The Corporate & Taxation Law Society

MISSION STATEMENT

The Corporate & Taxation Law Society is an organization dedicated to promoting the fields of Corporate and Tax law to students of the Law Center.  The organization seeks to meet this goal through facilitating informative meetings, providing guidance, and promoting awareness of legal opportunities in the community.

ARTICLE I – Composition

§ 1. The name of this organization shall be the Corporate & Taxation Law Society (hereinafter referred to as CTLS).

ARTICLE II – Purpose

§ 1. To increase the number of law students interested in Corporate and Tax law.

§ 2. To encourage the participation of Corporate and Tax alumni in developing and remaining responsive to the social and academic promotion of the members.

§ 3. To participate in the administrative admissions process.

§ 4. To assist members in procuring academic and financial aid as may be necessary to insure their successful completion of studies.

§ 5. To encourage the law school curriculum to expand courses, seminars, and clinical skills related to Corporate and Tax law.

§ 6. To promote awareness in the Law Center of the opportunities available in Corporate and Tax law in the community.

§ 7. To promote and encourage unity between all Corporate or Tax organizations on campus.

ARTICLE III – Membership

§ 1. Membership in CTLS is open to any University of Houston law student regardless of race, ethnicity, national origin, age, gender, physical disability, religious affiliation, or sexual orientation.

§ 2. In order to be an active and voting member of CTLS: (a) one needs to attend two general meetings and; (b) one needs to pay the semester dues.

§ 3. Amount of dues will be fixed by a three-fifths vote of the Executive Board.

§ 4. Honorary membership may be extended to any individual(s) in appreciation of their contribution to the organization by a majority vote of the Executive Board or General Membership.

ARTICLE IV – Executive Board

§ 1. Organization

(a) There shall be an Executive Board which is composed of the President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, and Historian/Parliamentarian.

(b) Each officer will have equal votes at the Executive Board Meetings.

(c) In the event of a tie vote due to an absence of an Executive Board member, the President shall break all ties at Executive Board meetings.

§ 2. Election of the Executive Board

(a) There shall be an annual election of the Executive Board every March.

(b) Newly elected members’ responsibility will be assumed at the end of the Spring semester

(c) Members of CTLS may nominate another member (or themselves) for any elected office.  Those nominated persons shall have a period of 5 minutes (maximum) to speak before the General Membership.

(d) Only members qualified to vote may run for elective positions.

(e) Votes shall be cast by secret ballot.

(f) The current Historian/Parliamentarian will tally the votes.

(g) The candidate with the most votes shall win.

§ 3. Replacement of the Executive Board

(a) Officer vacancies, with the exception of the office of the President, shall be filled by the nomination and majority vote of the organization as set out in Article IV, § 2.

Officers wishing to resign must submit a signed letter of resignation to the President or Secretary stating the reason therein.

(b) The Vice-President shall succeed the President should the President be unable to perform his/her duties.

(c) Two unexcused absences anytime during the academic year (or summer planning session) from an Executive Board meeting shall operate as the resignation of that Executive Board member.

An unexcused absence is defined as a failure to notify the Executive Board of the Board member’s absence.  Notification occurs when the Board member posts his/her excuse in the CTLS office or notifies the President or Vice-President via telephone call.
It is the responsibility of the absent Board member to procure a copy of the minutes of the meeting from the Secretary.
There shall not be absentee voting.  To vote, the Executive Board member must be present at the meeting in which the vote is taken.

(d) Removal of an Executive Board member for excessive excused or unexcused absences can be accomplished by a three-fifths vote of the Executive Board and a two-thirds vote of the General Membership.

§ 4. Duties of the Executive Board

(a) Meet on a regular basis no less than twice a month

General Membership will be notified of these meetings and an agenda will be posted.

(b) Answer and record all correspondence directed to the organization, and refer inquiries to the appropriate persons.

(c)Notify all Executive Board members of any special Executive Board meeting. Personal notification is not necessary if the notice is posted in the CTLS office at least three days before the scheduled meeting.

(d)Any required non-policy action to be taken by the Executive Board may be done without approval by the General Membership.

Notification of decisions made by the Executive Board must be made to the General Membership at the next, regularly scheduled meeting.
The General Membership may override any Executive Board decision by a two-thirds majority vote.

(e) In general, policy should be made by the General Membership.  The Executive Board will act to enforce such policy guidelines.

(f) Any expenditure over $200 must be approved by the Executive Board.

ARTICLE V – Duties of the Executive Officers

§ 1. The responsibilities of the President are:

(a) To preside over all meetings of the organization and the Executive Board.

(b) To prepare agenda before every Executive Board and General Membership meeting.

(c) To overlook the job of the rest of the Board.

(d) To coordinate activities relating to external relations.

(e) To attend meetings sponsored by the Law Center for student organizations.

(f) To pay bills in the absence of the Treasurer.

(g) To maintain regular contact with the advisor(s).

§ 2. The responsibilities of the Vice-President are:

(a) To take over the duties and responsibilities of the President in case of absence or resignation.

(b) To lead the Executive Board and General Membership meetings in the absence of the President.

(c) To coordinate activities to promote unity within the organization.

(d) To notify the General Membership of any job opportunities submitted to the CTLS office.

(e) To establish and maintain contact with other on campus organizations dedicated to furthering Corporate or Tax education.

§ 3. The responsibilities of the Secretary are:

(a) To record all meetings.

(b) To keep and read the minutes of the previous meeting, as well as posting them on e-mail.

(c) To maintain a yearly calendar of activities.

(d) To give written notice to all members of meetings and agenda to be covered, as well as having it posted and sent via e-mail.

(e) To maintain the bulletin boards.

(f) To collect and distribute correspondence to the appropriate persons.

(g) To keep a binder with a copy of the CTLS constitution, bylaws, and other important literature.

§ 4. The responsibilities of the Treasurer are:

(a) To maintain an accounting of the financial affairs of the organization.

(b) To collect member dues and report payments to the officers.

(c) To disburse all money as the organization may direct.

(d) To keep records of all financial transactions.

(e) To make deposits in the CTLS account when necessary.

(f) To prepare anticipated expense reports during the spring semester of the amount of funding required for the next school year.

(g) To make reports to the University for reimbursement of any applicable CTLS activities.

§ 5. The responsibilities of the Historian/Parliamentarian are:

(a) To record visual documentation of CTLS activities.

(b) To create a scrapbook of the Academic year.

(c) To maintain order at the Executive and General Meetings.

(d) To tally the vote count for elections of new Executive Officers.

(e) To assist the Vice-President in duties enumerated in Art. V, § 2(c)

§ 6. Any duty not expressly delegated to an Executive Officer shall be delegated by the President to one of the Executive Board members (including himself/herself).

ARTICLE VI – BANK ACCOUNT

§ 1. The Executive Board will open a bank account for the purposes of collecting and dispersing funds as necessary.

§ 2. The President and Treasurer shall be signers on the bank account, with CTLS expenditures requiring only one of those two signatures.

§ 3. Deposits shall be made within one week of General Membership meetings or as necessary to maintain financial stability of the organization.

§ 4. Any fees collected will be handled and accounted for subject to all relevant UHLC and UH accounting procedures.

ARTICLE VII – Advisors

§ 1. A representative(s) delegated by the CTLS organization shall serve in an advisory capacity until his/her resignation.  Upon resignation the advisor shall inform the Executive Board at least two weeks in advance, informing the Executive Board of possible new candidates for the position.

ARTICLE VIII – General Meetings

§ 1. The general meeting of all CTLS members shall be held at a time and date to be determined by the Executive Board.

§ 2. Special meetings may be called by the Executive Board as deemed necessary.

§ 3. Every CTLS member has the right to voice a concern at a general meeting.  The member must raise his/her hand to be recognized by the Historian/Parliamentarian.

(a) The member will wait to be recognized before speaking.

(b) The member has the right to speak freely, and without interruptions while holding the floor.

(c) If the Historian/Parliamentarian is absent, one of the Board members will assume his/her responsibilities.

(d) The rules of this section may be suspended by majority vote of the General members present.

ARTICLE IX – Amendments

§ 1. The Constitution may be amended by two-thirds vote of the General Membership.

§ 2. No amendment may be adopted unless it has been posted to the entire voting membership one week prior to the meeting at which the amendment will be voted upon.

ARTICLE X – Ratification

§ 1. The Constitution shall be ratified by a two-thirds vote of the General Membership.

§ 2. The provisions of the Constitution shall be effective immediately upon ratification.

 

Welcome to Houston!

The city of Houston, Texas has many great social and professional activities. If you're looking for something to do between briefing cases, this list will help you to begin exploring the vast city limits.

Read More

 

Future CTLS Member Login

Paying members of the Corporate & Taxation Law Society will soon be able to login here to gain access to member benefits.

 

Legal Blogs

There's a vast number of attorneys and professors that blog about the legal field. This is a list of a few of our favorites.

Read More