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DADE COUNTY BAR ASSOCIATION – CITIZENS ADVISORY COUNCIL
The Dade County Bar Association (“DCBA”) Board of Directors approved the implementation of a Citizens Advisory Council.
The Citizens Advisory Council is created to provide a vehicle for two-way communication between Miami-Dade County’s major citizen constituencies and the DCBA, to inform and educate the public about significant legal-justice issues and to gain public understanding and support.
Objectives:
• Identify and monitor the interests and concerns of Miami-Dade County residents relating to the local legal-justice system and associated issues.
• Identify opportunities for educating the public about the role and contributions of lawyers in our communities, in our American system of government, and in assuring our rights, protections and quality of life.
• Serve as a “feedback mechanism” and a “sounding board” on DCBA plans and programs addressing key issues.
• Establish rapport with key citizen constituencies to provide a communications conduit that can be utilized in gaining public understanding and support on issues of significance to the DCBA.
Scope of Responsibility:
The Citizens Advisory Council will function in an advisory capacity to the DCBA – its Board of Directors, divisions, sections, committees and staff – offering recommendations, suggestions and opinions relating to existing or prospective DCBA programs and activities.
Membership:
Citizens Advisory Council membership shall consist of 15 representatives of citizen constituencies. One lawyer member, to be appointed by the DCBA President, shall be a member of Citizens Advisory Council but only for the purpose of serving as a liaison between the DCBA and the Citizens Advisory Council. The citizen members of the Citizens Advisory Council will be chosen from constituencies deemed appropriate by the Board of Directors. There is no limit on the number of years a specific citizen organization can be represented on the forum.
In the inaugural year of the Citizens Advisory Council, the Chair and Vice Chair will be appointed by the DCBA President to one-year terms and may be reappointed for no more than three terms. Citizen members also will be appointed by the DCBA President for staggered three-year terms and are not eligible for consecutive reappointment. Interim vacancies that occur are appointed by the President for the remainder of the existing term. Appointees to interim vacancies may be appointed to a full consecutive term. In the Citizens Advisory Council’s second year of existence forward, it shall be the President-Elect’s privilege to make the appointments of this paragraph, after following the nomination process set forth in this Charter.
By no later than March 1 of each year, Board members, DCBA Board of Directors and current and former Citizens Advisory Council members will nominate representatives of citizen constituencies for open seats. The Executive Committee will screen nominees and make recommendations to the President-elect.
Meetings:
The Citizens Advisory Council will meet at least two times each year with the DCBA Board of Directors or at a major Bar meeting or function. Additional forum meetings may be called by the President, Executive Committee or Board of Directors.
Expenses:
The DCBA will reimburse public members for their out-of-pocket travel expenses associated with attending forum meetings consistent with policies governing travel for DCBA staff employees.
Additional Benefits:
Along with the benefits noted under “objectives” above, the Citizens Advisory Council can serve as a “focus group” to help the DCBA plan and fine-tune planned public education/communications initiatives, such as public awareness campaigns and public communication supporting the DCBA’s legislative objectives (in coordination with “grassroots” key contact efforts). In general, the Citizens Advisory Council would significantly benefit the DCBA simply through the direct contact established with a number of major citizens constituencies around Miami-Dade County and the State of Florida.
DCBA Citizens Advisory Council Charter and Nomination Form