CONSTITUTION AND BY-LAWS.

PREAMBLE.

The undersigned, members of the Bar of the State of Virginia, in Convention assembled at Virginia Beach, in the said State, on the 6th day of July, 1888, do hereby constitute and declare ourselves an Association under the name and for the purposes hereinafter set forth, and do make and adopt the following Constitution and By-Laws for the organization and government of the said Association.

CONSTITUTION.

ARTICLE I.

NAME.

This Association shall be called "THE VIRGINIA State Bar ASSOCIATION."

ARTICLE II.
OBJECTS.

This Association is formed to cultivate and advance the science of jurisprudence; to promote reform in the law and in judicial procedure; to facilitate the administration of justice in this State; and to uphold and to elevate the standard of honor, integrity, and courtesy in the legal profession.

ARTICLE III.

MEMBERS.

1. Active Members.-Those members of the Bar who attend the Convention at which this Association is formed, and who shall then and there subscribe to this Constitution and pay the admission fee, are hereby declared to be members of this Association. Any member of the Bar, in good standing, residing and practising in the State of Virginia, who shall have been at the Bar of this State at least one year, and any teacher in a regularly organized law school, may become a member by vote of the Committee

on Admissions, as may be provided in the By-Laws, and upon subscribing to this Constitution, or otherwise signifying in writing his acceptance of membership, and paying the admission fee.

2. Honorary Members.-All judges of the courts of this State who are not eligible to membership under the preceding clause of this Article, and the judges of the Federal courts who are citizens of Virginia, are hereby declared to be honorary members of the Association, and shall continue such during their terms of office and no longer.

Honorary members shall not be eligible to any office in this Association, but shall be entitled, without the payment of fees, to all of its privileges and to participate in its proceedings, except such as may be had in connection with complaints against individuals which may be made in matters affecting the interest of the legal profession, the practice of the law, and the administration of justice.

ARTICLE IV.

OFFICERS.

The officers of this Association shall be a President, five VicePresidents one to be selected from each of the following five grand divisions of the State, viz: The Southwest, The Southside, Tidewater, Piedmont, and The Valley-and a Secretary and Treasurer, whose duties shall be such as may be prescribed in the ByLaws. They shall be elected at the annual meetings hereinafter provided for, except those first elected under this Constitution.

They shall hold office from the adjournment of the meeting at which they are elected until the adjournment of the next succeeding annual meeting, except those first elected under this Constitution, whose terms shall commence upon their election and expire at the adjournment of the first annual meeting. The President and the Vice-Presidents shall be ineligible for re-election until one year after the expiration of their terms of office.

The offices of Secretary and Treasurer shall be filled by one person, who shall receive as compensation for his services the sum of three hundred dollars per annum, payable quarterly. All elections shall be by ballot.

ARTICLE V.

STANDING COMMIttees.

There shall be the following Standing Committees of this Association, to be chosen as hereinafter provided, whose duties shall be such as may be prescribed in the By-Laws :

1. Executive Committee, to consist of six members.

2. Committee on Admissions, to consist of eighteen members, one to be selected from each of the judicial circuits of the State.

3. Committee on Legislation and Law Reform, to consist of eighteen members, one to be selected from each of the judicial cir

cuits of the State.

4. Judiciary Committee, to consist of eighteen members, one to be selected from each of the judicial circuits of the State.

5. Committee on Legal Education and Admission to the Bar, to consist of five members.

6. Committee on Library and Legal Literature, to consist of five members.

7. Committee on Grievances, to consist of eighteen members, one to be selected from each of the judicial circuits of the State. The members of the Executive Committee shall hold office as may be prescribed in the By-Laws, and no member thereof shall be eligible for re-election until one year after the expiration of his term of office.

The members of all other Standing Committees shall hold office from the time of their appointment until the adjournment of the next succeeding annual meeting, and until their successors are appointed.

Such other Standing Committees as shall be deemed necessary may be provided for in the By-Laws.

ARTICLE VI.

ELECTION AND APPOINTMENT OF STANDING COMMITTEES.

The members of the Executive Committee, except those first elected under this Constitution, shall be elected at the annual meetings, in the manner provided in the By-Laws.

The President shall appoint all other Standing Committees as soon as possible after the adjournment of each annual meeting,. and shall announce them to the Secretary, who shall immediately notify the persons so appointed.

ARTICLE VII.

MEETINGS.

This Association shall meet annually in the month of July or August at such time and place as the Executive Committee may select, and those present at such meetings, shall constitute a quorum. Such notice of the meeting shall be given as may be prescribed in the By-Laws.

Special meetings may be called at any time by the Executive Committee upon such notice as may be prescribed in the By-Laws; and shall be called by said committee at any time upon the writ ten request of twenty-five members, upon like notice. At a special meeting no business shall be transacted except such as is specified in the call therefor, without the concurrence of at least four

fifths of those present; and at such a meeting forty members shall constitute a quorum.

ARTICLE VIII.

FEES AND DUES.

The admission fee shall be five dollars, and the annual dues shall be five dollars, to be paid as may be prescribed in the ByLaws: : provided, that the admission fee shall be in lieu of the annual dues for the current year in which it is paid. No member shall be qualified to exercise any privilege of membership while his fees or dues remain unpaid.

ARTICLE IX.

SUSPENSIONS AND EXPULSIONS.

Any member may be suspended or expelled for misconduct in his relations to this Association, or in his profession, upon conviction thereof, in such manner as may be prescribed in the By-Laws; and all interest in the property of the Association of persons in any way ceasing to be members shall ipso facto vest in the Asso

ciation.

ARTICLE X.

VACANCIES.

In case of a vacancy in any office it shall be filled by appointment of the Executive Committee until the next annual or special meeting provided, that a vacancy in the office of President shall be filled by the appointment of one of the Vice-Presidents. In case of a vacancy in any committee it shall be filled by appointment of the President until the next annual or special meeting. A person appointed to fill a vacancy shall hold the office until his successor is elected or appointed.

ARTICLE XI.

ANNUAL ADDRESSES AND PAPERS.

At each annual meeting the President shall deliver an address, upon some subject to be selected by himself, in which he shall make such suggestions as to the work of the Association as he may deem proper. An address shall also be made by some lawyer of prominence, not a resident of the State, to be invited by the Executive Committee. And papers shall be read by not more than five members of the Association, to be selected by the Executive Committee as prescribed in the By-Laws.

ARTICLE XII.

AMENDMENTS.

This Constitution may be amended by a two-thirds vote of the members present at any meeting: provided, that if it be an annual meeting, notice of the proposed amendment, subscribed by at least five members, shall be given on the first day of such meeting; and if it be a special meeting, a similar notice, similarly subscribed, shall be given in the call therefor.

ARTICLE XIII.

INCORPORATION.

This Association shall be incorporated under the laws of the State of Virginia.

BY-LAWS.
I.

PRESIDENT AND VICE-PRESIDENT.

The President shall preside at all meetings of the Association; he shall deliver the annual address and perform all other duties required of him by the Constitution or By-Laws. In his absence one of the Vice-Presidents shall preside, and, in the absence of all such officers, such person as may be called to the chair by the meeting.

II.

SECRETARY AND TREASURER.

The person holding the office of Secretary and Treasurer shall be charged with the following duties:

I. He shall keep full and accurate minutes of the proceedings of all meetings of the Association, and of all other matters of which a record shall be ordered by the Association; and he shall carefully preserve its archives and transmit them to his successor in office.

2. He shall, with the aid and concurrence of the President, when by the latter deemed expedient, conduct the correspondence of the Association.

3. He shall keep at all times a complete and accurate roll of the members, officers and committees of the Association, with their addresses; he shall notify new members of their election, and officers and members of committees of their election or appointment.