RUNNING YOUR CHAPTER-CHAPTER ORGANIZATION & STRUCTURE
A local chapter, like the global organization, is developed by members for members. The goal of the chapter is to serve the professional needs of attorneys who practice in the legal departments of corporations and other private sector organizations in their geographic region by contributing to their continuing education, seeking to improve understanding of the role of in-house attorneys, and encouraging advancements in standards of corporate legal practice.
The chapter board represents the members in the local region, and as such, all newly elected members of the board should be actively employed by corporations in the region. As a chapter president, your job is to oversee the chapter's efforts in meeting this goal. You also have the task of ensuring the future growth and development of the chapter. This requires commitment, time, vision, and teamwork.
The structure of the chapter will depend on the number of projects, activities, committees, and volunteers involved in successfully completing the chapter's agenda. Although every chapter must have a Board of Directors, the size of the board can vary among the chapters.
It is also important to remember that as a volunteer organization, the Board of Directors and staff should work in partnership with its members to provide high quality services and educations.
Chapter structure is an essential element in successfully seeking volunteers to fulfill the board and committee positions. Each chapter should have position descriptions outlining responsibilities and goals for both board members and committees. In addition, a succession plan should be in writing and on file at ACC for each chapter. Sample job descriptions can be found in the Board of Directors section of this chapter.
