Constitution of

Above the Bar

at the University of Miami

Updated: November 8, 2023

Article I. Name
This organization shall be named Above the Bar at the University of Miami.
Above the Bar may also be referred to as ATB.

Article II. Statement of Purpose

Section 1. Guiding Principles
The purpose of Above the Bar is to provide academic resources and
opportunities for any people identifying with the historically marginalized
communities to achieve their post-graduate goals in the legal field. This
will be done with events, programs, and partnerships increasing access to
law schools or resources for pre-law students.

Section 2. Objectives
The objectives of Above the Bar shall be to:
 Host at least one forum, event, or general body meeting to engage
with general body members and the student body of the University
of Miami
 The organization shall incorporate at least one event in partnership
with a law school or a local firm
 Increase resources for identifying minority pre-law students
through education and mass communication with the University of
Miami

Article III. Affiliation Statement

This Organization will not be affiliated with another organization.

Article IV. Responsibility

Above the Bar shall comply with all University of Miami policies and procedures,
including but not limited to those policies set forth in the Student Rights and
Responsibilities Handbook, The Student Organization Handbook, COSO
Guidelines, and if applicable, SAFAC guidelines, as well as local, state, and
federal laws.

Article V. Membership
Section 1. General Membership
A. Membership of Above the Bar shall be open to all University of Miami
students in good Academic Standing, who have paid their Student
Activity Fee, and are currently enrolled as a full-time student
(minimum of 12 credits (undergraduate)/9 credits (graduate)). Above
 the Bar shall not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sexual
orientation, religion, sex, national origin, age, physical handicap,
marital status, veteran’s status, gender identity, gender expression,
political affiliation, religious affiliation or any other discriminatory
factor, real or perceived, in any of its policies, procedures, or practices.

Section 2. Active Membership

A. Active Membership in Above the Bar is defined as those students who
attend at least 50% of the projected school year’s meetings. The
Secretary shall take attendance at each general body meeting.
B. Benefits of Active Membership include the right to vote and run for
Executive Board positions (if eligibility requirements are met, see
below), priority when signing up for events and workshops, and first
access to discounts, scholarships, and more.

Article VI. Executive Board

Section 1. Positions
A. President
i. Serve as the primary contact person for the organization and work
with the COSO Liaison.
ii. Attends the mandatory Student Leadership Organization
Development Summit (SOLD)
iii. Completes mandatory Spring re-registration on Engage
iv. Presiding over all meetings of the organization
v. Act as the main contact between the organization and its advisor
vi. Ensure that all necessary organizational forms and documentation
are in order
B. Vice President
i. In the absence of the president, serve as the president on a
temporary basis until the president can resume his or her duties or
for the remainder of the term if the president is permanently not
able to resume his or her duties
ii. Preside over special committees created by the executive board
iii. Ensure that all necessary organizational forms and documentation
iv. Keep accurate minutes of all general body meetings and executive
board meetings.
v. Takes attendance at all meetings and events.
vi. Responsible for sending out notices to all active members with
information regarding upcoming meetings and events
C. Treasurer
i. Works with the SAFAC Liaison.
ii. Serve as custodian of all funds of the organization and keep a
running record of the organization’s available funds
iii. Collect and manage the dues of active members
iv. Ensure that all necessary financial forms are attended to promptly
v. Meet with the organization’s advisor consistently to receive/ give
 updates about the budget
vi. Fill out a yearly budget request along with any necessary
supplemental requests through SAFAC
vii. are in order when the President is unable to attend to them
D. Career Development Chair(s)
i. Create initiatives to prepare members for a profession in the legal
field.
ii. Work with the Law School and Pre-Law resources on campus to
gain information and plan events for members.
iii. Develop relationships with professionals that went to law school or
work in the legal field.
iv. Connect with other Colleges and Universities for various events
and network building.
v. Work with the Events Coordinator Chair for events and
programming.
E. Event Coordinator(s)
i. Initiate ideas for forums and events pertaining to Above the Bar
ii. Place reservations for all on-campus events
iii. Work with the Career Development Chair for events and
programming
F. Social Media Chair(s)
i. Make graphics & flyers for event announcements
ii. Shares all outgoing information via Instagram, Facebook, etc.
iii. Sends out event invitations via the Engage page
iv. Responds to all direct messages via social media

Section 2. Eligibility Requirements

Any active member who has been active for at least one full semester and applies
for an executive board position is eligible to run for office.
Any active member who has served on the executive board for at least one year is
semester to run for president or vice president.

Section 3. Length of Term

The length of the term of office for President and Vice-President shall be one
academic year (Spring to Fall). The length of the term of office for all other
Executive Board members shall be one semester.

Section 4. Installation
Installation of a new President and Vice President will occur in the Fall semester
and is to be facilitated by the advisor and/or exiting executive board. All other
Executive Board members will be installed at the end of each semester.

Section 5. Vacancies/Succession
A. If a vacancy occurs in the President position, the successor, determined by the
subsequent position listed in order specified in Article VI Section 1, will fill the
role until a special election takes place for the President position at a time and
 place determined by the Executive Board.
B. If a vacancy occurs in any other position, a special election will be held to fill that
current position.

Section 6. Impeachment/Removal of Executive Board

A. Petition
A unanimous decision of the Executive Board must agree or two-thirds
(2/3) of active members must sign a petition to ask for impeachment of
executive board member.
B. Process
All parties including active members, the Executive Board, Advisor, and
the Executive Board member being impeached, and the COSO Chair must
be notified at least two (2) weeks in advance of the impeachment hearing.
The impeachment hearing must occur while classes are in session during
the semester.
C. Hearings
The moderator of the impeachment hearing will be the Advisor and if
necessary, a COSO executive board member can conduct/facilitate the
impeachment hearing as well. Three-fourths (3/4) of active members must
be present in order for the impeachment hearing to begin. Each side will
be given the opportunity to present their case and the active members may
ask questions. A two-thirds (2/3) vote of Active members present is
needed for conviction and removal. The hearing must be conducted in
Robert’s Rules.

Article VII. Elections

Section 1. Timeline
The annual election of Above the Bar’s President and Vice President shall occur
during the Fall semester at a time and place determined by the Executive Board.
All other Executive Board positions will have elections once a semester.

Section 2. Procedures
A. Facilitation
The Advisor and a non-returning Executive Board Member or a non-
running active member appointed by the Executive Board will facilitate
the elections. This appointed member is to remain neutral and
relinquishes his or her right to vote. The Advisor must be present at the
elections in order for the elections procedures to be viewed as valid.
B. Eligibility
Any active member who has been active for at least one full semester is
eligible for every Executive Board Office, except for President and Vice
President.
Any active member who has served on the executive board for at least one
semester is eligible to run for President or Vice President.
C. Nominations
i. Nominations for executive board positions shall be opened no later than
four (2) weeks prior to the election.
ii. Candidates for the executive board must be nominated by an active
member of the organization. Candidates may nominate themselves.
iii. Nominations do not have to be seconded to be placed in the election
ballot.
 iv. Candidates may be nominated for more than a single office, however,
once elected to a position their name shall be removed from consideration
for any subsequent office.
v. The nominee must accept their nomination either in person or in writing to
the Facilitator, by a time and date determined by the current Executive
Board.
vi. Current nomination lists shall be sent to organization members no later
than one (1) week prior to the election.
D. Voting
i. Only active members have the right to vote.
ii. The sequence of voting for Executive Board will be in the same order as
the positions are listed in Article IV, Section 1.
iii. Candidates must be present at the election in order for it to be valid. The
position to be voted on will be announced and all the candidates for said
position will be presented to the Active Members.
iv. The position to be voted on will be announced and all the candidates for
said position will be presented to the Active Members. Candidates will
remain in the room.
v. Candidates will be allowed to give a timed presentation on their platform
and why they feel they should be elected to a specific position.
vi. After all Candidates for said position have presented before the active
members present, voting for that position will occur.
vii. Candidates will be asked to leave the room during the voting. Candidates
who are also voting shall be permitted to cast votes in writing prior to the
vote.
viii. Executive board members shall be elected by a majority of voting
members present at the election meeting provided quorum is met. Quorum
is defined as 50% of active membership. If more than two candidates are
running for any office, successive votes shall be taken until one candidate
receives a majority vote. In successive votes, the candidate receiving the
fewest votes shall be eliminated.
ix. The candidate(s) that did not win may choose to roll down his or her
nomination to the next elected position up for election.

Article VIII. Committees

Section 1. Standing Committees
There are no standing committees at this time.

Section 2. Special Committees

Special Committees may be appointed at the discretion of the Executive Board.

Article IX. Advisor

Organizations are required to have full-time University of Miami faculty or staff members. The
Advisor of Name of Organization shall be a full-time faculty, administrator, or staff member at
the University of Miami. This individual is responsible for the management of all accounts,
events, as well as being present at annual elections. Student organizations
are permitted to have up two (2) advisors for each organization; however, one must be chosen as
the main contact for SAFAC, Workday, and all financial purposes.

Article X. Meetings
 Section 1. General
General member meetings will be held at least once a month.

Section 2. Executive Board

Executive Board meetings will be held at least once a month.

Section 3. Special
Special meetings will be held at the discretion of the Executive Board.

Article XI. Discipline

Section 1. Reason
Misrepresentation of the organization or behavior that is detrimental to its guiding
principles and/or objectives.

Section 2. Process
A mandatory meeting between the member being disciplined, the advisor, and the
President shall be held at a time and place agreed upon by all parties involved.

Section 3. Consequences
Based on the severity of the action, the member will be disciplined accordingly.
Sanctions will be determined during the mandatory meeting by the President, with
the approval of the Advisor, with the most severe form of discipline being the
revocation of Active membership status.

Article XII. Maintaining Active Student Organization Status

Section 1. Requirements
A. The president must attend SOLD at the beginning of the Fall Semester.
B. The organization must complete re-registration in the Spring.
C. The organization must update the Constitution every three years.
D. To be considered an organization in good standing and registered with COSO,
student organizations must adhere to all University of Miami policies and
regulations, as well as meet the requirements established by COSO. Adhere to the
University of Miami’s policies specified within the Student Organization
Handbook, COSO Guidelines, SAFAC Guidelines and the Student Rights and
Responsibilities Handbook. Failure to follow any of the guidelines, requirements,
or other information outlined in these documents could result in an organization’s
deactivation at the discretion of COSO.

Section 2. Engage
A. The Engage portal must be updated with all changes in the executive board in
order to maintain active standing.

Article XIII. Amendments to the Constitution

Section 1. Submission
Amendments to this constitution shall be submitted to the Executive Board in
writing.

Section 2. Process
A. 100% of the Executive Board must be in agreement for adoption of the
 amendment.
B. If 100% of the Executive Board is not in agreement, a vote of Active membership
must occur.
i. Notification of changes to the constitution must be made at least two (2)
weeks before voting occurs.
ii. Three-quarters (3/4) of the Active membership is needed before voting can
occur. A two-thirds (2/3) vote of Active members present is needed for
the adoption of the amendment.

Section 3. Final Approval

Amendments must be presented to the Committee on Student Organizations for
approval prior to implementation. The amendment is not final until an updated
constitution is submitted and approved.

Article XIV. Dissolution of the Organization

Section 1. Process
Above the Bar may be dissolved after dissolution is approved by the Executive
Board and by a vote of three-quarters (3/4) of Active members, provided that a
notice of the vote on dissolution is furnished to all Active members at least sixty
(60) days prior to the vote.

Section 2. Obligations
Upon dissolution, the Executive Board will utilize assets of the organization to
pay all obligations and expenses of the organization.

Section 3. Approval
Notice of dissolution must be presented in writing to the Chair and Advisor of the
Committee on Student Organizations and must include reason of dissolution.

President Date

Treasurer Date

Third Executive Body Member Date

Advisor Date