September deadlines

 

NEW YORK — The New York State Bar Association (NYSBA) Nominating Committee invites members of the association to submit recommendations of themselves or others for consideration in developing its slate of nominees for association offices beginning in 2013. 

 

It is suggested that anyone wishing to become an officer or member of the Executive Committee of the NYSBA review Article VIII of the association’s bylaws describing the Nominating Committee and nominations for office. This information is available at nysba.org/bylaws.

 

As part of the selection process, candidates for the offices of President-Elect, Secretary, Treasurer, and Member-at-Large of the Executive Committee may be required to appear before the Nominating Committee at its meeting on Sept. 10 in New York City or at its meeting on Nov. 2 in Albany. 

 

No appearance before the Nominating Committee is required for the positions of Vice President, elected delegate (three for each judicial district), and the two Members-at-Large recommended by the Section Delegates and one Member-at-Large recommended by the Young Lawyers Section.

 

Offices for Nomination

 

The Nominating Committee is accepting and will be interviewing candidates for the following:

 

(a) President-Elect

(b) Secretary

(c) Treasurer

(d) Members-at-Large of the Executive Committee — Four (at least one of these Members-at-Large is selected to further ethnic and racial diversity in the association and must come from a judicial district other than the Thirteenth Judicial District, since there currently is a Member-at-Large selected to further diversity from that district).

 

Other Offices 

The Nominating Committee does not decide on the names of the Vice-Presidents or the Elected Delegates to be presented for election to the House of Delegates at the Annual Meeting. (See NYSBA Bylaws, Article VIII § 1(A)(3).) Similarly, the Nominating Committee does not decide on the names of the two members chosen by the Section delegates or one member chosen by the Young Lawyers Section to fill the position of Members-at-Large to the Executive Committee. Therefore, candidates for these positions are not required to appear before the Nominating Committee. (See NYSBA Bylaws, Article VIII §§ 1(A)(4) & 1(A)(5).) However, the Nominating Committee does encourage anyone interested in these positions to contact the Vice-Presidents of their respective judicial districts and/or the Chairs of the Section delegates and Young Lawyers Section to determine deadlines and such criteria as may be established for consideration to fill the positions of a Vice-President, elected delegate, or Executive Committee Member-at-Large from the Section delegates or Young Lawyers Section. For relevant contact information, please e-mail your request to [email protected].

 

Special Eligibility Criteria

A candidate for President-Elect or Vice-President must have served as a member of the House of Delegates, but need not be a member of the House at the time of nomination for office.

 

Candidates for the four Member-at-Large positions of the Executive Committee referenced in Part (d) above must be current members of the House or section chairpersons, or have served in either capacity within three years of the time of selection.

 

Nature of Service 

The nature of service for Association offices is described in the Association’s Bylaws at nysba.org/bylaws.

 

The President-Elect, Secretary, Treasurer, 14 Vice-Presidents, and 11 Members-at-Large serve on the Executive Committee and in the House of Delegates, which manage the business and activities of the Association and generally meet quarterly. They also serve as liaisons to Association committees and sections.

 

The President-Elect chairs the House, assists the President, and becomes President on June 1 of the following year. Persons serving as President and President-Elect receive a stipend of $50,000 and $25,000, respectively.

 

The Secretary keeps a record of House of Delegates and Executive Committee meetings.

 

The Treasurer serves as an ex officio member (as does the President-Elect) of the Finance Committee, which oversees the financial affairs of the Association and meets approximately four times per year. The Treasurer presents the Association financial report at each House meeting.

 

Timetable for Submissions

Members who are seeking office may place their names before the Nominating Committee by self-declaration or nomination.

 

Candidates for President-Elect must be submitted to the Secretary no later than Sept. 1.

 

Candidates seeking all other offices are strongly encouraged to file a declaration of candidacy and submit all background materials by Sept. 1 to ensure adequate time for review by the Nominating Committee.

 

In making nominations, everyone is encouraged to keep in mind the Association’s diversity policy, which was adopted by the House of Delegates in November 2003. The policy emphasizes the commitment to achieving diversity in the “membership, officers, staff, House of Delegates, Executive Committee, Sections and Committees and their respective leaders. Diversity is an inclusive concept, encompassing gender, race, color, ethnic origin, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, age and disability.”

 

Submissions must include a cover letter and resume with biographical information about the candidate, including his/her Association activities. Candidates may submit a maximum of five letters in support of their nomination. Letters of support should be received prior to the deadlines stated previously. Please direct this information to the following:

 

Michael E. Getnick, Esq.

Chair, Nominating Committee

New York State Bar Association

One Elk Street

Albany, NY 12207

Email: [email protected] 

Fax: (518) 487-5564

 

Each candidate for President-Elect is invited to submit a 400-word statement for publication in the State Bar News by Sept. 1. For more information, please contact Pat Sears Doherty at (518) 487-5536.