Article I
NAME
The Organization shall be known as “The Intellectual Property Organization at the SMU Dedman School of Law.” This organization is referred throughout the constitution as “The IPO.”

Article II
MEMBERSHIP
Membership is available to all students and faculty at the SMU Dedman School of Law.

Article III
OBJECTIVES
The objectives of the Intellectual Property Organization at the SMU Dedman School of Law shall be to:
a) Bring together students interested in the field of intellectual property. This includes: patents, copyrights, trademarks, trade secrets, and licensing;
b) Present speakers who are experts in their respective fields of intellectual property;
c) Facilitate student/faculty relationships
d) Develop relationships between students and intellectual property attorneys in the Dallas/Fort Worth area;
e) Act as a source for intellectual property information at the SMU Dedman School of Law and the Dallas/Fort Worth area; and
f) Promote academic and career opportunities for all SMU Dedman School of Law students interested in intellectual property.

Article IV
MEETINGS
Section 1. The “Intellectual Property Organization” shall meet at least once during each semester.
Section 2. Members will be notified at least two days in advance as to the day and time of the meeting through e-mail or other suitable means.
Section 3. In addition to the meetings required in Section 1 of this article, additional meetings may be called at the discretion of the President.
Section 4. Any meetings held under this article require adequate notice to the membership of the IPO.

Article V
GOVERNING BODY
Section 1. Composition
The governing body shall be composed of the following members:
a) President
b) Vice President
c) Secretary
d) Treasurer

Section 2. Powers
Subject to any limitations imposed by this Constitution, the Governing Body of the IPO shall have the poser to perform any function that promotes the objectives of the IPO, including but not limited to, the power to:
a) Receive, manage, and disperse for the benefit of the members of the IPO any funds received by the IPO;
b) Act in the name of the membership of the IPO; and
c) Plan and execute any activity designed to promote the interest and understanding of Intellectual Property to the students and faculty at the SMU Dedman School of Law.

Section 3. Meetings
The governing body shall not be required to meet at any time other than meetings required under Article IV. However, the Governing Body may meet at any time it deems necessary to foster the objectives of the IPO. No notice to the general membership of the IPO is required.

Article VI
OPEN MEETING
All meetings under Article IV shall be open to any and all members of the IPO who wish to attend.

Article VII
QUALIFICATIONS FOR OFFICE
All members of the Governing Body as defined in Article IV shall have completed a minimum of one semester at the SMU Dedman School of Law before taking office.

Article VIII
DUITIES OF THE MEMBERS OF THE GOVERNING BODY
Section 1. President
The President’s responsibility shall encompass the organization and supervision of all IPO activities and events. To accomplish this responsibility, the President shall: a) Oversee all meetings of the IPO. This includes, in addition to the IPO’s scheduled activities and events, meetings of the governing body and established committees;
b) Appoint chairpersons and members of committees subject to Article IX;
c) Call special meetings for the entire Organization, the governing body, and committees whenever necessary;
d) Appoint a member of the Governing Body to perform the duties of the President during an absence of both the President and Vice President.
In addition to the above responsibilities, the President shall also be responsible for obtaining guest speakers and performing duties to foster the Organization’s objectives set forth in Article III.

Section 2. Vice President
The Vice President shall assist the President in running the Organization. To meet this responsibility the Vice President shall:
a) Perform the duties of the President in the President’s absence;
b) In the event the office of the President becomes vacant, succeed the office of the President for the remainder of the unexpired term; and
c) Coordinate any committee established by the President.
In addition to the above responsibilities, the Vice President shall be responsible for overseeing the food arrangements for a meeting and performing duties to foster the Organization’s objectives set out in Article III, this entails establishing a job search strategy for all IPO members.

Section 3. Secretary
The duties of the Secretary shall be to:
a) Maintain the membership list of the Organization;
b) Obtain a location, and set up for organizational meetings, this does not include committee meetings;
c) Collect and record minutes of meetings associated with the Governing Body; and
d) Oversee the election process.

Section 4. Treasurer
The duties of the Treasurer shall be to:
a) Oversee the development of an annual budget;
b) Maintain adequate records of expenditures;
c) Provide a biannual report concerning expenditures and remaining funds for the year; and
d) Collect the annual dues from each member of the group.
e) Requests for reimbursements will be directed to the Treasurer, and if at all delayed, payment should be made via an IPO authorized account which will then be reimbursed by the Student Bar Association (SBA.)

Article IX
COMMITTEES
Committees can be created on an ad hoc basis by Majority vote of the Governing Body. The President will be responsible for appointing the Committee Chairperson. There shall be one standing committee, the Executive Committee, which shall consist only of the Governing Body as defined in Article V and applicable Amendments.

Article X
ELECTION AND TERM FOR MEMBERS OF THE GOVERNING BODY
Section 1. Election
a) The general election for officers will be held on the second Wednesday of the month of April or within a reasonable time from that date. An election date to fill determined by the Governing Body.
b) All positions shall be elected by a majority vote of all members of the IPO.
c) If a majority is not obtained, a run-off election of the top two candidates for the office shall be held immediately.
d) All elections shall be by appropriate means as to obtain a majority.
e) If a member of the IPO is unable to vote on the day of the election, the individual shall make arrangements with the Vice President to vote absentee. In order for an absentee ballot to be recognized, it must be received by the Vice President prior to the initial counting of the ballots.
f) Votes will be tabulated by the election committee.
g) No advanced notification is required to run for any office of the Governing Body.

Section 2. Term of Office
Term of office for each member of the Governing Body shall be one academic year commencing the day after the SMU Dedman School of Law hooding ceremony and concluding the day of the SMU Dedman School of Law ceremony the following year. In the case of an election to fill a vacancy, the term will begin the day of the election and conclude on the day of the next SMU School of Law hooding ceremony.

Article XI
REMOVAL OF MEMBERS OF THE GOVERNING BODY
Section 1. Grounds for Removal
A member of the Governing Body may be removed for failing to carry out the duties of his/her position. Absence from meetings on a consistent basis, without adequate explanation, is considered a failure of duty.

Section 2. Process of Removal
Any member of IPO may bring action for removal of an officer. If the Governing Body members, not under question, find that grounds for removal exist as stated in Article XI, Section 1, a hearing date shall be set. Both parties shall be given an opportunity to be heard at the hearing. Upon completion of testimony, the Governing Body members not under question shall vote for removal. A two-thirds vote is required for removal.

Article XII
AMENDMENTS
Amendments may be proposed by any member of IPO. The Constitution may be amended if three-fourths of the members ratify the amendment. If the amendment is approved, the Secretary shall immediately provide a copy of the Amended Constitution to each member of IPO.

Article XIII
ADOPTION
Section 1. This Constitution will be considered adopted by the IPO and in effect on September 27, 2001. This Constitution revises the previous Constitution adopted on September 8, 1995.
Section 2. This constitution will be subject to revision or repeal by a new Constitution should a three-fourths majority of the IPO membership approve such an action.