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Old Book

CONSTITUTION

Article I. NAME

The name of this club shall be “Osgoode Women’s Network” (OWN).

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Article II. DEFINITIONS

“Student” means all students enrolled in the undergraduate program at Osgoode Hall Law School, whether as full time, extended time, exchange students or members of a joint program with another faculty;

“Meeting” means a special or regular meeting conducted pursuant to the procedures in Article VII, “Meeting” does not encompass a meeting called by a Committee;
“General Member” means a current student signed-up to OWN’s mailing list;
“Quorum” means 10% of the General Membership;

“Executive” means any General Member who holds a position listed in Article V, Section 1;

“Junior Executive” means any General Member appointed to a supporting position which reports to an existing Executive.

 

Article III. PURPOSE

OWN seeks to advance women in the law through community engagement and outreach, supporting the professional development of general members and by providing mentorship and networking opportunities tailored to women-identifying students. OWN adopts an intersectional approach in recognition that an individual’s experiences may be shaped by their membership in other equity-seeking groups. OWN is committed to centralizing and amplifying the voices of historically marginalized experiences of womanhood and is dedicated to creating a safe space for our vibrant membership.

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OWN’s purpose is grouped into five core areas:

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Mentorship

OWN will offer students an opportunity to engage with and access the advice of peers and alumnae in the legal profession.

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Networking

OWN shall facilitate relationship building between general members, members of the Osgoode community, alumnae and industry professionals.

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Skills Development

OWN shall organize skills development resources that offer both a practical benefit and increased marketability to potential employers.

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Community Engagement

OWN shall bridge connections between OWN members and the community at large through various volunteer and fundraising initiatives.

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Inclusion

OWN shall take care to ensure that all club activities are inclusive and will uphold the standards set out in the Statement of Principles.

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Article IV. MEMBERSHIP

Section 1. Membership in OWN shall be open to any interested women-identifying students at Osgoode Hall Law School.

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General Members shall be entitled to:

  • Vote at Annual General Meetings and Elections;

  • Propose amendments to the constitution, in accordance with Article VIII, section 2;

  • Participate in any events or activities sponsored by OWN.

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Section 2. Osgoode Hall faculty, administrators and non-JD Osgoode students may participate in OWN programming at the discretion of the President. These groups may not hold executive positions nor vote at General Meetings and Elections, but may serve in an advisory capacity, where appropriate.

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Article V. EXECUTIVE

Section 1. The Executive of OWN will generally be comprised of a President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Diversity & Inclusion Officer(s), Director(s) of Fundraising & Community Outreach, Director(s) of Special Events, Director(s) of Skills Development, Director(s) of Professional Development, Director(s) of Skills Development and Director(s) of Mentorship & Networking.

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Section 2. Changes to Executive Roles

The creation of additional or modification of existing executive positions is at the discretion of the President and must be updated in the Constitution in advance of the Annual General Meeting. Changes to Article V of this Constitution are exempt from the vote procedure outlined in Article VIII.

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Section 3. The duties of the President shall include:

A. Coordinating and chairing club meetings;

B. Providing leadership to the club, including selecting programming, events, and club activities;

C. Communicating with the Legal & Literary Society of Osgoode Hall to ensure the club is operating in accordance with the rules as set by the law school; D. Acting as the chief spokesperson of the club;.

D. Acting as a signing officer for the club.
 

Section 4. The duties of the Vice President shall include:

A. Assisting the President with the fulfillment of all of their duties, including providing support for the development of club activities;

B. Maintaining an effective relationship with other Osgoode clubs and associations;

C. Acting as a signing officer for the club;

D. Assuming the duties of the President, as needed.

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Section 5. The duties of the Secretary shall include:

A. Sending out official club communications;
B. Keeping a record of minutes during official club meetings, both internal and external;

C. Maintaining the club’s internal communication channels;

D. Meeting with the President on a regular basis to ensure club communications and records are up-to-date.

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Section 6. The duties of the Treasurer shall include:

A. Submitting all budgets to the Legal and Literary Society;

B. Filing spending records and all relevant documentation with the Legal and Literary Society to facilitate reimbursements;

C. Working in conjunction with the Fundraising & Community Outreach Director(s) to assist with the financial planning of major club events; D. Acting as a signing officer for the club.

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Section 7. The duties of the Director(s) of Fundraising & Community Outreach shall include:

A. Working in conjunction with the Treasurer to assist with the financial planning of major

club events;

B. Providing direction to the President regarding OWN’s charitable partnerships and community-level funding initiatives;

C. Soliciting potential sponsors regarding fundraising and donations;

D. Seeking out and communicating with charitable partners.

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Section 8. The duties of the Director(s) of Communications shall include:

A. Working with the Executive to promote OWN events and external communications to the membership and partners in the Osgoode community, including developing and maintaining OWN’s Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter accounts;

B. Maintaining the club website and associated accounts.


Section 9. The duties of the Director(s) of Mentorship & Networking shall include:

A. Coordinating the internal and external mentorship programs, including the organization of events for mentors and mentees;

B. Establishing and maintaining a database of OWN alumnae, including attracting more alumnae participants;

C. Managing the alumnae and mentorship email account.


Section 10. The duties of the Director(s) of Special Events shall include:

A. Organizing OWN Your Career and other events for the OWN membership;

B. Providing support to other Executive teams in the planning and execution of club events, as needed;

C. Planning and executing events internal to the Executive, including socials and team building events.

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Section 11. The duties of the Director(s) of Professional Development shall include:

A. Organizing professional development events and activities, including career-oriented

programming in the form of panels, industry spotlights and guest speakers;

B. Promoting programming that represents a variety of professional goals and interests;

C. Coordinating with Director(s) of Skills Development to implement OWN’s recruitment programming.

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Section 12. The duties of the Director(s) of Skills Development shall include:

A. Organizing skills development events and activities, including skills-building workshops,

mock interviews, application material review;

B. Providing programming that represents a variety of academic and professional goals and interests;

C. Coordinating with Director(s) of Professional Development to implement OWN’s recruitment programming.

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Section 13. The duties of the Diversity & Inclusion Officer(s) shall include:

A. Liaising with other equity-seeking groups at Osgoode to encourage collaboration and

promote OWN’s intersectional approach;

B. Collaborating with the Executive to promote equity and inclusion across all OWN activities;

C. Implementing OWN’s bursaries, including facilitating the application and selection processes alongside the President and Vice President.

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Article VI. FUNDING SOURCES/FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY

Section 1. The primary funding sources for OWN shall be:

A. Provided by The Legal & Literary Society of Osgoode Hall for speaker events, social

events, conferences, fundraising, and other discretionary purposes;

B. Additional funding may be provided by any interested party and by way of member fundraising;

C. Existing funds in the OWN bank account.

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Section 2. Reimbursement for expenditures will only be accepted for members who have received prior approval from the President and who have retained an original, itemized receipt and a description of the expense incurred.

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Section 3. Where possible, funds should be used for the purpose for which they are given. Should OWN have significant surplus funds in any given year, this surplus should be disclosed to the Executive and efforts should be made to use these funds for the maximal benefit of the OWN community.

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Article VII. MEETINGS

Section 1. The Executive shall meet at least twice per semester.

 

Section 2. The President shall be responsible for calling all meetings.

 

Section 3. The President or the Secretary shall be responsible for communicating with members to inform them of meeting dates and locations, as per Article V, Sections 3(A) & 5(A).

 

Section 4. The President shall call a general meeting annually for the club membership to attend.

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Article VIII. AMENDMENTS TO CONSTITUTION

Section 1. Amendments may be made to this constitution by a two-thirds vote of the club’s General Membership present at a meeting called by the President. This meeting needs to meet quorum, as defined in Article II.

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Section 2. A General Member proposing an amendment to this Constitution must:

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A. Submit the proposed amendment with 10 accompanying signatures of OWN General Members to the President no later than 5 days before the club’s next meeting;

B. Should no meeting be scheduled within the proceeding 60 days, a meeting must be called by the President no later than 60 days after the amendment proposal has been received;

C. The proposed amendment shall be presented via email to the club General Membership by the President before the meeting where the amendment will be debated.

 

Section 3. Upon receiving two-thirds of the affirmative vote in favour of a constitutional amendment/revision, the President shall submit the amendment/revision in writing to the Legal & Literary Society for review and approval.

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Article IX. COMMITTEE PROCESSES

Section 1. The formation of a committee is at the sole discretion of the President.

A. The duration of a committee’s activity and the purpose of the committee will be determined by the President, Committee Chair and/or committee members, as appropriate.

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Section 2. Who can be on a committee?

A. Each committee must have a minimum of one Executive member.

B. Each committee may include individuals registered under the OWN General Membership.

C. Each committee must consult with one of OWN’s Diversity & Inclusion Officers upon formation to ensure the committee’s purpose aligns with OWN’s principles.

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Section 3. A committee will report to the President and/or Committee Chair, as appropriate.

 

Article X. ELECTIONS/APPOINTMENTS

Section 1. Presidential elections will consist of the following two-step process: nominations and elections, if needed.

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A. Nominations

i. The outgoing President will set the nomination deadline before the end of the

Winter term and communicate this date to the General Membership via official club email. Any interested parties must submit their candidate platform by the deadline to be considered.

ii. In the event of an unopposed candidate, the result of the election and the incoming President’s platform shall be shared with the General Membership within 2 business days.

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B. Elections

i. In the event of more than one presidential candidate, the outgoing President shall

call an election within two business days of the nomination deadline.

ii. Polls must be open for a minimum of 2 business days.

iii. The nominee with the majority of votes at the close of the election period will be

declared the winner and the results shall be communicated with the General Membership within 2 business days.

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Section 2.

A. The incoming President will make executive appointments by March 31st. Each Executive will serve a term of May 1st of that year until May 30th of the next year. The time between March 31st and May 1st shall serve as a transition and training period for new executives.

B. All outgoing executives must meet with incoming executives at least once to discuss transitioning and role expectations prior to the start of the next school year.

 

Section 3. Any Executive position that is not filled during the appointment process must be filled no later than September 30th.

 

Section 4. Junior Executive applications will open in the Fall term. Appointments are at the discretion of the President and Vice President, with the inputs from the relevant Senior Executives in those roles.

©2024 by Osgoode Women's Network

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