1.1 NAME. This section shall be known as the "Child Protection and Juvenile Justice Section," and shall be hereinafter designated simply as the "Section."

1.2 PURPOSE. The general purposes of the Section shall be the promotion of the mission of the Maine State Bar Association within the particular fields designated by the name of this Section. To that end, it shall be the purpose of this Section:

• To provide support and information for members engaged in child protection and juvenile cases;
• To promote quality representation of children and care givers involved in child protection and juvenile litigation;
• To assist the Courts, the Legislature and the Executive Branch in developing and implementing laws that further the Section's purpose.
• To present continuing legal education programs beneficial to the members on a periodic basis.

1.3 LIMITATIONS. These bylaws have been adopted subject to the Bylaws of the Association.

2.1 ENROLLMENT. Any member in good standing of the Association shall, upon request to the Executive Director of the Association, be enrolled as a member of the Section.

2.2 THE MEMBERSHIP. Members so enrolled shall constitute the membership of the Section.

ARTICLE III: COMMITTEES

3.1 COMMITTEES. This Section is authorized to establish, or to empower the chairperson of the Section to establish, such committees as it may deem necessary and desirable to promote effectively the activities of the Section within the jurisdiction of the Section. In establishing a new committee, the Section shall describe its proposed activities.

3.2 CHAIRPERSON. The Chairperson shall announce the membership and the Chairperson of each committee of the Section for the following Section year no later than the business meeting held during the Annual Meeting of the Section.

ARTICLE IV: MEETINGS OF THE MEMBERSHIP

4.1 ANNUAL MEETING. The Section shall hold an Annual Meeting of members in conjunction with the Annual Meeting of the Association. The Section may hold other meetings of the members throughout the year according to a regular schedule and at such other times as may be necessary to accomplish the aims of the Section. The notice requirements for such meetings shall be by any reasonable method including e-mail to the LISTSERV of members.

4.2 QUORUM. Seven members of the Section present at any meeting shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business.

4.3 CONTROLLING VOTE. Action of the Section shall be by majority vote of the members present.

4.4 VOTING ELIGIBILITY. Any member of the Association and the Section whose good standing can be certified by official Association records for thirty days prior to the time of voting shall be eligible to vote.

4.5 AGENDA. Among the matters of business to be transacted at the Annual Meeting of the membership shall be the selection of officers. The agenda shall consist of other matters as decided by the Chairperson.

4.6 MAIL VOTING. The Chairperson may direct that a matter be submitted to the members of the Section for vote by mail. In that event, binding action of the Section shall be by a majority of votes received from members.

ARTICLE V: OFFICERS

5.1 OFFICERS. The officers of the Section shall be the Chairperson, the Chairperson Elect, the Vice-Chairperson and the Secretary.

5.2 CHAIRPERSON. The Chairperson, or successively, the Chairperson-Elect and the Vice-Chairperson, in the absence of the Chairperson, shall preside at all meetings of the Section. He or she shall appoint the chairperson and members of all committees of the Section who are to hold office during his or her term as Chairperson. The Chairperson shall plan and superintend the program of the Section during his or her term, subject to the directions and approval of the Board of Governors. The Chairperson shall superintend the performance of all activities of the Section, keep the Board of Governors duly informed and carry out its decisions. The Chairperson shall perform such other duties and acts as usually pertain to the office of as may be designated by the Board of Governors.

5.3 CHAIRPERSON-ELECT. The Chairperson-Elect shall, on consultation with the Chairperson, arrange for the appointment of the Chairperson and members of all committees who are to hold office during the coming term as Chairperson. The Chairperson-elect shall aid the Chairperson in the performance of responsibilities in such manner and to such extent as the Chairperson may request. The Chairperson-elect shall perform such further duties and have such further powers as usually pertain to the office or as may be designated by the Board of Governors or the Chairperson. In case of death, resignation, or disability of the Chairperson, the Chairperson-Elect shall perform the duties of the Chairperson for the remainder of the Chairperson's term of disability, as the case may be.

5.4 VICE-CHAIRPERSON. The Vice-Chairperson shall aid the Chairperson in the performance of responsibilities in the manner and to the extent the Chairperson may request.

5.5 SECRETARY. The Secretary shall consult with and assist all the officers of the Section as to the work of the Section generally in the manner to the extent that they may request. The Secretary shall be the liaison between the Section and Association staff regarding the retention and maintenance of books, papers, documents, and other property pertaining to the work of the record of the proceedings of all meetings of the Section, whether assembled of acting under submission. The Secretary, in conjunction with the Chairperson, shall attend generally to the business of the Section.

ARTICLE VI: ELECTIONS

6.1 OFFICERS. At each Annual Meeting of the Section, the membership shall elect: a Chairperson-Elect, a Vice-Chairperson and a Secretary to serve a term of one year.

6.2 CHAIRPERSON. Subject to approval by the Board of Governors, the Chairperson-Elect shall automatically succeed to the office of Chairperson, for a term of one year and may not again accede to that office absent a vote of the majority of the members. In the event the office of Chairperson-Elect shall be vacant, then a Chairperson shall be elected by Section members.

6.3 ELIGIBILITY FOR OFFICE. Any member of the Association and the Section whose good standing can be certified by official Association records for thirty days to the time of election shall be eligible for office.

6.4 NOMINATIONS AND VOTING. Section and Section members shall elect their officers at their Annual Meeting.

6.5 TERM OF OFFICE. The term of office shall begin with the adjournment of the Annual Meeting following the election, and shall end following the Annual Meeting at which a successor has been duly elected. If at the close of any term of office a successor has not been elected then the term shall be extended until a successor shall have been elected.

ARTICLE VII: SUCCESSION OF OFFICERS AND VACANCIES

7.1 CHAIRPERSON-ELECT. The Chairperson-Elect shall, unless he or she shall have refused to act as Chairperson-Elect or been disqualified, automatically assume the office of the Chairperson for a term of one year at the end of the Annual Meeting following his or her election, subject to approval by the Board of Governors.

ARTICLE VIII: REPRESENTATION OF ASSOCIATION POSITION

Any action by this Section must be approved by the Board of Governors of the Maine State Bar Association before action can be effective as the action of the Maine State Bar Association. Any resolution adopted or action taken by the Section shall, on request of the Section, be reported by the Chairperson to the Board of Governors for action by the Association.

ARTICLE IX: AMENDMENTS

These Bylaws may be amended at any Annual Meeting of the Section by a majority vote of the members of the Section present and voting. They shall become effective upon approval and adoption by the Board of Governors.