1991 (SUNY at Albany - NAPLA)
Jerry Polinard 1991 - 1993 (University of Texas - Pan American -SWAPLA)
Jim L. Riley 1993 - 1995 (Regis University - WAPLA)
Sally Derrwald 1995 - 1997 (University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee - MAPLA)
Thomas Brown 1997 - 1998 (Saint Mary’s College of California - PCAPLA)
Charles Neal 1998 - 2001 (Western Maryland College - NAPLA)
Eileen Crane 2001 - 2003 (Brigham Young University - WAPLA)
Nim Batchelor 2003-2005 (Elon University – SAPLA)
James V. Calvi 2005-2007 (West Texas University-SWAPLA)
Frank Guliuzza 2007-2009 (Weber State University, Patrick Henry College-WAPLA)
Mel Hailey 2009-2011 (Abilene Christian University-SWAPLA)
Heather Struck 2011-2013 (Cornell University-NAPLA)