CLA Delegate and Alternate Delegate Positions to the ABA House of Delegates

Working Rules

August 19, 2025

I. American Bar Association House of Delegates

The American Bar Association House of Delegates (ABA HOD) is the policy-making body of the ABA. The ABA HOD meets twice each year, at ABA Annual and Midyear Meetings.ⁱ The ABA was founded to be the national voice of state bars. These Working Rules apply to the CLA ABA House of Delegates Committee consisting of Delegates and Alternate Delegates (the Committee).

California Lawyers Association, CLA, has 11 full-time Delegate seats on the ABA HOD and can have up to 11 Alternate Delegates. One of the 11 Delegates and one of the 11 Alternates must be a Young Lawyer in accordance with ABA rules. Alternate Delegates who are invited to participate in all meetings among CLA’s Delegation and are encouraged to contribute to the work of CLA’s Delegation including but not limited to the preparation and review of ABA Resolutions.

Alternate Delegates can only attend ABA HOD meetings as a member of CLA’s Delegation to the ABA HOD when a full-time CLA Delegate is not able to do so. The determination of which CLA Alternate Delegate can attend an ABA HOD meeting shall be determined by the CLA President and the Officers of the CLA ABA House of Delegates Committee.

II. Appointment Process and Requirements

The President of CLA shall review applications for the Delegates and Alternate Delegates. The President shall consult with the CLA Chair of the Board of Representatives, CLA CEO, Chair and members of the California Delegation to the ABA House of Delegates, and as appropriate, the CLA Vice-President and/or the CLA Chair of the New Lawyers Section.

The goal of this process is to select delegation members from diverse backgrounds, firms, geographic areas, and practice areas so that the Delegates and Alternate Delegates will be reflective of the membership of CLA. Prior leadership experience in CLA and/or the American Bar Association is required. Prior experience in the American Bar Association House of Delegates is helpful, although not required. Membership in CLA and the American Bar Association is required.

The application period is announced by CLA as open on March 1st of each year and closing on March 31st of each year whenever Delegate seats and/or Alternate positions are unfilled. Delegates and Alternate Delegate applicants will be notified on May 1st of each year if they have been selected by the President of CLA, and by CLA staff if they were not selected. These dates may vary slightly each year.

The CLA President may open additional application periods throughout the year as necessary.

Once appointed, Delegates and Alternate Delegates will serve a term which will begin at the close of the next ABA Annual Meeting.

Delegates are expected to attend the ABA’s Annual Meeting and Mid-Year Meeting each year. Alternate Delegates attend only if requested in place of a CLA Delegate.

Delegation members may request reimbursement of up to $1,700 for travel and registration expenses for attending either the ABA Annual Meeting or Mid-Year Meeting each year, or up to $3,400 for attending both the ABA Annual Meeting and Mid-Year Meeting each year, according to CLA’s travel reimbursement policies. This amount may be changed from time to time by CLA.

III. Committee Officers

The Committee shall include a Chair, Vice Chair, and Secretary, each of whom serves a two-year term. No Delegate shall serve more than one term as Chair or Vice Chair; however, a Delegate may serve as Secretary for more than one two-year term so long as the two-year terms are not consecutive.

Delegates may apply for any office regardless of years served on the Committee and must follow the application process offered every other year at the time the annual application process is open for Delegates and Alternate Delegates.

The Delegates shall review the candidate applications for Chair, Vice Chair, and Secretary of the Committee and vote their preferences by April 15th of each year via a secret ballot election provided by CLA staff. The result of this election shall be the Committee’s recommendation(s) to the President of CLA for the positions of Chair, Vice Chair, and Secretary of the Committee. The President of CLA shall review the application contents and election results and consult with the CLA Chair of the Board of Representatives and CLA CEO as appropriate and may consult with the CLA Vice- President and the CLA Chair of the New Lawyers Section if necessary.

The President of CLA has the ultimate authority of who to name as Chair, Vice Chair, and Secretary of the Committee.

The President of CLA shall notify the applicants of the results of the election by May 1st of each year. The dates in this section may vary slightly each year.

In addition to the in-person meetings at the ABA’s Annual Meeting and Mid-Year Meeting, the Chair of the Committee shall schedule and conduct four Committee meetings each year with dates chosen two weeks in advance via a doodle poll or other mechanism that allows input on the date from committee members. The Chair, in conjunction with the Vice Chair, shall create an agenda and distribute such at least 24 hours prior to the meetings.

The Chair may call special meetings of the Committee on no less than 48 hours’ notice with such meetings to take place on or after 5:30 pm if feasible.

The Chair shall be the primary liaison between the Committee and the CLA Board as well as the primary contact for other ABA entities regarding ABA HOD business.

The Chair shall also be responsible for the onboarding of new CLA Delegates and Alternate Delegates who will be attending their first ABA HOD Meeting on behalf of CLA. Onboarding includes communicating with the relevant CLA staff, ABA staff and ABA HOD Committee members to ensure that all new CLA Delegates are certified by the ABA, receive ABA HOD related communications before the ABA HOD Meeting, and are included in the ABA HOD Red Signature Book.

The Vice Chair assists the Chair with the organization of Committee business and fills in for the Chair as needed. The Vice Chair acts as a secondary point of contact for the CLA Board and ABA entities seeking input from the Committee. The meetings shall include the discussion of upcoming resolutions and the drafting or review of resolutions of interest to the Committee, one or more Sections, or one or more CLA committees. The Chair and Vice Chair shall work with the Government Affairs Officer to ensure that Sections are informed of resolutions of potential interest in as timely a fashion as is feasible so as to provide notice to the Sections and solicit their input on these resolutions to the Committee, should a Section (or Sections) decide to comment or take a position on an upcoming resolution The meetings may also include a discussion of any other ABA-related issues of interest to the Committee.

The Secretary shall create accurate minutes of committee meetings and submit meeting minutes to the CLA President, Board Chair, CEO and the CLA staff member identified by the CEO within two weeks of each meeting, to be maintained according to CLA’s record retention policy.

The Officers of the CLA ABA HOD Committee shall also assist the CLA President and CLA staff in timely submitting CLA’s roster of Delegates for inclusion in the ABA annual “Red Book” Directory.

IV. CLA Chief Governmental Affairs Officer

Although not a Committee Delegate, CLA’s Chief Governmental Affairs Officer shall attend the Committee meetings and serve as a resource to the Committee, including aiding the Committee in its review of resolutions and in ensuring Sections are notified of resolutions of potential interest.

V. Terms of Service

Delegates and Alternate Delegates serve three-year terms. Delegates may serve up to three three-year consecutive or non-consecutive terms and must reapply each term. Alternate Delegates may serve up to two three-year consecutive or non-consecutive terms and must reapply for each term.

Alternate Delegate terms, whether one or two three-year terms, do not affect the ability to serve as a Delegate for a total of three three-year additional terms as a Delegate.

Staff should certify Delegates and Alternate Delegates with the ABA once affirmed by the CLA Board. Note that the ABA only recognizes two-year terms for service in the HOD beginning at the close of the ABA Annual Meeting, which is usually held in August, and ending at the close of the ABA Annual Meeting two years later. Although CLA Alternate Delegates serve two-year terms which aligns with the ABA’s format, CLA Delegates serve three-year terms. As a result, new Delegates will be certified for their first two-year term and then certified for a second two-year term in order to complete a total of three years. At the end of their third year, if the person is reappointed for another three-year term, then the person will continue to finish the second two-year term and will be certified for a third two-year term, ultimately serving six years. For example, Ann begins her three-year term in August 2025, which will end for ABA purposes in August 2027. CLA will recertify Amy for the 2027-2029 period. If Amy is not recertified, her three-year term will end in August 2028. If Amy is recertified, CLA will submit the paperwork for Amy for the 2029-2031 period, and Amy will serve six years. If Amy is not recertified, then it is possible someone will fill her vacancy. That person’s vacancy will complete Amy’s second two-year term, in this example, through August 2029. The process continues if the replacement person is recertified for another two-year term. This allows staggering to continue as intended and to align with the regular certification cycle, regardless of unplanned vacancies.

There is an exception for any Delegate beginning their final term of service following the ABA Annual Meeting in August 2025 and ending after the ABA’s Annual Meeting in the Fall of 2028. If such a Delegate applies for and is elected Chair of the Committee beginning service at the end of the ABA’s Annual Meeting in the Fall of 2027, that Delegate’s term will be extended by one year, to the end of the ABA’s Annual Meeting in the Fall of 2029, to ensure the Chair serves as Chair for two years despite their nine- year maximum term of service otherwise expiring at the end of the ABA’s Annual Meeting in the Fall of 2028. This will result in a total term of 10 years of Committee service for such a Delegate.

VI. Committee Meetings

The Chair of the Committee, with the assistance of CLA support staff, shall schedule and conduct at least # meetings each year, presently occurring via Zoom. The Chair/Vice Chair, with the assistance of CLA support staff, shall create an agenda and distribute such agenda at least 24 hours prior to the meeting. The Chair/Vice Chair shall be the primary liaison(s) between the Committee and the CLA Board of Representatives.

The Secretary will take and maintain accurate minutes of all Committee meetings, including attendance. Within two (2) weeks of a Committee meeting, the Committee Secretary shall provide the CLA President, Board Chair, and

Committee with a summary report of activity. The Secretary will also provide a copy to the CLA staff member identified by CLA, to be maintained according to CLA’s record retention policy, and to be shared with the CLA Board of Representatives as part of the meeting packet at the next regularly scheduled Board meeting.

VII. Voting

The Committee may proceed in its business without the need for a quorum or taking a vote on any item of business. In the exceptional event that a vote is called for on an item of business by a member of the Committee, and seconded by another member of the Committee, a quorum of the Committee is required, consisting of a majority of the Delegates of the Committee, excluding any Alternate Delegates who may be present (e.g., six out of 11 full Delegates) to vote. Discussion concerning the issue shall proceed by Robert’s Rules of Order. The vote shall require a majority of full Delegate Committee members present to pass. The Chair’s vote shall be counted only in the event of the tie for the purpose of breaking the tie.

The Committee cannot vote on, or bind its members, on resolutions before the House; it is either bound to vote on a resolution before the House in accordance with resolution from the CLA Board of Representatives or each member may vote as their conscience dictates on all other resolutions although “great weight” can be placed on the views of CLA Sections and Committees on those other resolutions by members of the Committee.

VIII. Conflicts

Any conflicts of interest that members may have involving a resolution or other item of business, e.g., a member has a monetary or non-monetary stake in the outcome of a resolution or an issue by virtue of a job or an affiliation, must be disclosed by that member to the Committee prior to, or at the onset of, any discussion of that resolution or issue.

ⁱ https://www.americanbar.org/groups/leadership/house_of_delegates