August 30, 2019
RE: Vote on Constitution: November – December 2019
Dear Members of the Arkansas Bar Association:
This fall presents a historic opportunity for the members of the Arkansas Bar Association to make a decision about the future governance of the Bar Association. After a year-long task force study led by chair Eddie Walker of Fort Smith and vice-chair Aaron Squyres of Little Rock, along with task force members made up of state-wide diverse bar members in multiple practice areas, of multiple ages, and geographically diverse, the task force recommended governance restructure. The governance restructure was presented to the House of Delegates where it was modified and passed in June 2019.
The restructure must be presented to the entire membership for approval and voting will take place this fall in November-December 2019. You may request a paper ballot by contacting our Michele Glasgow at: mglasgow@arkbar.com or otherwise, the voting will be electronic. We ask that you please acquaint yourself with the issues, which are posted below.
You will see bullet points and a comparison of the proposed Constitution to our current Constitution. The proposal will form a new governing body called a Board of Trustees, which will meet quarterly with one meeting at the annual meeting. Currently, our Board of Governors meets three (3) times a year and our House of Delegates meets two (2) times a year. The Board of Trustees will have defined duties, such as policy making, budget and oversight of our executive director.
Please let us know if you desire additional information or have any questions. A staff member or task force member will be in touch with you promptly to make sure your questions are answered. We look forward to your questions, and please remember to vote in November-December 2019.
Sincerely yours,
Brian Rosenthal