CONSTITUTION NAME. ARTICLE I.—This Association shall be known as "The Maryland State Bar Association." OBJECT. ARTICLE II.-The Association is formed to advance the science of Jurisprudence, to promote reform in the Law, to facilitate the administration of justice, to uphold the standard of integrity, honor and courtesy in the legal profession, to encourage legal education and to cultivate a spirit of cordiality and brotherhood among the members of the Bar. MEMBERSHIP. ARTICLE III.—The members of the legal profession of the State of Maryland attending this Convention this twentyeighth day of August, 1896, are hereby declared to be members of this Association, provided they shall, during its present session, sign this Constitution and pay the admission fee hereinafter provided. Any other member of the legal profession in good standing, residing or practising in the State of Maryland, who shall have been at the Bar of this State for at least three years, may become a member upon nomination and vote of the Association or action of its Committee on Admissions, as hereinafter provided. ELECTION OF MEMBERS. (As amended in 1907.) ARTICLE IV. Nominations for membership may be made to the President of the Association, and be by him at once reported to the Committee on Admission, which shall thereupon examine the same and report thereon with its recommendation to the Association at its next Annual Meeting. The members of the Association at such meeting shall thereupon vote upon said nomination by ballot. Several nominees may be voted for upon the same ballot, and in such case placing the word "No" against any name or names upon the ballot shall be deemed a negative vote, as to such name or names and against those only; but during the period between the Annual Meetings members may be elected by the Executive Council upon the written nomination of at least two members of the Association, approved by the member of the Committee on Admissions from the proposed member's Judicial Circuit. One negative vote in every five shall suffice to defeat an election. No member of the Bar residing in a County or City where there is a Local Bar Association shall become a member of this Association unless he shall also be a member of such Local Association. This clause, however, shall not apply to State or Federal Judges, nor shall it apply to members of the Bar of any County or City having a Local Bar Association which has not held a meeting for two years. OFFICERS. ARTICLE V.-The officers of the Association shall be a President, who shall be ineligible to re-election on the expiration of his term; one Vice-President from each Judicial Circuit represented by membership in the Association, other than Baltimore City, and two from Baltimore City; a Secretary and a Treasurer. All of these shall be elected at the Annual Meeting, and hold their offices until the next Annual Meeting of the Association, and until their successors are elected. A majority of the votes cast at such Annual Meeting shall be necessary to the election of officers, including the election of the Executive Council. and shall in all cases be by ballot. COMMITTEES. (As amended in 1907.) ARTICLE VI.-At the Annual Meetings the Association shall also elect an Executive Council, to be composed of four members, of which Council the President, Secretary and Treasurer shall be members ex-officio. Said members of the Executive Council shall hold their office for one year from the date of their election, and until their successors are elected. The President shall, with the approval of the Executive Council, appoint the following Standing Committees, to wit: A Committee on Admissions; A Committee on Laws; A Committee on Legal Education; A Committee on Legal Biography. If any member of a Standing Committee shall fail to attend any Annual Meeting his absence shall create a vacancy, and the President of the Association may, in his discretion, fill such vacancy by appointment. Each Standing Committee shall be composed of one member from each Judicial Circuit represented in the Association, and two from Baltimore City, and a majority of the members of each said Committees shall constitute a quorum of such Committee to transact business. Each Committee shall, at each Annual Meeting, report in writing a summary of its proceedings since the last annual report, together with any suggestions deemed suitable and pertinent to its powers, duties or business. A general summary of all such annual reports and the Proceedings of the Annual Meeting shall be prepared and printed by and under the direction of the Executive Council, together with the Constitution, By-Laws, names and residences of Officers, Standing Committees and Members of the Association, as soon as practicable after each Annual Meeting. PRESIDENT. ARTICLE VII.-The President, or in his absence, the senior Vice-President in age, present, shall preside at all meetings of the Association, and the President shall deliver an address at the opening of the Annual Meeting next after his election. EXECUTIVE COUNCIL. ARTICLE VIII.-This Council shall manage the business and affairs of the Association, subject to the provisions of the Constitution and By-Laws, and shall be vested with the title to all its property, as trustees thereof, until the Association shall be incorporated, and if incorporated, shall have power to accept the act of incorporation for and or behalf of the corporation and all its members, and shall prepare and propose such By-Laws for the Association, in addition to those adopted by it at its first session, as said Council shall deem expedient, which, when adopted at any Annual Meeting of this Association, shall become part of the By-Laws of the same. COMMITTEE ON ADMISSION. ARTICLE IX. It shall be the duty of this Committee to examine into the qualifications of every candidate proposed to the President for admission into this Association, and to report thereon with recommendations to the next Annual Meeting of this Association. The proceedings of this Committee shall be deemed confidential, and shall be kept secret, except so far as the report or recommendations of the same shall be necessarily and officially made to the Association. COMMITTEE ON LAWS. (As amended in 1907.) ARTICLE X.-Section 1. It shall be the duty of this Committee to take notice of all proposed changes of the Law, and to consider and report to this Association such amendments of the Law as in its opinion should be adopted, and also to observe the practical working of the judicial system throughout the State, and recommend by written or printed report, from time to time, any changes which observation or experience may suggest should be made therein. Sec. 2. The Committee on Laws shall not later than thirty days after the final adjournment of each session of the Legislature, and sooner if practicable, prepare a memorandum of all Public General Laws passed during such session. Said memorandum shall so state the subject of each of such laws as to inform the members of the Bench and Bar that there has been legislation affecting such subject, and when practicable a brief statement of the purport of the law shall be made. Said memorandum shall be printed, and a copy mailed to each member of the Association as soon as possible; the cost of the preparation, |