CONSTITUTION OF THE ASIAN LAW AND SOCIETY ASSOCIATION
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CONSTITUTION OF
THE ASIAN LAW AND SOCIETY ASSOCIATION
Article 1. Name of the Association
The name of the Association is the Asian Law and Society Association. Its
abbreviation is the ALSA.
Article 2. Purpose of the Association
The purpose of the Association is to foster socio-legal scholarship on Asia
and disseminate its findings to the broader community of socio-legal
scholars.
Article 3. Executive Office
1. The Executive Office of the Association is located at Waseda University
Law School, Tokyo, Japan.
2. The Executive Office shall be managed by an Executive Officer
appointed by the Board of Trustees as set forth in Article 5, Paragraph
4.
Article 4. Interim Board of Trustees
1. The Planning Committee of the Collaborative Research Network 33 on
East Asian Law and Society of the Law and Society Association shall
serve as the Interim Board of Trustees of the Association until
December 31, 2015.
2. The Interim Board of Trustees shall nominate candidates for the first
election of Officers and Trustees to be held in November 2015.
Article 5. Officers
1. President:
(1) The President shall represent the Association and convene and chair
general assemblies of members of the Association (hereinafter
“Business Meetings”) and Board Meetings of the Association.
(2) The term of the President is two years.
(3) The President may not be re-elected.
(3) The President shall be an ex-officio member of the Board of Trustees.
(4) The President-Elect shall assume the position of the President in the
event of death or resignation of the President for the remainder of the
prior President’s term and an additional term of two years.
2. President-Elect
(1) The President-Elect shall be elected for the term of two years.
(2) The President-Elect shall be an ex-officio member of the Board of
Trustees.
(3) The President-Elect shall assume the position of the President upon
the expiration of the term of the prior President.
3. Immediate Past President:
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(1) The Immediate Past President shall be an ex-officio member of the
Board of Trustees for the term of two years.
(2) In the event that the position of the Immediate Past-President
became vacant due to death or resignation, the vacancy shall not be
filled.
4. Executive Officer, Associate Executive Officer and Assistant Executive
Officer
(1) The Board of Trustees shall select an institution as the Executive
Office and appoint its faculty member as the Executive Officer, either
for an unspecified term or a specified term. The Board of Trustees
may terminate the Executive Officer at any time, regardless of term.
(2) The Executive Officer shall be responsible for all operations of the
Executive Office, including maintaining the membership directory,
conducting elections, managing bank accounts under the name of the
Executive Officer, maintaining a website, preparing annual financial
reports, publishing an online newsletter, and handling other matters
required for the daily operation of the Association.
(3) The Executive Officer shall record minutes of Business Meetings
and Board Meetings. These minutes shall be preserved at the
Executive Office.
(3) The Executive Officer shall be an ex-officio member of the Board of
Trustees.
(4) The Board of Trustees may appoint Associate Executive Officers and
Assistant Executive Officers as necessary, either for an unspecified
term or specified term.
(5) The Executive Officer may delegate part of her/his functions to the
Associate Executive Officers and the Assistant Executive Officers.
(6) The Associate Executive Officers and the Assistant Executive
Officers shall attend Board Meetings as observers.
(7) In the event that the position of Executive Officer, Associate
Executive Officer, or Assistant Executive Officer became vacant due
to death, resignation, or election as the President-Elect or a Trustee,
the Board of Trustees shall fill the vacancy for an unspecified or
specified term.
Article 6. Trustees
1. The Association shall elect twelve Trustees and appoint four Trustees.
2. The Trustees’ term is three years. Elected Trustees may not be
re-elected for consecutive terms.
3. In the event that a position of Trustee became vacant for death,
resignation, or other reason, the vacancy shall not be filled.
Article 7. Board of Trustees
1. The Board of Trustees shall consist of ex-officio members, elected
Trustees, and appointed Trustees.
2. The Board Meeting shall be held at least once a year at the time of the
Annual Meeting. Board Meetings may also be held at other times and
manners, including teleconference, online and in other formats decided
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by the Board.
3. The Board of Trustees shall have the power to decide the following and
all other matters required for the operation of the Association.
(1) Approval of the annual budget and financial statement.
(2) Categories of the membership of the Association, amount of dues,
and member privileges.
(3) Venue, general theme, and Chair of the Local Organizing Committee
of an Annual Meeting.
(4) Nomination of candidates for elected Officers and Trustees.
(5) Appointment of the Executive Officer, Associate Executive Officers,
Assistant Executive Officers, and Auditors.
(6) Enactment and amendment of bylaws.
(7) Proposal of amendment of this Constitution to members of the
Association.
4. The quorum of the Board Meeting shall be a half of its members.
5. Decisions of the Board Meeting shall require consent by a majority of
its members in attendance.
7. The Board of Trustees shall have at least the following three
committees within it, while the Board of Trustees may establish other
committees by its decision.
(1) The Nomination Committee shall nominate candidates for elected
Officers and Trustees to the Board of Trustees. The number of
candidates shall be a maximum of twice the number of positions to be
filled at any election.
(2) The Program Committee shall recommend venues for Annual
Meetings to the Board of Trustees at least three years in advance.
The Program Committee shall also nominate the Chair of the Local
Organizing Committee, propose the general theme with the Chair of
the Local Organizing Committee, and assist the Local Organizing
Committee.
(3) The Publication Committee shall explore possibilities to publish
papers presented at Annual Meetings.
Article 8. Elections of Officers and Trustees
1. Elections shall be conducted online by the Executive Office in
November and results shall be announced on December 1st, Japan
time.
2. The Executive Office shall adopt an online voting system that
maintains total anonymity.
3. Members of the Association with good standing as of October 1st, Japan
time, may be nominated as candidates and shall have the right to vote.
The Executive Office shall circulate the list of eligible members
immediately after October 1st. The Executive Office shall also
circulate lists of candidates for elective offices after receiving
instructions from the Board of Trustees.
4. Members of the Association shall be allowed at least two weeks for the
online voting.
5. Notwithstanding Article 6, Paragraph 2 of this Constitution, the first
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election in November 2015 shall elect the following Officers and
Trustees.
(1) President.
(2) President-Elect.
(3) Twelve Trustees.
6. The second election shall be conducted in November 2017, and the
President-Elect shall be elected.
7. The third election shall be conducted in November 2018, and twelve
Trustees shall be elected.
8. The later elections shall be conducted in the way that is required each
time.
9. In the event that an election for the President-Elect results in a tie, a
second election shall be conducted within two weeks.
10. In the event that an election of Trustees results in a tie for the 12th
Trustee, the incumbent Board of Trustees shall select the winning
candidate.
11. In the event that an election of Trustees is conducted, the incumbent
Board of Trustees shall appoint four Trustees.
Article 9. Auditors
1. The Board of Trustees shall appoint two members of the Association as
Auditors for the term of two years.
2. The Auditors shall review financial records and certify annual financial
reports.
3. The Auditors shall attend Board Meetings as observers.
4. In the event that a position of the Auditor became vacant by death or
resignation, the Board shall appoint an Auditor for the remainder of the
term.
Article 10. Beginning and End of the Term of Officers, Trustees, and Auditors
The term of Officers, Trustees, and Auditors shall begin on January 1st
and end on December 31st of the year when the respective term expires.
Article 11. Fiscal Year, Budget, and Account Settlement
1. The Fiscal Year of the Association shall be the calendar year.
2. The Executive Officer shall present an annual report about the account
settlement for the previous fiscal year for approval by the Board of
Trustees in January.
3. The President shall present a budget for the given fiscal year for the
approval by the Board of Trustees in January.
Article 12. Membership and Dues
1. The Executive Office shall establish an online system for member
registration and dues payment, immediately after the Fourth East
Asian Law and Society Conference in August 2015.
2. Membership of the Association shall be available on a calendar year
basis upon payment of applicable dues, except that the membership of
those who joined in 2015 shall be valid until the end of 2016.
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3. Categories of membership of the Association and applicable amounts of
dues shall be decided by the Board Meeting after hearing opinions of
members of the Association at a Business Meeting.
4. Dues may be used for the following purposes.
(1) To maintain the Executive Office.
(2) To subsidize Annual Meetings.
(3) Other purposes approved by the Board of Trustees.
Article 13. Privileges of Members of the Association
1. The Executive Office shall give each member of the Association a
member ID.
2. Members of the Association shall enjoy the following privileges.
(1) The right to vote in elections of Officers and Trustees.
(2) The right to attend Annual Meetings with a reduced registration fee.
(3) The right to vote on proposed amendment to this Constitution.
(4) The right to express their views and opinions at Business Meetings
and to vote on matters to be decided by the Business Meeting.
(5) The right to obtain a discounted, individual bundled subscription,
including online and printed versions, to the Asian Journal of Law
and Society (AJLS), at the rate approved by the Board Meeting.
Article 14. Annual Meeting and Business Meeting
1. The Board of Trustees shall select the Venue of the Annual Meeting and
the Chair of the Local Organizing Committee at least three years in
advance.
2. The Chair of the Local Organizing Committee shall appoint its
members.
3. The Local Organizing Committee shall decide the exact timing of the
annual meeting.
4. The general theme shall be proposed by the Program Committee and
the Chair of the Local Organizing Committee to the Board of Trustees
for its approval.
5. The Local Organizing Committee shall be responsible for financial
matters and academic contents of the annual meeting.
6. The Board of Trustees may allocate a fund to the Local Organizing
Committee from the fund of the Association.
7. Business Meetings shall be held during Annual Meetings. There shall
be no quorum required for Business Meetings.
Article 15. Amendment of This Constitution
1. The Board of Trustees holds sole authority to propose Amendments to
this Constitution. Such proposals must be placed to members of the
Association through an online voting system.
2. When an amendment to this Constitution is placed to members of the
Association through an online voting system, approval of such
amendment requires the affirmative vote of two thirds of members of
the Association who have voted Provided that not less than 20 percent
of the members of the Association have voted through aforesaid online
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voting system.
Adopted, August 6, 2015.
Amended, July 15, 2016.