SECTION 2. PURPOSE. The purpose of this Section shall be to promote the particular interests of Social Security lawyers, to plan and carry out programs, publications and activities of interest to Social Security lawyers, and to coordinate programs for Social Security lawyers with state, national, and local associations.

SECTION 3. GOALS. The goals of the Section shall be to:

3.1 Advocate the interests of Social Security lawyers.

3.2 Assist Social Security lawyers in continuing to provide high quality legal services to claimants by sharing the accumulated knowledge and experience of its members.

3.3 Encourage Social Security lawyers to continue to contribute to the delivery of legal services to the public through participation in volunteer activities such as pro bono and mentoring programs, and to assist in the development of such programs which recognize and welcome the assistance of Social Security lawyers.

3.4 Coordinate programs for Social Security lawyers with state, national, and local bar associations.

3.5 Cooperate and share information with other groups within the State Bar which have an interest in legal issues of interest to Social Security lawyers and to Social Security claimants.

SECTION 2. MEMBERS

2.1 ACTIVE MEMBERS of the State Bar of Michigan may join the Section by paying annual dues to the State Bar of Michigan in the amount of Twenty-five Dollars ($25.00), or an amount as determined by the Council.

2.2 LAW STUDENTS. Students currently enrolled in an accredited law school in the State of Michigan will become law student members.

SECTION 2. SELECTION OF OFFICERS. The Chair-Elect, Treasurer, and Secretary shall be nominated and elected by the Council at each annual meeting of the Section, to hold office for a term beginning at the close of the Annual Meeting at which he/she has been elected, and ending at the close of the next succeeding annual meeting of the Section, when the successors shall have been qualified and elected.

SECTION 3. VACANCIES. The Council shall elect any active member of the Section as an Officer or Council member, to act until the next election in the event of death, disability, removal or resignation of any Officer or Council member.

SECTION 5. DISTRICTS FOR COUNCIL SEATS. There shall be at least five (5) Council members of the Section corresponding to 5 districts which comprise the service area of the 5 Social Security hearings offices in Detroit, Oak Park, Lansing, Grand Rapids, and Flint. Each member of the Section shall belong to the geographic district corresponding to the service area for the primary business address of his/her office/firm. A district shall be granted an additional seat(s) on the Council when district membership exceeds 30 or other multiples of 30. These districts are created to maintain geographic diversity and minority representation on the Council. These districts roughly comprise the areas as follows: 1) Detroit: Detroit, Ann Arbor, Monroe, Port Huron; 2) Oak Park: Oakland, Macomb, and Northern Wayne Counties; 3) Lansing: Lansing, Jackson, Mt. Pleasant, Battle Creek, and Alpena; 4) Grand Rapids: Grand Rapids, Benton Harbor, Kalamazoo, Muskegon, and Traverse City; 5) Flint: Flint, Bay City, Saginaw. These districts are well known to Social Security practitioners. All membership lists to the State Bar of Michigan will include the district.

SECTION 6. TERMS OF OFFICE. The term of office for an Officer shall be one year. No Officer shall hold the same office for more than 2 years. The term of office for each member of the Council shall be 2 years. However, for the term commencing with the creation of this Section, terms will be staggered with 2 districts serving through the Annual Meeting in September 1997 and 3 districts serving through the Annual Meeting in September 1998. If a district, upon organization of the Section, shall have 2 seats, one shall run through September 1997 and the other through September 1998. The extra seat(s) created for a district when membership shall exceed 30, arises with the next annual meeting of the Section. No Council member shall hold the same seat for more than 2 full 2-year terms. Upon organization of this Section, the Oak Park District has approximately 42 members and is entitled to a second seat. Upper Peninsula members shall be assigned to the Grand Rapids District. The terms of the second seat for Oak Park, as well as the seats for Detroit and Flint, shall initially expire in September 1997. The terms of the basic seat for Oak Park, Grand Rapids, and Lansing shall initially expire in September 1998

SECTION 2. COMMITTEE APPOINTMENT. The Chair will appoint committees and their Chairs from Section members, to perform such duties and exercise such powers as the Council may direct.

SECTION 3. VACANCIES. The Council shall, between annual meetings of the Section, fill vacancies in its own membership. In the event of a vacancy in both the office of Chair and Chair-Elect, the Council shall fill the office of Chair. Officers and members of the Council so selected shall serve until the close of the next annual meeting of the Section, at which time the vacancies shall be filled for the remainder of their respective terms by a special election conducted concurrently with the regular elections.

SECTION 4. QUORUM. A quorum of the Council shall consist of a majority of the officers and elected members. A quorum being present, the Council shall act on the affirmative vote of a majority of those present at any meeting.

SECTION 5. MEETINGS. The Council shall designate the time and place of its regular meetings, but shall schedule no fewer than three (3) meetings per fiscal year. Special meetings may be called upon notice by the Chair or upon written request to the Secretary of any four (4) members of the Council. Council members shall receive three (3) days notice of a Special meeting. Notice of Special meetings shall include the topic for which the meeting was called.

SECTION 6. ABSENCES. Any member of the Council who shall be absent from three (3) consecutive regular meetings of the Council shall be deemed to have resigned and the vacancy created shall be filled by the Council.

SECTION 2. ELECTIONS. All elections for the Council shall be by written ballot unless otherwise ordered by resolution duly adopted by the Section at the Annual Meeting at which the Election is held. A majority vote of those members shall be

SECTION 2. CHAIR-ELECT. In the absence of the Chair, the Chair-Elect shall perform the duties of the Chair. The Chair-Elect shall generally succeed to the office of the Chair the year following his/her election to Chair-Elect. The Chair-Elect shall be responsible for the public relations activities of the Section, including acting as a liaison with the State Bar of Michigan’s Communications Committee, and for such other duties as the Chair may designate.

SECTION 3. SECRETARY. The Secretary shall cause to be kept all books, papers, documents, and other property of the Section except money. The Secretary shall keep a true record of the proceedings of all meetings of the Section and of the Council. With the Chair, the Secretary shall prepare a summary or digest of the proceedings of the Section for presentation at the Annual Meeting and for publication in the Michigan Bar Journal. In conjunction with the Chair, the Secretary, as authorized by Council, shall attend generally to the business of the Section.

SECTION 4. TREASURER. The Treasurer of the Section shall:
4.1 Cause to be kept a record of all monies received and disbursed;
4.2 Submit regular financial reports to the Council;
4.3 Annually provide for the presentation of a financial report to the membership of the Section and to the Board of Commissioners; and
4.4 Sign any application for and execute any bond as may be requested by any officer of the Section or pursuant to a resolution duly adopted by the Council for the purpose of protecting the monies of the Section. Any cost or premium for such bond shall be an expense of the Section and be paid from the funds of the Section.

SECTION 1.1. REPORTS. The Chair of each committee shall submit a written report of Committee activities during the preceding year to the Officers. This report is due two months prior to the annual meeting of the Section.

SECTION 2. SPECIAL MEETINGS. Special meetings of the Section may be called by the Chair upon approval of the Council, at such time and place as the Council may determine.

SECTION 3. QUORUM. Fifteen (15) members of the Section present at any special or annual meeting shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business.

SECTION 2. DISBURSEMENTS. Any bills incurred by the Section to be forwarded to the State Bar Fiscal Officer for payment shall first be approved by the Chair, Chair-Elect, or Immediate Past Chair.

SECTION 3. COMPENSATION. No salary or compensation shall be paid to any Officer, Council or Committee member; however, Officers, Council, and Committee members may be reimbursed for actual expenses for Section business.

SECTION 4. EFFECTIVE DATE. These bylaws shall become effective upon approval by the Board of Commissioners of the State Bar of Michigan, and by the membership at the organizational meeting.

SECTION 2. AMENDMENT FORM. Any proposed amendment shall be submitted in writing to the Section in the form of a petition by at least ten (10) members of the Section. The Council shall consider the proposed amendment, prepare recommendations, and publish a complete and accurate text of the proposed amendment in the Michigan Bar Journal at least thirty (30) days prior to the meeting of the Section at which it is to be considered.