LAWS OF NEW YORK-1877.

CHAPTER 210.

"AN ACT to incorporate the New York State Bar Association." PASSED May 2, 1877.

The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:

SECTION I. The members of the voluntary association, which was formed in the city of Albany, November twenty-first, eighteen hundred and seventy-six, under the name of the New York State Bar Association, of which association John K. Porter, of the first judicial district, is president, and Charles W. Sanford, of the first judicial district; John J. Armstrong, of the second judicial district; Samuel Hand, of the third judicial district; Platt Potter, of the fourth judicial district; William C. Ruger, of the fifth judicial district; Horatio Ballard, of the sixth judicial district; James L. Angle, of the seventh judicial district, and Myron H. Peck, of the eighth judicial district, are vice-presidents, and of which the judges of the United States Courts, residing in this State, the judges of the Court of Appeals, and justices of the Supreme Court of this State are honorary members, and all persons who shall hereafter be associated with them are hereby created a body corporate, under the name of the "New York State Bar Association." And the said association is formed to cultivate the science of jurisprudence, to promote reform in the law, to facilitate the administration of justice, to elevate the standard of integrity, honor and courtesy in the legal profession, and to cherish the spirit of brotherhood among the members thereof.

SEC. 2. Said corporation shall have power to acquire by lease or purchase, suitable buildings, library and furniture for the use of the corporation; to borrow money for such purposes and issue bonds therefor, and to secure the same by mortgage, and generally to acquire and take by purchase, gift, devise, bequest, subject to the provisions of law relating to devises and bequests by last will and testament or otherwise, and to hold, transfer and convey all or any such real and personal property as may be necessary for attaining the objects, and carrying into effect the purposes of such corporation.

SEC. 3. The constitution, by-laws, rules and regulations originally adopted by said voluntary association shall be the constitution, by

laws, rules and regulations of the corporation hereby created, which shall have power from time to time to alter, modify and change the same; and the members of the executive committee of said association shall be the first trustees of the corporation hereby created, and continue to be such trustees until others are elected in their places as prescribed by 'said constitution and by-laws, and the several officers and committees of said association shall be the officers and committees of the corporation hereby created with the powers and duties prescribed by said constitution and by-laws, rules and regulations, until their successors shall be similarly duly elected and installed.

SEC. 4. All property, rights and interests of the said association now held by any or either of the officers thereof, or by any person or persons for its use and benefit shall, by virtue of this act, vest in and become the property of the corporation hereby created, subject to the payment of the debts of said association, if any; all interest of any member of said association, and of the corporation hereby created, in such property, shall terminate and vest in the corporation upon his ceasing to be a member thereof.

SEC. 5. This corporation shall possess the powers and be subject to the liabilities prescribed by the third title of the eighteenth chapter of the first part of the Revised Statutes. This corporation shall deposit a copy of its charter, constitution and by-laws, and of each of its annual reports, in the State Library at Albany, and each of the libraries provided for the use of the justices of the Supreme Court in the several counties of the State. It shall be the duty of every local bar association to deposit with the New York State Bar Association, a copy of its act or certificate of incorporation, or its articles of association, and its constitution and by-laws and its annual report.

SEC. 6. This act shall take effect immediately.

CONSTITUTION.

I. NAME.

This Association shall be called "The New York State Bar Association."

II. OBJECT.

The Association is formed to cultivate the science of jurisprudence, to promote reform in the law, to facilitate the administration of justice, to elevate the standard of integrity, honor and courtesy in the legal profession, and to cherish a spirit of brotherhood among the members thereof.

III. MEMBERS.

The Delegates and Alternates selected to attend the first meeting for the organization of the Association (November 21, 1876) are hereby declared to be members thereof, provided they shall (on or before the 1st day of May, 1877) pay the admission fee and subscribe to this Constitution, or otherwise in writing notify the Secretary of their acceptance of membership.

Any member of the legal profession in good standing, residing or practicing in the State of New York, who shall have been at the Bar of this State at least three years, may become a member by vote of the Association, on open nomination after a report of the Committee on Admissions, or of the Executive Committee upon recommendation of the Committee on Admissions; and on subscribing to this Constitution (or otherwise in writing notify the Secretary of his acceptance of membership), and, within the period limited by the By-laws, paying the admission fee and annual dues of the current year. The Judges of the United States Courts residing in this State, the Judges of the Court of Appeals, and the several Justices of the Supreme Court of this State shall, during their respective terms of office, be honorary members of this Association. Other honorary members may be elected by the Association.

Pursuant to Art. III, the Association, at the Annual Meeting, September, 1882 (Reports, vol. VI, p. 130), it was unanimously

Resolved, That this Association admits among the honorary members such resident members of the Bar of the State of New York as may at any time hold any of the following-named offices, to wit: President of the United States, Vice-President of the United States,

members of the President's Cabinet, United States Senators from this State, Governor of this State, Attorney-General of this State, Envoy or Minister of the United States to any foreign country; Member appointed on the part of the United States, of any international tribunal; and that the Secretary is directed to enroll them accordingly.

IV. OFFICERS.

The officers of the Association shall be a President, eight VicePresidents, one to be chosen from each judicial district, an Executive Committee, a Committee on Admissions, a Committee on Grievances, a Committee on Law Reform, a Committee on Prizes, a Committee on Legal Biography, a Recording Secretary, a Corresponding Secretary and a Treasurer, all of whom shall (for the period until the 1st day of January, 1878) be elected at the meeting at which this Constitution is adopted. And thereafter they shall be elected in the manner hereinafter prescribed.

The President, or (in his absence) one of the Vice-Presidents, or (in the absence of all of them) one of the members shall preside at all meetings of the Association.

The President shall be ex officio a member of the Executive Committee.

VI. EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE.

The Executive Committee shall consist of twenty-four members, of whom three shall reside in, and be selected from each judicial district, and shall compose a District Executive Committee thereof. This Committee shall manage the affairs of the Association, subject to the provisions of the Constitution and By-laws, and shall be vested with the title to all its property, as Trustees thereof, until the Association shall be incorporated, and when incorporated shall have power to accept the act of incorporation for and on behalf of the Association and all its members; and the Executive Committee shall make By-laws for the Association, subject to amendment by the Association.

At meetings of this Committce, the member or members in attendance from each judicial district shall be entitled to three votes to be cast by him or them, separately or together, as he or they may determine. Each District Committee, under direction of the General Committee, may exercise such of its powers, in or for the district, as from time to time shall be authorized by this General Committee, and such other powers as the Constitution and Bylaws shall vest in them.

VII. COMMITTEE ON ADMISSIONS.

The Committee on Admissions shall consist of thirty-two members, of whom four shall reside in and be selected from each

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judicial district, and compose a District Committee on Admissions thereof, and each of whom shall have practiced law in this State at least ten years.

The proceedings of this committee shall be deemed confidential and shall be kept secret, except so far as written or printed reports of the same shall be necessarily and officially made to the Association.

VIII. — COMMITTEE ON GRIEVANCES.

The Committee on Grievances shall consist of twenty-four members, not more than three of whom shall reside in the same judicial district.

This committee may receive and hear all complaints preferred by any member against any other member for misconduct in his relations to the Association, or in his profession, provided the same be in writing, plainly and specifically stating the matter complained of, and subscribed by the complainant.

This Committee may also, at its discretion, hear any specific complaint which may be made to it by any member in writing, affecting the interests of the legal profession, the practice of law, or the administration of justice, and may report thereon to the Association, with such recommendations as it may deem advisable.

All complaints so made shall be considered and disposed of by this committee in the manner provided in the By-laws.

The proceedings of this Committee shall be deemed confidential and kept secret, except so far as written or printed reports of the same shall be necessarily and officially made to the Association.

IX. COMMITTEE ON LAW REFORM.

The Committee on Law Reform shall consist of twenty-four members, no four of whom shall reside in the same judicial district. It shall be the duty of this Committee to consider and report to the Association such amendments of the law as in its opinion should be adopted, also to scrutinize proposed changes of the law, and when necessary report upon the same, also to observe the practical working of the judicial system of the State, and recommend by written or printed report, from time to time, any changes therein which observation or experience may suggest.

The Committee on Prizes shall consist of so many members as the Association shall appoint from year to year.

It shall be its duty to make rules for contests for such prizes as may be instituted by, or under the sanction of the Association, and to examine and pass upon the merits of every original production offered in accordance therewith.