Nominations Open for LSD Vice-Chair/SBA

Nominations are open for the national office of The American Bar Association's Law Student Division vice-chair for student bar associations. Elections will take place at the division's Annual Meeting in Atlanta, August 5-8, 1999.

After one round of speeches and questioning, the conference of the nation's student bar association (SBA) presidents will select three candidates as vice-chair-elect nominees. The nominees will then appear before and address the division's Board of Governors, who will then elect the vice-chair-elect for student bar associations.

The division's bylaws and election code govern the electoral process and strictly limit campaign activities. The Law Student Division does not reimburse candidates for travel expenses. The duties of the vice-chair/ SBA are:

• To represent the interests of and develop programs for student bar associations and SBA presidents;

• To produce a quarterly newsletter for SBA presidents;

• To represent circuit governors and circuit governors-elect on matters pertaining to student bar associations;

• To represent any SBA Law Student Division program under guidelines adopted by the division's Board of Governors;

• To communicate with and be accountable to the leadership of any national organization committed to representing the interests of student bar associations;

• To communicate with circuit governors, lieutenant governors for SBAs and SBA presidents;

• To promote student bar association participation within the Law Student Division;

• To promote membership in the division and all division programs, including the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program, competitions, contests and public interest projects; and

• To assist the division's chair in any other executive functions essential to the division's operations.

Eligibility: Any law student attending an ABA-approved law school is eligible to seek this office. A candidate should have at least one academic year of law school to complete after June 2000, should be a student in good standing in law school (not on academic suspension or probation) and must be a division member in good standing.

Nomination procedure: Potential candidates must file nomination forms, which can be obtained from the Law Student Division's office at 750 N. Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, IL 60611, 312/988-5624. The forms include:

• Notice of intention: Declares student's candidacy for the office and states that the candidate has read and will observe campaign restrictions.

• Dean's certification: States that the dean of a candidate's law school has approved the candidacy and pledges support of the dean or law school upon election.

• Division certification: Proof of division membership; photocopy of current membership card or a dues receipt will suffice.

• Statement of candidacy: Candidates should enclose with nomination forms a resume and camera-ready, typewritten statement of candidacy. The resume and statement together must not exceed three one-sided, single-spaced, standard (81/2x11) pages; print must be in a 12-point font. Candidate statements should include qualifications and platform. The statement and resume will be circulated to voting officers, delegates and governors.

Filing deadline: Materials must be sent by certified mail, return receipt requested, or via a package delivery service, to the division's Chicago office no later than June 1, 1999. It is the student's responsibility to meet this deadline.

Any interested law student who has additional questions concerning the position can contact Jose Contreras, Law Student Division Vice-Chair/SBAs, (jcontrer@law.vill.edu) or 610/964-1667.