The National Lesbian and Gay Law Association Seeks Qualified Candidates for the Board of DirectorsThe National Lesbian and Gay Law Association is seeking statements of interest from individuals who wish to join the Board of Directors. The Association is a professional association of lawyers, judges and other legal professionals, law students, advocates, and affiliated lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) voluntary bar associations and law student organizations. The mission of the Association is to promote justice in and through the legal profession by and for the LGBT community in all its diversity. Similar to other professional associations and minority and/or specialty bars, the Association provides networking and education opportunities for its community. The Association appoints the board of its sister organization, a 501(c)(3) foundation, which sponsors the annual National Association’s Career Fair and Continuing Legal Education Conference. Further, the Association coordinates its work within a network of over two dozen LGBT voluntary bar associations from regions, states and municipalities across the nation, and almost 100 LGBT law student organizations. The National Association is an official affiliate of the American Bar Association (ABA), and holds a seat in the ABA House of Delegates. In addition, the Association liaises in an official capacity with many key sections within the ABA, including the Commission on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity, the Section of Individual Rights and Responsibilities, three seats in the Young Lawyers Division, a seat within the Law Student Division, a Delegate position to the Section of Family Law and a Delegate position to the Commission on Racial and Ethnic Diversity and positions on the Coordinating Committee on HIV/AIDS and the Commission of Women in the Profession. The business and corporate powers of the Association are exercised by, or under the authority of the Board of Directors of each corporation, the 501(c)(6) association and the 501(c)(3) educational nonprofit. The Board is the highest governing authority of the Association. Additional information about the Association may be found at: www.nlgla.org and www.lavendarlaw.org. Minimum Duties of Board Members
NOMINATING COMMITTEE In accordance with the bylaws, the Nominating Committee is comprised of five members and is chaired by two individuals, the current Treasurer (Kate Fletcher) and the current Past President (Richard Wilson). Also in compliance with the bylaws, the committee composition is two Foundation Board Members and three Association Board Members. The Executive Director sits on the Nominating Committee in an advisory role only. The Nominating Committee is charged with the task of collecting and evaluating nominations for all open positions on the Board of Directors or those positions scheduled to be open in the year 2009. The Committee proposes a slate of candidates to the Board in accordance with the procedures specified by the bylaws, following a formal and rigorous review process, to be ready by the Mid-Year Meeting of the Board of Directors. The Nominating Committee will consider the experience and skills of qualified and interested individuals while assessing the overall balance and performance of the Association’s Board of Directors and individual members within that board. In this respect, the Nominating Committee also focuses on fostering and creating a long term leadership culture and succession plan within the board structure. Specifically, the Committee will express its commitment to continuity of leadership between the generations of leaders within the Board as a whole and also within the Executive Committee as it chooses nominees. NOMINATIONS PROCESS AND TIMELINE: Individuals must be members in good standing of the National Association in order to be considered for any position. December 10, 2008 Open call for candidates interested in serving on the Board of Directors. December 31, 2008 Deadline for interested individuals to submit statements of interest. Statements should include the individual’s complete contact information, their history as Board members in this or other organizations, and their interest in becoming a leader in the LGBT legal community while serving the individual and group members of the Association. Statements of interest must be submitted to nominations@nlgla.org by 5:00 PM (EST) December 31, 2008. Interested candidates may contact any member of the Nominating Committee with questions:
January 2, 2009 The Nominating Committee compiles and submits a list of candidates to the Board of Directors for review. January 5, 2009 During the next 30 days, the Nominating Committee assigns individual Board members to conduct phone, or where possible in-person interviews, with the candidates. February 6, 2009 The Nominating Committee selects candidates for final recommendation to the Board of Directors. February 14, 2009 At the Mid-Year meeting to be held in Boston, Massachusetts in conjunction with the ABA Mid-Year Convention, the Board of Directors votes to approve or reject the slate recommended by the Nominating Committee. COMMITMENT All Board members are encouraged to attend organizational programs and meetings where applicable, and act as “goodwill ambassadors” for the organization by interacting in a positive way with supporters, employees and vendors, and other legal professionals, as well as the public. All Board members are also encouraged to actively support the culture of fundraising fundamental to a successful social justice business and the goals of the organization, and to foster an environment of increasing professionalism on the Board. As time permits, Board members are also encouraged to participate in local LGBT voluntary bar associations. Board members are expected to support the business and its fundraising efforts by giving an annual financial gift that is meaningful to the individual. Potential Board Members must be able to attend the three annual meetings per year, held in conjunction with the ABA Mid-Year and Annual Conferences and the Annual Career Fair and Conference usually held the Thursday, Friday and Saturday after Labor Day. Further Board Members are expected to serve actively on a committee of the board. Board members are covered by a Code of Conduct. Board members upon installation must disclose any conflicts of interest and are subject to a background check by the Association’s General Counsel. Board members are covered by D&O insurance in the amount of $1 million and by indemnification to the maximum extent allowed by law. AVAILABLE POSITIONS The following is a list of positions the Nominating Committee is seeking to fill. For more information about the qualifications and requirements for candidacy for each position, please click on the title: For terms beginning February 2009, the following positions are open and the term of the position is also listed:
For terms beginning August 2009, (ABA Annual Meeting) the following positions are open. The terms are all two years. All of the following positions, with the exception of the Delegate to the ABA House of Delegates, are Ex-Officio ABA Delegates. The Delegate to the House of Delegates is charged with casting votes in that body on behalf of the organizations. All ABA positions are non-voting positions on the Association's Board of Directors:
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