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Statement of Purpose and Plan of Organization

I. NAME AND PURPOSE

The name of this organization shall be the Pre-Law Advisors' National Council (PLANC). The purpose of PLANC is threefold:

To act as a liaison among the regional Pre-Law Associations and between the associations and Law School Admission Council and such other organizations as are relevant;
To advocate the interests of the various regional associations of Pre-Law Advisors;
To assist through appropriate means in the improvement of the skills of Pre-Law Advisors.

II. FUNCTIONS

The functions of the Council shall be:

To serve as a forum for discussion of items pertinent to Pre- Law Advisors;
To make recommendations to organizations interested in pre- law advising and legal education;
To engage in special projects deemed necessary or valuable;
To render decisions and perform functions appropriate for a national coordinating council;
To enact bylaws as appropriate.

III. MEMBERSHIP

A. Voting Members

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.
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 itself. Each member in this category shall have one vote.

B. Non-Voting Members

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 and the Chair of the Sub- Committee on Pre-Law Advising shall serve as non-voting members of the Council during the term of their 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 observers or non-voting members of the Council on an ad hoc basis for specific meetings or a given term if the Council so desires.
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. Officers

The Officers of the Council shall consist of a Chair, a Chair Elect, the Immediate Past-Chair and a Treasurer.

B. Agents

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.
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. Election of Officers:

At an annual meeting in odd-numbered years PLANC shall designate a Chair-elect and Treasurer whose terms shall begin on July 1 of that year. The Chair-elect shall serve in this position for two years and automatically succeed as Chair for a two-year term. Nominations for Chair-elect and Treasurer may be made by any voting member of the Council during the annual meeting immediately prior to July 1. Election shall be by a secret ballot with a majority of votes cast required for election. Should no one receive a majority of the votes cast, a runoff election shall be held between the two candidates receiving the highest number of votes. 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 "Plan of Organization."

D. Funding:

Prior to assuming the position of Chair-elect/Chair, Immediate Past Chair, Treasurer or Editor(s) of the Newsletter, the person elected shall arrange to have the funding necessary for assuming the position. In the event adequate funding cannot be obtained from other sources, PLANC may grant requests for such funding.

E. Factors in Choosing Chair-Elect

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.

F. Chair-Elect Functions

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 as assigned as described in Section IV, I of the "Statement of Purpose and Plan of Organization".

G. Chair Functions

The Chair of the Council shall arrange for meetings of the Council, preside over these 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 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.

H. Past-Chair Functions

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.

I. Succession

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.

J. Treasurer

The Treasurer shall be elected by the Council to serve a term of two years, and may be elected for no more than three consecutive terms. 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

V. COUNCIL MEETINGS, VOTING AND RULES OF PROCEDURE

A. Meetings

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. Rules

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 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.

VI. CONFERENCES

A. Frequency

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. Conference Chair

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 an APLA president or designated member during the period of active service.

C. Conference Committee

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 a APLA president or designated member. Conference Committee members shall be selected with the intention of allowing representation of as many of the regional APLAS as possible.

D. Finances

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. Budget

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.

B. APLA Dues

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. Treasury Sufficiency

The Council shall maintain a treasury in its name sufficient to meet the budgetary requirements set out in its budget projections.

D. Conference Finances

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 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)

Last updated April 10, 2001

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