The Bylaws of the Harvard Women’s Law Association at Harvard Law School
Year of Implementation: 2020
Last amended: 2023
PREAMBLE
The Harvard Women’s Law Association advocates for gender equity and hopes to bolster women in pursuit of their professional and personal ambitions, as well as to integrate women into the Law School, the community, and the legal profession. We thereby ordain and establish the following measures .
ARTICLE I: NAME
Section 1.
The name of this organization shall be the Harvard Women’s Law Association (“WLA”).
ARTICLE II: PURPOSE
Section 1.
The Harvard Women’s Law Association is a diverse, non-partisan, feminist, and womanist organization committed to building a vibrant and supportive community for women during their time at Harvard Law School and beyond.
In furtherance of this mission, we advocate for gender equity and bolster women in pursuit of their professional and personal goals. We empower our members with academic resources, mentorship, and professional development opportunities while also providing members and alumnae with a lasting community.
ARTICLE III: MEMBERSHIP
Section 1. Inclusion.
Membership and participation is open to all law students without regard to age, gender, race, color, national origin, religion, disability, veteran status, or sexual orientation.
Section 2. General Body.
The WLA General Body is composed of the Executive Board, Committee Chairs, and committee members. WLA events and/or activities may be open to either the WLA General Body, or to a broader audience, depending upon the event.
Section 3. Criteria for General Body Members.
WLA General Body members must remain in good standing in order to remain eligible to participate in events that are open only to General Body members. In order to be a member in good standing, members must:
- Participate in a committee, and
- Attend 1 lunch talk event per year.
Committee Chairs are responsible for tracking that all members remain in good standing.
ARTICLE IV: OFFICERS
Section 1. President.
There will be one (1) President or two (2) Co-Presidents. The (Co-)President must be a rising third-year student (3L). The (Co-)President shall be elected for a term of one academic year.
Section 2. Vice-Presidents.
There will be two (2) vice presidents. At least one (1) Vice President must be a rising second-year student (2L). The other Vice President may be either a rising 2L or rising 3L. There is neither a presumption nor a requirement that a 2L Vice President assume the Presidency or run for President the following year.
Section 3. Treasurer.
There will be two (2) treasurers. The Treasurers are selected by the incoming President and Vice Presidents after an application period.
Section 4. Directors.
There will be four (4) directors — Director of External Affairs, Director of Professional Development, Director of Community Development, and Director of Policy and Advocacy.
Directors will be selected by the incoming President and Vice Presidents after an application period. Prior to appointing new Directors, the President and Vice Presidents shall have the power to rename the Director positions, to alter the duties of Directors, and to increase or reduce the number of Directors.
Section 5. Executive Board.
The WLA’s Executive Board will be composed of the President, Vice Presidents, Treasurer, and Directors.
Section 6. Committees.
The WLA will be comprised of multiple committees, including:
1L Committee, Academics Committee, Alumnae & Mentorship Committee, Domestic Policy Committee, Fall and Spring Conference Committees, Firms & Fundraising Committee, Governance Committee, Incoming Students Committee, International Committee, LLM & SJD Committee, Outreach Committee, Partnership Committee, Private Sector Committee, Public Interest Committee, Research Committee, Shatter the Ceiling Committee, Social Committee, Venture Fund Committee, Volunteer Committee, and the Women in Washington Committee.
Each committee will be led by either a Committee Chair or by Committee Co-Chairs. Committee Chairs will be selected by the incoming President and Vice Presidents following an application period. The President and Vice Presidents may consult with the Executive Board if necessary.
Committees can be added or eliminated, subject to a two-thirds vote of the Executive Board.
Section 7. Coalitions.
The WLA will contain coalitions in order to provide additional community and social space within the WLA for members of more marginalized groups. Membership in the coalitions is additional to general body membership, and WLA members may join at any time.
Each coalition will be led by Coalition Chairs.
Section 8. WLA Board.
The WLA Board will be comprised of the Executive Board as well as the Committee Chairs and Coalition Chairs, as determined annually by the Executive Board.
ARTICLE V: OFFICER ELECTIONS AND VOTING PROCEDURES
Section 1. Timing.
Annual Presidential and Vice Presidential elections will be held every spring.
Section 2. Order of Elections.
The Presidential election will directly precede the Vice Presidential election. The result of the Presidential election will be announced before the Vice Presidential election begins.
Section 3. Voting Members.
All members of the WLA general body that remain in good standing may vote in annual elections.
Section 4. Voting Procedures.
The winners will be determined by a simple majority (50% + 1) of votes using Instant Runoff Voting (IRV) and, if necessary for elections where more than one candidate wins, Single Transferable Vote (SRV) procedures by which voters rank all candidates for each position in order of preference.
Section 5. Multiple Candidacies.
Any Presidential candidate that does not succeed in the Presidential race may opt to enter the Vice Presidential race. Any Vice Presidential candidate that does not succeed may apply for a Committee Chair and/or Coalition Chair position.
ARTICLE VI: HANDLING OF FUNDS
Section 1. Role of the Treasurer.
The Treasurer shall be the primary officer designated to handle organization finances.
Section 2. Procedure for Attaining Funding for Committee Events.
In order to attain funding for a committee event, signoff is required by the Committee Chair and Treasurer. The President and Vice Presidents may be consulted for additional input if necessary.
Section 3. Misuse of Funds.
WLA members who grossly misappropriate funds may be penalized subject to a unanimous determination (excluding the accused member if applicable) by the Executive Board.
ARTICLE VII. WLA SIGNATURES
Section 1. Definition.
The WLA will on occasion sign its name on petitions and letters of other organizations and/or bodies.
Section 2. Notification
In order for the WLA to sign onto a new petition or letter of other organizations and/or bodies, that petition will be distributed to the general body, not for voting, but for notification purposes.
Section 3. Procedure.
In order for the WLA to sign onto the petitions and letters of other organizations and/or bodies, the WLA Board must be notified and a vote called. Voting will remain open for a minimum of 48 hours. In order for the vote to be valid, a quorum of 50%+1 of the Board must participate. In order to pass, the vote requires a 2/3 (66.6%) majority.
Section 4. Emergency Powers.
In the event that a petition or letter requires a response in less than 48 hours, the Executive Board may use its emergency powers to sign the petition or letter in its own name. For more detail, please refer to Article VIII.
Section 5. General Body Vote.
If a member of the General Body wants to call a general body vote on a particular petition, that member must alert a WLA Board member within 24 hours of notification. If 10% of the WLA’s General Body membership communicates to a Board member that they would like to bring the vote to the WLA’s General Body within 24 hours of notification, the petition will be sent out for a General Body vote. Voting will remain open for a minimum of 48 hours. In order for the vote to be valid, a quorum of 50%+1 of the General Body must participate. In order to pass, the vote requires a 2/3 (66.6%) majority.
Section 6. Unmet Quorum.
If a vote of the General Body fails to reach a quorum, the WLA Board (chairs, directors, and the executive board) can still choose to sign on to a petition if it signs in its own name as “The Chairs and Directors of the WLA” and provides a disclaimer that the decision does not reflect the perspective of the entire General Body. This option is only available when a quorum is unmet, not when the General Body has reached a quorum and voted down signing a petition.
ARTICLE VIII. EMERGENCY POWERS
Section 1. Procedure.
When faced with decisions requiring a response or action in less than 48 hours, the President and Vice Presidents, after consultation with the Executive Board, may make a decision on behalf of the WLA. Whenever possible, decisions should be accompanied by a disclaimer acknowledging that the decision was made by the Executive Board and does not reflect the perspective of the entire Board. Should the decision entail signing onto a petition, the signature will reflect that it is the decision of the “WLA Executive Board” only.
Section 2. Communication.
Within 72 hours of invoking emergency powers, the President and Vice Presidents shall circulate a summary of the action taken and their rationale to the WLA Board.
ARTICLE IX: AMENDMENTS
Section 1.
The Bylaws can be amended by a vote of the membership and can be proposed by any general body member. Amendments require a quorum of 50% of the membership + 1 and a 2/3 majority. Amendments must be circulated to members 72 hours in advance of a vote.
ARTICLE X: REMOVALS AND RESIGNATIONS
Section 1.
Board members may be removed from office for failure to perform duties or for violations of the bylaws.
Section 2.
A removal vote can be called by circulating a removal petition to the Board. If a quorum of 50% + 1 of members sign the petition within 48 hours of circulation, a removal vote must be called.
Section 3.
Removal votes must be held during a Board meeting. In order for the vote to be valid, 50% + 1 of the membership must participate. In order to pass, the vote requires a 2/3 (66.6%) majority.
Section 4.
Board members to be voted upon in this regard will be notified in writing at least one week prior to the meeting at which the vote will be taken.
Alternative Process for Removing Board members:
A removal vote can be called by circulating a removal petition to the Board. The Board may then choose to discuss the matter with the Board Member, the complaining party, and any other relevant participants. In order to be removed, a quorum of 2/3 of the Board must be present, and ¾ of the present quorum must vote for the removal of the Board Member. The voting decision of each Board member is to remain anonymous.
Section 5.
The Executive Board may hold elections according to the procedures outlined in Section V to replace the removed officer.
Section 6.
Any Board member may resign by submitting a letter to the President. The President may resign by submitting a letter to the Vice Presidents.
ARTICLE XI: REVISITING THE BYLAWS
Section 1. Time Frame.
The Bylaws are to be revisited every 2 years, following their implementation in 2019.
Section 2. Procedure.
The Governance Committee will review the Bylaws every 2 years, completing their review by June 1 of that school year. The Governance Committee Chair, as well as the President and Vice President(s), must provide signoff.
If the Governance Committee institutes significant changes to the Bylaws that year, the Bylaws must be signed off upon by 2/3 of the WLA Board.