Seton Hall IPLA Constitution

Article I: Name

The name of this Association shall be the Intellectual Property Law Association (hereinafter "IPLA").

Article II: Purpose

The purposes of IPLA are as follows:

1.  Establish Seton Hall Law School as the nation’s premier institution for the study of intellectual property law.

2.  Supplement students’ education in the field of intellectual property law through symposiums that cover the three primary areas of the field: patent law, trademark law and copyright law.

3.  Bringing students interested in the many areas of intellectual property law in contact with professionals in such fields, and providing academic, social and career opportunities not otherwise available through the classroom or other campus organizations.

Article III: Membership

Section 1.  Eligibility:  Membership is open to all matriculated law students attending Seton Hall University School of Law.  Membership shall not be determined on the basis of race, religion, sex, color, age, disability, sexual orientation, or national or ethnic origin.

Section 2.  Duties/Responsibilities:  Duties of the membership include attending general membership meetings and regularly participating in the activities and attending the events sponsored by the IPLA.

Section 3.  Rights of Membership:  All members have equal rights and privileges within the organization to nominate candidates for office, seek elective office, vote in elections, attend meetings, participate in deliberations, vote on Society business, and represent IPLA to the general public.

Article IV: The Executive Board

Section 1.  Eligibility of Officers:  Persons eligible to hold office on the Executive Board must be members of IPLA.

Section 2.  Classification of Officers:  The Officers of the Society are the President, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary, and two (2) Student Bar Association Representatives.  Chair positions may be created and filled at the discretion of the Executive Board.  The number shall be based on the strength of interest in the organization.

Section 3.  Election of Officers:  The Officers shall be elected by a majority vote (more than 50% of the voting general membership).

Section 4.  Term of Office:  The Officers shall hold office for a term of one year.  The term of office shall commence on the day that the officer was elected and terminate when a student has been elected for the same position in the following year.

Section 5.  Duties of Officers:  The duties of each office are listed in the By-Laws of IPLA.

Section 6.  Faculty Adviser:  A faculty adviser shall be chosen from among the full-time administration of the Seton Hall University School of Law.  The Executive Board shall be responsible for communicating the activities of IPLA to the faculty adviser on a regular basis.

Article V: Committees

Section 1.  Formation of Committees: Formation of any committee shall be in accordance with the By-Laws this organization.

Article VI: Meetings

Section 1:  Requirements:  IPLA is required to have, at minimum, three general meetings per year.  A general meeting shall be defined as a meeting open to all general members of the organization, as well as any interested member of the Seton Hall University School of Law student body.

Section 2:  Notification:  Notification of any general meeting must be offered to the membership no less than three (3) school days prior to the meeting.

Section 3:  Attendance:  All Executive Board members are required to attend scheduled general meetings.

Article VII: Voting

Section 1.  Apportionment:  Each member in good standing shall have one vote.

Section 2.  Certification:  The President will be responsible for verifying the eligibility of each voting member.

Article VIII: Disciplinary Proceedings

Section 1.  Impeachment of Officers:  If an Officer is charged with failure to perform his or her duties, or any illegal activity, a Disciplinary Committee shall be formed to hold an inquiry.

Section 2.  Disciplinary Committee:  This committee shall consist of the Faculty Adviser, the President of the Student Bar Association, the President of the Honor Council, and other administration deemed appropriate.

Section 3.  Notification:  The Officer being charged shall be given written notice of the specific charges by the Disciplinary Committee.  This notice shall be given within a reasonable time, but no less than ten (10) days prior to the hearing.

Section 4.  Hearing:  A hearing shall be conducted whereby the Officer may present his or her defense.  The entire Disciplinary Committee must be present at this hearing, but such meeting shall be closed to all others.  The decision of the Disciplinary Committee shall be given to the Officer no more than three (3) days subsequent to the hearing date.

Section 5.  Appeals:  An appeal from the decision of the Disciplinary Committee shall be heard by the Dean of Students.

Article IX: Amendments

Section 1.  Adoption: The Constitution and By-Laws of IPLA shall be adopted by a two-thirds majority vote of the general membership who is present when the vote is taken.

Section 2.  Amendments: An amendment shall be proposed to the President in writing no less than one month prior to the general meeting where the amendment is to be considered.  This written proposal must be accompanied by signatures of at least ten percent of the current membership stating support of the amendment.  The person proposing the amendment must circulate a copy of the proposal to every member at least ten school days prior to the meeting at which the amendment will be considered.

Section 3.  Effective Date:  The Constitution and By-Laws of IPLA shall become effective on this day February 8, 2003, immediately upon ratification, unless otherwise specified.