BY-LAWS

I

PRESIDENT AND VICE-PRESIDENT

The President shall preside at all meetings of the Association; he shall open each meeting with an annual address, and perform all other duties required of him by the Constitution and 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 elected 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:

1. He shall keep full and accurate minutes of the proceedings of all the 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.

4. He shall, under the direction of the Executive Committee, issue notices of all meetings of the Association, and in case of a special meeting shall add a brief note of the object thereof.

5. He shall, as Secretary, report to the Association at each annual meeting, giving a summary of his transactions during the preceding year, and an outline of the business which is to come before the Association at such annual meeting so far as it relates to propositions or resolutions referred to any special or standing committee at the previous meeting. And he shall be the keeper of the seal of the Association.

6. He shall collect and, under the direction of the Executive Committee, disburse, deposit or invest the funds of the Association.

7. He shall keep regular and accurate accounts in books belonging to the Association, which shall be open at all times to the inspection of any member of the Executive Committee.

8. He shall report to the Executive Committee, whenever so required, the amount of money on hand or under his control, and any appropriations or charges affecting the same.

9. He shall, as Treasurer, make a full and detailed report at each annual meeting, showing: (a) The receipts and disbursements of the preceding year, suitably classified; (b) all outstanding obligations of the Association; (c) an estimate of the resources and probable expenses for the coming year; and any suggestions that he may think proper to make.

10. He shall submit his said report and all his books, vouchers and papers relating thereto, to a committee to be appointed by the Executive Committee at its annual meeting, who shall audit and certify said report before its presentation to the Association.

III

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

1. At each regular meeting there shall be elected, by ballot, two members of the Executive Committee, to hold office for three years, and such additional members as may be necessary to fill vacancies, if any, to hold office for the unexpired terms of their predecessors.

2. They shall have the general management of the affairs of the Association and shall make such regulations and take such action, not inconsistent with the Constitution and By-Laws, as may be necessary for the protection of the property.

3. They shall audit all accounts against the Association, and no money shall be paid out of the treasury except upon a warrant signed by the Secretary and countersigned by their Chairman.

4. They shall, as soon as conveniently may be, after their first election under this Constitution, and thereafter as soon as conveniently may be, after such annual meeting, invite some lawyer of prominence, not a resident of this State, to make an address before the Association at its next annual meeting, upon some subject to be selected by the person so invited. And they shall at the same time select not more than five members of the Association to prepare and read papers at the next annual meeting upon subjects to be chosen by the persons so selected, or such as may be suggested by the Committee.

5. They shall, at least sixty days before each annual meeting of the Association, select a place and time within the month of June, July or August, for holding such annual meeting, and prepare a printed programme of the proceedings to be held thereat. A copy of such programme and a notice of such meeting shall be mailed to each member of the Association by its Secretary.

6. They shall, at their annual meeting in each year, appoint a special committee of three members of the Association to audit and certify the accounts of the Treasurer before they are presented to the Association.

7. They may secure the services of a stenographer to report the proceedings of each annual meeting.

IV

COMMITTEE ON ADMISSION TO MEMBERSHIP

1. All applications for membership in the Association shall be in writing, signed by the applicant and addressed to the Committee on Admission to Membership. The application shall be endorsed by at least two members of the Association not members of the committee (residing in the judicial district of the applicant),* and by the member of the committee from the judicial district in which the applicant resides: Provided, That if the member of the said committee from any district shall not have registered at any annual meeting, or, having registered, shall have left the place where any annual meeting is held, it shall be the duty of the President of the Association, on the request of the Chairman of the Committee on Admission to Membership, or in his absence, of any member thereof, to designate a substitute for the said absentee, with power to act during his absence, naming one from the appropriate district, if convenient, or if not, any other member of the Association.

2. If the application be presented at a meeting of the committee, the vote thereon shall be by ballot, and every member present shall be required to vote; one negative vote in every five cast shall be sufficient to reject the applicant.

3. If the applicant be presented during the vacation of the committee the method of proceeding shall be as follows: Upon receipt by any member of the committee he shall forthwith refer it to the member of the committee from the judicial district in which the applicant resides, whose duty it shall be to diligently inquire as to the character and standing of the applicant and his eligibility to membership in the Association. If, upon such inquiry, he finds the applicant free from objection, he shall endorse the application favorably; otherwise he shall withhold his endorsement and communicate his reasons therefor in writing to the Chairman of the Committee and forward the application to him. If the application be favorably endorsed, it shall be referred to the Chairman of the Committee, and if favorably endorsed by him and four other members of the committee, including the member from the district in which the applicant resides, the applicant shall be declared elected, and the Secretary of the Committee shall notify the Secretary of the Association of his election. If the application be returned unendorsed by the member of the committee from the judicial district in which the applicant resides, or if any member of the committee to whom it is referred refuse to endorse it, it shall be filed by the Secretary of the Committee until the next meeting of the committee. At such meeting such application shall be disposed of as provided by Section 2 of this Article. No candidate rejected shall be again proposed within a year.

4. No member of the committee shall disclose to any person the discussions, statements or votes of any member thereof upon any application for membership; nor shall the committee's decision upon any such application be made known to any person other than the applicant.

*The paragraph in ( ) was an amendment passed at annual meeting of 1899.

5. It shall be the duty of any member of the committee who has knowledge of any fact which, in his opinion, disqualifies the applicant for membership in the Association, if it be in a meeting of the committee, to state such fact to the committee, to withhold his endorsement of the application and communicate such fact to the Chairman of the Committee in writing.

6. The Secretary of the Committee shall keep in a book provided for that purpose a record of all applications for membership in the Association, and shall preserve the originals of all applications among the archives of the committee.

V

COMMITTEE ON LEGISLATION AND LAW REFORM

1. It shall be the duty of the Committee on Legislation and Law Reform to scrutinize carefully all proposed changes in the law; to encourage and promote such as appear to be beneficial, and to check, as far as possible, all such as appear to be hasty or ill-advised; and to consider and recommend to the Association such amendments of the law and judicial procedure as will facilitate the administration of justice.

2. It shall be the duty, if at any time they deem it advisable, to call a special meeting of the Association to be called for the purpose of considering pending or proposed legislation.

(3. It shall be the duty of the committee to meet upon the call of the President at least once each year, and one such meeting shall be held not less than ninety days before the annual meeting of the North Carolina Bar Association, to consider such matters as have been referred to it by the Bar Association, and such other matters as the committee may think proper to consider and cover by its report. It shall be the duty of the chairman of the committee to appear before appropriate legislative committee and advocate the enactment of the legislation recommended by the North Carolina Bar Association. The expense of the members of this committee attending meetings of the committee each year and the expense of the chairman in performing his duties before legislative committees shall be borne by the Association.)*

VI

JUDICIARY COMMITTEE

It shall be the duty of the Judiciary Committee to carefully observe the practical working of our judicial system, to suggest, invite, entertain and examine projects and suggestions for changes and reforms in the system, and to consider and recommend to the Association such action as they may deem expedient.

*The paragraph in ( ) was an amendment passed at annual meeting of 1906.

VII

COMMITTEE ON LEGAL EDUCATION AND ADMISSION TO THE BAR

It shall be the duty of the Committee on Legal Education and Admission to the Bar to take into consideration the subject of legal education and other requisites for admission to the bar, and to recommend to the Association from time to time such action as they may deem necessary to guard the approaches of the profession from persons unfit for membership by reason of character or preparation.

VIII

COMMITTEE ON MEMORIALS

The Committee on Memorials shall prepare and furnish to the Secretary brief, appropriate notices of members who have died during the year preceding each annual meeting; such notices not to exceed four pages of printed matter, and to be published in the annual report. They shall also prepare or secure annually at least one biographical sketch of some member of the Bench or Bar of North Carolina, now deceased, having special reference to his professional career, and have the same presented at the annual meeting; and whenever practicable, they shall secure a steel engraving or other suitable picture of the subject of the sketch to be inserted in the published proceedings.

IX

COMMITTEE ON LEGAL ETHICS

The Committee on Legal Ethics shall be charged with the duty of reducing to the form of rules or canons the principles of ethics regulating the relations of lawyers to the courts, the public, their clients and each other, with the further duty of taking such action as they may deem best in case any departures from these principles by members of the Bar of the State come to their notice or are brought to their attention.

X

COMMITTEE ON GRIEVANCES

1. It shall be the duty of the Committee on Grievances to hear all complaints against members of the Association, and also complaints which may be made in matters affecting the interest of the legal profession, the practice of the law, and the administration of justice, and to report thereon to the Association, with such recommendations as they may deem advisable; and in behalf of the Association, institute and carry on such proceedings against offenders and to such extent as the Association may order.

(2. "It shall be the duty of the Chairman of the Committee on Grievances to give particular attention to all charges on reports reflecting on the character and honor of such attorneys, which tend to bring the legal profession into reproach, and inform himself of the foundation and probable truth thereof, and in doing so incur such reasonable traveling and other necessary expenses as may be proper, which shall be allowed and paid by the North Carolina Bar