IWLA Constitution
1. Definitions
1.1 In this Constitution:
• "IWLA" means the Irish Women Lawyers Association
• "Member" means any member of IWLA, whether honorary, full, associate or student, unless specifically stated otherwise.
• "The Standing Committee" shall consist of such persons as may be elected by the members or co-opted by the Standing Committee.
2. Name, Business Year
3. Objects and Functions
3.1 IWLA is a non-profit making non-governmental organisation
having philanthropic and educational aims.
3.2 The aims and objectives of IWLA are:
a) To provide a professional and social network for women
lawyers;
b) To promote the wider participation of women in the development
of law and justice for all;
c) To promote continuing education and awareness both in
the law and in areas the law interacts with or impacts upon;
d) To encourage the greater participation of women lawyers
in developing the full potential of their role within the
European Union;
e) To advance the interests of women in the legal profession
and women in general;
f) To achieve justice and equality for all women;
g) To achieve justice and equality for all disadvantaged
groups;
h) To identify, highlight and eradicate discrimination
in the legal system and in the community in general;
i) To create and enhance awareness of women's contribution
to the practice and
development of the law;
j) To monitor and ensure equal treatment in the workplace;
k) To promote equal opportunities;
l) To establish a framework for liaison with international
women lawyers' groups;
m) To promote the involvement of women lawyers in philanthropic,
scientific and educational projects;
n) To keep under critical review the practices and values
of the law and make a significant contribution to their
improvement;
o) To keep under critical review any new legislation, statutory
instruments, practice directions, promotion and appointments
systems, investigative processes and the social policy parameters
that frame them;
p) To monitor tribunals and inquiries and their terms of
reference, and to encourage IWLA members' involvement with
the consultative process prior to their setting up and with
participation therein;
q) To heighten awareness of and encourage members individually
and collectively to engage in social projects and schemes
directed at combating social ills including poverty, ill
health, illiteracy, abuse, inequality and racism;
r) To promote gender balance at all levels of our institutions.
3.3 IWLA is particularly concerned with removing existing
inequalities in women’s opportunities in access to
employment, self-employment, vocational training, promotion,
and working conditions, within the practice of law and related
occupations in Ireland. To this end the activities of IWLA
are intended to constitute positive action measures as envisaged
by sections 24(1) of the Employment Equality Act 1998 and
by sections 9(1) and 14(b)(i) of the Equal Status Act 2000,
and in accordance with Article 141.4 of the European Community
Treaty and as referred to in 3.2 above.
3.4 IWLA shall pursue its objects in particular by:
a) facilitating networking opportunities for its members;
b) holding conferences, seminars and other events;
c) using the expertise of its members for the benefit of
the wider community
d) in general, by undertaking any activity, including co-operation
with existing institutions, organisations, and networks,
to facilitate the achievement of the objectives of IWLA
and all other activities auxiliary to the objectives and
activities mentioned above.
3.5 IWLA shall have power to affiliate to and to co-operate
with the European Women Lawyers Association (EWLA), the
International Bar Association, any professional organisation
representing lawyers, and any organisation or body having
aims and objectives similar to those of IWLA.
3.6 IWLA may also engage in any other activity incidental
or conducive to attaining the above objects or any of them.
4. Membership
4.1 Full membership
Full membership shall be open to any woman who has a recognised
qualification in a legal discipline, or who is a qualified
lawyer (solicitor or barrister) according to Irish law (including
the law of Northern Ireland), including any woman who is
a judge in an Irish (including Northern Irish) or international
court, and to any woman who teaches law in a third-level
institution in Ireland (including Northern Ireland).
4.2 Associate membership
Associate membership shall be open to any woman with an
interest in IWLA’s aims and objectives.
4.3 Student membership
Student membership shall be open to any woman studying
law at a university or other third-level institution recognised
for this purpose by the Standing Committee, to any woman
who is a trainee solicitor according to the rules of the
Law Society of Ireland, to any woman studying for admission
to the Bar of Ireland or the Bar of Northern Ireland and
to any woman barrister who is a ‘pupil’ according
to the rules of the Bar of Ireland or the Bar of Northern
Ireland.
4.4 Applications for membership
Applicants shall address a written application for membership
to the Standing Committee – in which they must state
that they agree to abide by the Constitution. The applicant
shall indicate in the application whether she is applying
for full, associate or student membership. The application
will be accepted when the applicant fulfils the conditions
mentioned in Article 4.1, 4.2 or 4.3.
4.5 Honorary Membership
The Standing Committee may confer honorary membership on
any person in recognition of meritorious work in the legal
field, or in support of the aims or objectives of the Association.
4.6 Each member (other than honorary members) shall be
obliged to pay promptly the appropriate annual membership
fee.
4.7 All categories of members have the right to participate
in all the membership activities of IWLA, its meetings, and workshops.
4.8 All members shall be entitled to vote at General Meetings
of the IWLA.
4.9 Only full members shall be eligible for election as
officers of IWLA. Accordingly, the right to be appointed
as President, or elected as Chairperson or Vice Chairperson
of the Standing Committee, as Treasurer, as Secretary or
as Membership Secretary is restricted to full members.
4.10 All members are eligible for election to the Standing
Committee.
5. Constitutional Bodies of IWLA
The constitutional bodies of IWLA shall be:
a) the Standing Committee and Subcommittees;
b) the General Meeting.
6. Standing Committee
6.1 The Standing Committee shall manage the affairs of
IWLA and represent it vis-à-vis third parties. The
day-to-day management may be delegated by the Standing Committee.
6.2 All members of the Standing Committee must be members
of IWLA.
6.3 All members of the Standing Committee shall be unremunerated.
7. The Officers
7.1 As soon as practicable following the adoption of this
Constitution, and thereafter following the first and each
subsequent Annual General Meeting in each year, the Standing
committee shall appoint a President who shall oversee the
affairs of the Association in a non-executive capacity.
7.3 The other officers of IWLA shall be the Chairperson,
the Vice Chairperson, the Treasurer, the Secretary and the
Membership Secretary. These officers shall be elected by
the members voting at a General Meeting of IWLA.
8 Subcommittees.
8.1 The Standing Committee may establish one or more subcommittees
composed of IWLA members from time to time, as appropriate,
to work on specified tasks related to the work of IWLA.
8.2 Any subcommittee may exercise powers delegated to it
by the Standing Committee and shall, in exercise of such
powers or in any other respect, conform to any regulations
that may be imposed on it by the Standing Committee.
8.3 The following shall be standing subcommittees of IWLA:
finance; events; equality, international liaison; liaison
within Ireland (domestic liaison).
8.4 Each subcommittee shall be chaired by a member of the
Standing Committee, and shall be composed of current members
of IWLA, appointed by the Standing Committee.
8.5 Any chairperson or member of a subcommittee may resign
from the position by notice in writing to the Chairperson
of the Standing Committee.
9. Termination of Membership
9.1 Membership ends upon:
a) Failure to pay membership fees or
other fees properly due to IWLA.
b) Breach of rule 11.6 or 13.1
10. General Meetings
10.1 All members of IWLA are entitled to attend, and vote
at, General Meetings. The General Meeting may be combined
with a conference/seminar.
10.2 A General Meeting may adopt resolutions on the following:
a) Membership fees
b) Formal approval of the Standing Committee’s actions,
including its annual report and the annual accounts
c) Election and removal of members of the Standing Committee.
Rules of procedure for these elections and removals may
be proposed by the Standing Committee and have to be approved
by the General Meeting
d) Passing of resolutions enabling the Standing Committee
to undertake certain actions within the framework of the
objectives and activities of IWLA
e) Any motion duly proposed by members
f) Amendments to the constitution
g) Dissolution of IWLA, and
h) Appropriation of assets.
10.4 Resolutions of the General Meeting shall be entered
in minutes signed by the President and another officer of
IWLA, which shall be kept by the Secretary.
11. Finance and Fees
11.1 The resources of IWLA shall consist of:
a) Annual membership fees, conference fees and fees for
other events
b) Subsidies from public authorities
c) Grants, donations, and bequests made to IWLA
d) Any other sources
11.2 Membership fees are due by the 31st January of each
year. The Standing Committee shall be entitled from time
to time to decide the amount of membership fees, and shall
have discretion to allow reduced rates for certain categories
e.g. students or unemployed
11.3 Fees for Conferences, Seminars and other events shall
be levied separately in advance and shall depend on the
cost of the event, as estimated by the Events Subcommittee.
If the total fees income exceeds the actual cost of the
event, the excess shall be allocated to IWLA assets.
11.4 The Treasurer is responsible for collecting the fees
and for keeping proper books of account.
11.5 All members including the members of the Standing
Committee and of all sub-committees contribute to the aims
of IWLA on an unpaid basis. Save where approved in advance
by the Standing Committee no remuneration shall be due to
any member in respect of work done for IWLA. Reasonable
expenses incurred may be refunded where the Finance subcommittee
so agrees.
11.6 No member shall use her membership or any office held
with IWLA as a means of promotion of her personal business
or aims.
12. Financial Procedures
12.1 All expenditure on behalf of IWLA must be approved
by the Finance Subcommittee.
13. Correspondence and public statements on behalf of IWLA
13.1 Only a member duly authorised by the Standing Committee
may make a public statement on behalf of IWLA. No other
member of IWLA shall hold herself out as doing so. Breach
of this rule is a serious matter which may result in membership
being terminated.
13.2 All officers of IWLA are individually authorised to
engage in correspondence on behalf of IWLA in accordance
with their terms of reference.
13.3 Other members of the Standing Committee may be authorised
by decision of the Standing Committee, or in writing by
the Chairperson or Vice-Chairperson, to engage in correspondence
on behalf of IWLA.
14. Adoption of Constitution and amendment.
14.1 This Constitution shall be presented for approval
by the members at the next IWLA Annual General Meeting following
its adoption by the Standing Committee. It shall take effect
on the date of adoption by the Standing Committee and shall
continue in force until the provisions of either 14.2(a)
or 14.2(b) have been satisfied whichever is the earlier.
14.2 (a) In the event that the AGM approves this Constitution
then it is considered definitively adopted.
14.2 (b) In the event that this Constitution is not approved
by the AGM then it shall cease to have effect. However,
any acts done in accordance with the Constitution at or
before the AGM shall be deemed to be validly done.
14.3 This Constitution may be amended by a majority of
members voting in present or by proxy at an AGM or EGM in
accordance with the Articles of Association. The proposal
for amendment must be circulated to all members at lease
one month before the General Meeting.
15. Jurisdiction
The courts of the Republic of Ireland shall have exclusive
jurisdiction to hear any dispute between IWLA and its members
or between members themselves. The applicable law shall
be the procedural and the substantive law of the Republic
of Ireland.
16. Dissolution of the Association
In circumstances where the Association is dissolved by
a decision of the Standing Committee, any remaining assets
shall be transferred to one or more organisations with similar
or related aims and objectives nominated by the Standing
Committee.
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