CONSTITUTION OF THE

SOUTHERN AFRICAN SOCIETY OF LEGAL HISTORIANS

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1 TITLE

1.1 The name of the Society is the Southern African Society of Legal Historians (hereafter referred to as the Society)

1.2 LEGAL PERSONALITY

The Society shall be a body corporate, capable, in its own name, of acquiring rights, entering into legal transactions and suing and being sued.

2 AIMS

The aims of the Society are to -
2.1 further the teaching and study of and research on legal history;
2.2 regularly present conferences in order to discuss legal history and related matters;
2.3 publish a legal history journal;
2.4 encourage contact and co-operation between local and foreign legal historians and legal history societies and other interested organisations; and
2.5 perform any act necessary to realise the above aims

3 MEMBERSHIP

3.1 Any person interested in the realisation of the aims of the Society may apply for membership.
3.2 Membership of the Society is divided into the following categories:
3.2.1 Full members
3.2.2 Honorary members. The council may decide to confer honorary membership of the Society upon certain people.
3.3 All members shall have voting rights and be eligible for election to the Council, but only a full member or honorary member may be appointed as editor of the journal.
3.4 Membership fees are determined each term by the Council.
3.5 Membership may be terminated by the Council.

4 PATRONS

The Council may, as it sees fit, on the recommendation of the general meeting, as mentioned in 6.2, appoint a patron or patrons for the Society.

5 COUNCIL

5.1 Members of the Society entitled to vote shall, at a general meeting of the Society, elect by majority vote a council, consisting of a president, a vice-president, a secretary/treasurer and any number of additional members. The term of the Council shall be three years.
5.2 The Council shall further consist of:
5.2.1 other members who may be co-opted by the Council to fill vacancies which may occur; and
5.2.2 other members who may from time to time be co-opted by the Council in the light of specific needs.
5.3 A person appointed in the manner mentioned in 5.2.2 remains a member for as long as the Council so decides.
5.4 Should the Society establish an official journal, the editor of the journal is an ex officio member of the Council, if he/she is not already a member of the Council.
5.5 The Council may appoint such committees as it deems fit.
5.6 The duties of the Council are to-
5.6.1 realise the aims of the Society;
5.6.2 execute decisions of the general meeting;
5.6.3 generally control the administration and finances of the Society;
5.6.4 report from time to time to the general meeting on its finances and administration, and present financial statements for approval.
5.7 Where members of the Council cannot reach consensus on a specific point, a decision will be reached by voting by the members of the Council, except the members mentioned in 5.2.2. In the case of a voting stalemate, the president will have the deciding vote, as well as his or her ordinary vote.
5.8 In matters of urgency the president and secretary of the Council act on behalf of the Council.

6 CONFERENCES AND MEETINGS

6.1 The Society shall hold conferences.
6.2 A general meeting will be held during a conference or at such time as determined by Council.
6.3 The location and time of the conference and the general meeting shall be determined by the Council. The Council must take the recommendation of the previous general meeting into account. The location and time of the meeting must be determined at least three months in advance.
6.4 Ten full members shall constitute a quorum at a general meeting.
6.5 The president of the Society and in his or her absence the vice-president or the secretary/treasurer, acts as chairman of the general meeting.
6.6 At a general meeting, decisions, except on constitutional amendments, will be reached by a majority of votes. The chairman has a decisive vote, as well as his or her ordinary vote, in the case of a voting stalemate.
6.7 Financial statements shall be submitted and approved at the general meeting.
6.8 The programme for the conference and the agenda for the general meeting shall be drawn up by the president and/or the vice-president and/or the secretary/treasurer. Members of the Society may submit proposals on the programme and agenda to the secretary provided that proposals reach the secretary at least one month before the date of the conference.
6.9 The secretary shall notify members at least two months before the conference of the dates on which the conference and the general meeting are to be held. The programme and the agenda must be sent to members at least two weeks before the date on which the conference and general meeting begin.
6.10 A special general meeting for the discussion of urgent matters may be called either by the Council or at the written request of at least twenty full members of the Society. Only the matter for which the meeting was called shall be discussed at such a special general meeting.
6.11 Members must receive notification of a special general meeting two weeks before the date of the meeting.

7 OFFICIAL PUBLICATION

When the Society publishes a journal, which shall serve as official organ of the Society, the Council shall appoint an editor for the journal for a period of three years or for any other such period as approved by the general meeting.

8 BRANCHES

8.1 Any group or at least five members of the Society may organise a branch of the Society.
8.2 Application for recognition as a branch must be made to the Council. The constitution of that branch shall accompany the application.
8.3 The general meeting is competent to withhold recognition from any branch, and may dissolve any branch at any time.

9 AMENDMENTS TO THE CONSTITUTION

9.1 The constitution may be amended by a two-thirds majority of members eligible to vote who exercise their vote during a general meeting.
9.2 Amendments to the constitution may be proposed by-
9.2.1 the Council, or
9.2.2 a written request from at least ten members of the Society who are eligible to vote.
9.3 All proposals for amendments to the constitution must be handed in to the Council at least two months before the general meeting at which such proposals are to be discussed.
9.4 The Council shall circulate proposed amendments to the constitution to all members of the Society at least one month before the general meeting.

10 DISSOLUTION

10.1 The Society may be dissolved if two-thirds of the members of the Society present and eligible to vote exercise their vote in favour of dissolution during a general or special meeting.
10.2 If the Society is dissolved the meeting shall also reach a decision with regard to the documents and monies belonging to the Society.