The San Diego County Bar Association adopts the following by-laws to govern the operation of the Committee on Boards and Commissions.

1. Composition of the Committee:
The Committee will be comprised of twelve (12) members. The membership will
be comprised of no less than three (3) nor more than five (5) from each of the following:

(1) Present San Diego County Bar Association Members of the Board of Directors;

(2) Past San Diego County Bar Association Members of the Board of Directors;

(3) Members at large of the San Diego County Bar Association who are neither present nor former members of the Board of Directors;

(4) The President and President-Elect shall be ex officio members of the Committee with non-voting status;

The Committee shall submit to the President for consideration the appointment of the Committee members to be ratified by the Board of Directors of the San Diego County Bar Association.

The composition of the Committee membership should reflect the Association membership with gender, ethnic and geographic diversity.

2. Committee’s Purpose:
The San Diego County Bar Association Committee on Boards and Commissions shall be charged with responsibility for disseminating to members upcoming appointments to state and local Boards and Commissions, for identifying applicants for those positions and for making recommendations to the appointing authorities of a best qualified candidate or candidates for such positions.

3. Appointment of Committee Members:
The President shall appoint each member to the Committee to serve for up to three (3) one (1) year terms. Rotation of committee members is encouraged so that continuity is maintained. The goal is that approximately one-third (1/3) of the Committee’s membership is comprised of first year Committee members.

In addition, The President shall appoint a Committee Chair to serve for a period of one (1) year, to be ratified by the Board of Directors of the San Diego County Bar Association.

4. Process of the Committee’s Work:
Staff will maintain a regular tickle system to be published monthly to the Committee members setting forth those board and commission positions which are anticipated to come up for appointment within the next six (6) months. Each anticipated board or commission position subject to appointment within that period of time shall be assigned to a committee member by the Committee Chair.

The Committee shall publish through staff by way of the website, e-mails, San Diego Lawyer Magazine and other viable means of dissemination to its members impending positions on boards and commissions that are coming up for appointment.

The assigned Committee member shall be responsible for identifying the nature and purpose of the position open for appointment and potential candidates who would be both interested and well qualified to receive the San Diego County Bar Association’s endorsement for that appointment. The assigned Committee member would be further responsible for developing sufficient information on each applicant through the appropriate investigatory channels so as to allow the Committee to vote in favor of a recommendation to the Board of Directors to endorse an applicant for a particular position.

A recommendation by the Committee to support a candidate for a position on any board or commission shall pass by two-thirds (2/3) of the Committee voting in favor of support.

The Committee’s recommendation would appear on the consent agenda of the San Diego County Bar Association’s Board of Directors for the meeting next scheduled following the Committee’s recommendation on endorsement being made.

The Committee will meet primarily by telephone whenever possible.

5. Confidentiality:
All proceedings of the Committee, including any comments made by Committee members or at Committee meetings, any and all data collected by the Committee, including applications submitted by candidates for positions seeking the endorsement of the San Diego County Bar Association shall remain confidential. The Committee’s recommendations for sponsorship and the action taken by the San Diego County Bar Association Board of Directors on the Committee’s recommendation shall be made public however, the identities of any applicants who sought the support of the San Diego County Bar Association and who did not receive said support by way of Committee recommendation shall not be disclosed.

6. Potential Conflict of Interest Criteria:
It is the intention of the San Diego Bar Association to avoid any appearance of impropriety regarding potential conflict of interest. Board members sitting on the Committee shall recuse themselves from voting on a recommendation to support a candidate who is then a sitting board member. Committee members shall recuse themselves from voting on a recommendation to support a member of the Committee member's law firm, or one with whom the Committee member has a close relationship of any kind such as could be perceived as affecting the impartiality of their judgment. Committee members cannot be considered for appointment to a vacancy while serving on the Committee, or for one year after the expiration of their term as a Committee member.

7. Disclaimer:
All applicants seeking the support of the San Diego County Bar Association for a position on a board or commission shall sign an acknowledgment of disclaimer that will include the following information:

(1) All decisions of the Committee and the San Diego County Bar Association are final. There are no appeals or rights of reconsideration of decisions made by the Committee or the San Diego County Bar Association with regard to their recommendation to support a candidate for a position on a board or commission.

(2) All proceedings of the Committee are confidential and are not subject to disclosure for any purpose;

(3) The support of the San Diego County Bar Association is not a guarantee, promise or assurance that the endorsed candidate will receive the requested appointment to that position.

(4) The applicant waives all rights to due process they may have regarding their request for support of the San Diego County Bar Association for a position on a board or commission.

(5) The applicant specifically and expressly waives any right to redress for damages arising from any action taken or not taken by the Committee or the San Diego County Bar Association in connection with their request for support.