Section 1 This Association shall be known as the Chinese Legal Studies Association of North America (hereinafter CLSANA or the Association).

Section 2 The purpose of this Association shall be to promote and encourage scholarship of Chinese law in colleges and universities and other institutions or organizations, to develop and maintain a friendly and cooperative relationship among scholars in the field of law and comparative law, and to help promote law reform process. For these purposes, The CLSANA sponsors annual meetings, conferences and publications.

Section 3 All Legal scholars interested in Chinese law and its interaction with Anglo-America law, and students and scholars of Chinese law or law related disciplines in North America, are eligible for CLSANA Membership by an application. All students and scholars who are interested in Chinese legal studies are also eligible for Membership through an application. Others may become Members by special permission of the President of the CLSANA. The following Categories of Membership in the Association are hereby established:

Section 4 Members of the CLSANA shall elect its President. The President is responsible for the overall management of the CLSANA and serves a one-year term. The President may be re-elected for another one-year term, either consecutively or non-consecutively. However, no member may serve as President for more than two terms. To be eligible for President, a candidate must have been a Member of CLSANA for more than two years and must have served as a Director of the Board for at least one term.

Section 5 Members of the CLSANA shall elect its Board of Directors, of which the President is the Chairman. Directors serve for a one-year and may be re-elected but may not serve for more than two consecutive terms. The Board supervises the activities of the CLSANA. The Board of Directors should make a decision or call a vote within two weeks upon receipt of a bill proposed by ten or more Members in regard to an important issue of the Association or a request of a dismissal of a Director.

Section 6 The CLSANA has Vice-Presidents who are Directors of the Board and are appointed by the President. The functions of the Vice Presidents are the same as those of the other Directors under normal conditions. One of the Vice Presidents, however, exercises the functions of the President when the President cannot execute his/her duties for various reasons.

Section 7 The CLSANA allows senior membership. A senior member can automatically keep the membership for a number of years if a certain membership fee is paid at one time at a discounted rate. The detailed rules for the number of senior membership years and the senior membership fee appear on the Application and Renewal Form of the CLSANA.

Section 8 The CLSANA may designate its Members with significant professional contributions as Fellows of the Association. Fellows constitute a Fellows Committee.

Section 9 The income of the CLSANA comes from membership dues and contributions. Those who render service to the CLSANA may receive compensations for their work and reimbursements for the expenses, as may be determined by resolutions of the Board.

Section 10 The CLSANA functions as a professional association. Its Members are not allowed to express opinions on its behalf without the authorisation of the Board of Directors or a plenary meeting of the CLSANA. The President and Directors should inform Members when any individuals or organizations attempt to interfere with the normal operation of the Association.

Section 11 The CLSANA is registered in Canada and subject to the relevant Canadian laws and regulations. With the consent of two-thirds of the Members, the Association may dissolve in accordance with procedures prescribed by relevant laws and regulations.

Section 12 When a majority of Directors approves a proposal, brought forth by at least five Members, to impeach the President, the Fellows Committee shall hold a voting among Members on the proposal. The President will be dismissed if there are more than 50 valid votes submitted and at least two-thirds of which are for the proposal. If the President is dismissed, the Board of Directors shall function as acting President until such time when a new President is elected.

Section 13 The Finance Committee of the CLSANA manages its financial matters. A separate document details the function of the Finance Committee.

Section 14 These Bylaws are to be interpreted by the Board of Directors. They may be revised with the consent of two-thirds of votes submitted for that purpose.

Section 15 This Constitution shall become effective upon its adoption by a two-thirds vote of the members present at a regular session of an annual meeting.

The CLSANA Bylaw is its charter, which sets out the rights and obligations of CLSANA members. It was adopted by the general membership meeting. The Bylaw is regularly updated and amended. Amendments will be posted online.

This version was adopted in 2004.