University of Santo Tomas ║ Faculty of Arts and Letters

LEGAL MANAGEMENT SOCIETY

St. Raymund De Peñafort Building, UST Campus, España, Manila ║ ustlms@ymail.com

CONSTITUTION OF THE LEGAL MANAGEMENT SOCIETY

PREAMBLE

We, the Legal Management Students of the Faculty of Arts and Letters, imploring
the aid of almighty God through the intercession of our patron saint, Saint Thomas Moore,
cognizant of the statutes of the University of Santo Tomas, in order to establish a society
that shall embody our ideals and aspirations, promote our welfare, protect our rights and
interests, do ordain and promulgate this Constitution.

ARTICLE I
NAME AND SEAL

Section 1 This organization shall be known as the Legal Management Society of

the Faculty of Arts and Letters.

Section 2 This society shall have its official seal subject to the approval of the
Legal Management Society

ARTICLE II
DECLARATION OF PRINCIPLES

Section 1 The society shall work for the responsible representation of the Legal
Management Society in its relationship with various offices and
organizations that exist within and outside the university, particularly
with the Administration, the Office of the Dean, and the Student
Council of the Faculty of Arts and Letters.

Section 2 The society shall recognize and uphold the rights of every member to
participate in its activities wherein the decision of the majority will
always prevail.

Section 3 The society shall have the right to present its official position on
matters directly concerning the welfare of its members.

ARTICLE III
DECLARATION OF OBJECTIVES

Section 1 The society shall work for the responsible representation of the Legal
Management Society in its relationship with the Administration, the
Student Council and other organizations of the faculty.

Section 2 The society shall organize the Legal Management students in

activities which would lead to the promotion of academic excellence,

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 University of Santo Tomas ║ Faculty of Arts and Letters

LEGAL MANAGEMENT SOCIETY

St. Raymund De Peñafort Building, UST Campus, España, Manila ║ ustlms@ymail.com

academic freedom, and intellectual formation, civic and moral

awareness and active participation in issues relevant to the Society.

ARTICLE IV
MEMBERSHIP

Section 1 Except for the Coordinator and members of the faculty who teach in
the Legal Management, no person shall be a member in the Legal
Management Society unless:

a. The person is a bona fide member of the Faculty of Arts and

Letters.
b. That the student had qualified and is accepted in the Legal
Management course and has his slot confirmed by the Department
Coordinator.

ARTICLE V
RIGHTS AND OBLIGATIONS

Section 1 The Legal Management Society shall have the following rights and
obligation:

1.1 Discuss any question or matter regarding the present Constitution.

1.2 Participate and support the activities of the Society.
1.3 Question any of the rules, policies and regulations formulated by
the Society through the Executive Board
1.4 Abide by the rules, policies and regulations formulated by the
Society through the Executive Board.
1.5 Attend all meetings called by the Society.

Section 2 The Legal Management Society may delegate its functions and
responsibilities to the Executive Board as the need arises for speedy
and immediate implementation of basic services to the members.

Section 3 Membership to the Committees of the Society is hereby encouraged.

Section 4 The Legal Management Society shall meet as the need arises taking
into consideration time, date and venue.

Section 5 Each member of the Legal Management Society shall be entitled to

one (1) vote.

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 University of Santo Tomas ║ Faculty of Arts and Letters

LEGAL MANAGEMENT SOCIETY

St. Raymund De Peñafort Building, UST Campus, España, Manila ║ ustlms@ymail.com

Section 6 Decisions of the Legal Management Society entailing issues not

particularized in this Constitution shall be made by a majority vote of
the members present on the meeting called for the purpose.

ARTICLE VI
THE EXECUTIVE BOARD

Section 1 There shall be a Legal Management Society Executive Board, which

shall be composed of the members coming from the representatives
of each Legal Management section.

Section 2 The Executive Power shall be vested on the Executive Board which
shall be the administrative, implementing, and coordinating body of
the Society.

Section 3 Representatives shall be elected by a simple majority vote (50% + 1)

of the class from which they came from. Elected representative shall
automatically resign from the position they are currently holding.

Section 4 Should all junior and senior Legal Management classes total four (4)
sections or less, there shall be three (3) representatives elected per
section. If there are five (5) sections or more, there shall be two (2)
representatives elected per section.

Section 5 The Executive Board shall convene and hold the elections for the
Executive Committee and the appointment of the Executive Chairs.

Section 6 The Executive Committee shall be composed of the following:

a. President
b. Vice President, External
c. Vice President, Internal
d. Secretary
e. Treasurer
f. Public Relations Officer

The positions of the President and the Treasurer shall come from the
senior class.

Section 7 The Committee Chairs shall hold the following committees:

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 University of Santo Tomas ║ Faculty of Arts and Letters

LEGAL MANAGEMENT SOCIETY

St. Raymund De Peñafort Building, UST Campus, España, Manila ║ ustlms@ymail.com

a. Education
b. Grievance
c. Social
d. Community Service
e. Ways and Means

Section 8 An Auditor shall be appointed by the Society Adviser and shall come
from the Executive Board who are not holding Executive Committee
positions.

Section 9 The President shall:

a. Come from the senior year.

b. Be the executive head of the Society.
c. Call and preside meetings of the Executive Board.
d. Coordinate all the activities of the Society.
e. Have the power to create and dissolve ad hoc committees.
f. Have the power to appoint committee heads subject to the
confirmation and approval of the Executive Board.
g. Authorize expenditures of the appropriate budget and prescribe
duties to other officers and members which may not be specifically
prescribed in the Constitution.

Section 10 The Vice President External shall:

a. Assist the President in his work, specifically in matters concerning

his particular branch.
b. Be responsible for the projects and activities designated to pursue
the Society’s external plans and goals.
c. Assume the power, duties and responsibilities of the President, in
case of absence, resignation, disability, or no confidence.
d. Perform such other function as may be necessary and delegated
by the President.

Section 11 The Vice President Internal shall:

a. Be responsible for projects and activities for the internal well-being

and development of the Society.
b. Perform such other functions as may be necessary and delegated
by the President.

Section 12 The Secretary shall:

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 University of Santo Tomas ║ Faculty of Arts and Letters

LEGAL MANAGEMENT SOCIETY

St. Raymund De Peñafort Building, UST Campus, España, Manila ║ ustlms@ymail.com

a. Record all the meetings of the Executive Board.

b. Have all complete and pertinent information about the Society
members.
c. Call the roll in every meeting of the Executive Board.
d. Prepare all the correspondence needed by the Board.
e. Perform such other function as may be necessary and delegated
by the President.

Section 13 The Treasurer shall:

a. Come from the senior year.

b. Keep in trust and safekeeping all the Society funds.
c. Keep in full and accurate account of all the income and expense of
the Society.
d. Submit on a regular basis, or whenever required, a statement and
expenses of the Society.
e. Perform such other function as may be necessary and delegated
by the President.

Section 14 The Public Relations Officer shall:

a. Be responsible for the dissemination of information about the

activities, plans and achievements of the Society.
b. Perform such other function as may be necessary and delegated
by the President.

ARTICLE VII
THE AUDITOR

Section 1 The Auditor shall:

a. Come from the sophomore year

b. Be responsible for keeping the finances of the Society transparent
and accessible to any Legal Management student.
c. Coordinate with the Society Treasurer concerning the proper
safekeeping and disbursement of Society funds.
d. Perform such other function as may be necessary and delegated
by the President and the Society Adviser.

Section 2 Should the Auditor fail to perform his duties, the Society Adviser may,
at his sole prerogative, cause his removal from his office.

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 University of Santo Tomas ║ Faculty of Arts and Letters

LEGAL MANAGEMENT SOCIETY

St. Raymund De Peñafort Building, UST Campus, España, Manila ║ ustlms@ymail.com

ARTICLE VIII
THE CLASS REPRESENTATIVE

Section 1 The Class Representative shall:

a. Be responsible for the dissemination of any information handed

down by the Executive Board to their respective classes.
b. Communicate to the Executive Board any inquiries, comments,
suggestions and/or complaints pertaining to matters that are
relevant to the Society and its members.
c. Be mandated to be present in all meetings called for by the
President.
d. Perform such other function as may be necessary and delegated
by the President.

ARTICLE VIII
THE COMMITTEE CHAIRS

Section 1 The Education Committee Chair shall:

a. Be in-charge of the department’s and the society’s academic

related activities such as, but not limited to, organizing symposia,
for a, etcetera
b. Organize tutorial sessions to provide department students
academic assistance.
c. Perform such other functions as may be necessary and delegated
by the President.

Section 2 The Grievance Committee Chair shall:

a. Mediate between the concerned parties in dispute.

b. Process pertinent papers and documents of complaints, replies,
etcetera coming from parties concerned in the given dispute.
c. Perform such other functions as may be necessary and delegated
by the President.

Section 3 The Socials Committee Chair shall:

a. Head the social activities of the society.

b. Perform such other functions as may be necessary and delegated
by the President.

Section 4 The Community Services Chair shall:

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 University of Santo Tomas ║ Faculty of Arts and Letters

LEGAL MANAGEMENT SOCIETY

St. Raymund De Peñafort Building, UST Campus, España, Manila ║ ustlms@ymail.com

a. Take charge of organizing and conducting outreach programs and

similar activities of the Society.
b. Perform such other functions as may be necessary and delegated
by the President.

Section 5 The Ways and Means Committee Chair shall:

a. Be responsible for providing the Society with schemes designed to

augment the funds of the Society.
b. Coordinate with the Treasurer concerning the allocation and
appropriation of funds raised.
c. Perform such other functions as may be necessary and delegated
by the President.

ARTICLE IX
MEETINGS

Section 1 The quorum for any meeting shall consist at least the majority of all
the members of the Society.

Section 2 The order of business for any meeting shall be as follows:

a. Call to order.
b. Reading and approval of the minutes of the previous meeting.
c. Reading of committee reports.
d. Discussion of agenda.
e. Discussion of the business at hand.
f. Conclusion or adjournment of the meeting.

Section 3 The decision of any meeting shall be valid only upon the approval by a
simple majority vote of the members of the society present. However,
no meeting shall be held without prior notice to the Legal Management
Society.

Section 4 Any Society officer, committee or society member who has incurred
three (3) consecutive absences in regular meetings without valid
reason may be subject to disciplinary action by the body concerned
after due notice and hearing.

Section 5 Any Society officer, committee or society member may be ejected

from the meeting by the presiding officer through a two-thirds (2/3)
vote of all members present for contempt or disorderly conduct.

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 University of Santo Tomas ║ Faculty of Arts and Letters

LEGAL MANAGEMENT SOCIETY

St. Raymund De Peñafort Building, UST Campus, España, Manila ║ ustlms@ymail.com

ARTICLE X
ELECTIONS

Section 1 The Commission on Elections (COMELEC) shall enforce and

administer all laws and regulations for the election of class
representatives and officers and members of the Executive
Committee. They shall exercise exclusive original jurisdiction over all
contests relating to elections, and proclamation of the winners shall
also be vested exclusively upon them which shall be final and
executory.

Article 2 The Commission on Elections shall be composed of the Coordinator

and at least one (1) other member of the faculty of the Legal
Management Department.

Article 3 No person may run for office unless he/she has passed the
qualification of membership, and corresponding prerequisites the
position requires.

Section 4 The date of elections of the Legal Management Society shall be held
not later than the third Saturday of June.

Section 5 The class representatives shall be elected by popular vote of his/her

corresponding class/section and shall be declared winner(s) by a
simple majority.

Section 6 The members of the Executive Committee shall be elected by popular

vote of the Executive Board and shall be declared winner(s) by a
simple majority. Once the President has been elected, he
subsequently loses his right to vote for other positions for the other
positions of the Executive Committee.

Section 7 Election of class representatives and of the Executive Committee shall

be made in person and only by secret ballot.

ARTICLE XI
VOTE OF NO CONFIDENCE

Section 1 A vote of no confidence shall be the ground for the removal of an

Executive Board member from office.

Section 2 The vote of no confidence shall have the concurrence of 4/5 majority
vote of the entire Executive Board.

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 University of Santo Tomas ║ Faculty of Arts and Letters

LEGAL MANAGEMENT SOCIETY

St. Raymund De Peñafort Building, UST Campus, España, Manila ║ ustlms@ymail.com

Section 3 The following shall be grounds for a vote of no confidence:

a. Immorality
b. Gross imprudence
c. Violation of the Student’s Handbook on provisions on major
offenses
d. Grave abuse of authority and/or power
e. When guilty of fraud, gross negligence or when his integrity and/or
honesty is in grave question
f. Willful and culpable violation of any provision of the Constitution
g. For any other acts inimical to the image and welfare of the Society
and the Department as a whole.

Section 4 The Society Adviser shall ratify said vote of no confidence.

ARTICLE XII
AMENDMENTS AND REVISIONS

Section 1 Any amendments to, or revisions of this Constitution shall be initiated

by at least twenty-five percent (25%) of all the members of this Society
and it shall be done by filing a petition duly signed by them to the
Executive Committee.

Section 2 Any amendments to, or revisions of this Constitution shall be revised

by the members of the Society, in a special meeting to be called for
this purpose, with a three-fifths (3/5) affirmative vote.

ARTICLE XIII
TRANSITORY PROVISIONS

Section 1 The term of office of all the elected members of the Executive Board is
one year, beginning from the date of their oath of office and shall end
on the date a new set of officers shall have been elected and qualified
and have taken their oath of office.

Section 2 Decisions made and resolutions passed by the Executive Board has
effectivity for the current school year.

Section 3 The Society shall have a faculty adviser who is a member of the Legal
Management Faculty.

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 University of Santo Tomas ║ Faculty of Arts and Letters

LEGAL MANAGEMENT SOCIETY

St. Raymund De Peñafort Building, UST Campus, España, Manila ║ ustlms@ymail.com

Section 4 In case of vacancy in office in any position as a result of death, no

confidence, resignation, or incapacity, the same shall be filed by an
election at least one week after the vacancy occurs, unless such
vacancy occurs within thirty (30) days prior to the next scheduled
elections.

Section 5 Every member of the Legal Management Society shall be provided

with a copy of this Constitution. A special fund shall be appropriated
for the purpose.

ARTICLE XIV
EFFECTIVITY CLAUSE

Section 1 No part of this Constitution shall be repealed, amended or revised

within the next three (3) school years, unless the need for such repeal,
amendment or revision is of extreme necessity, which both the Legal
Management Coordinator and the Legal Management Society Adviser
shall exclusively and jointly determine.

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