1. NAME

The name of the group shall be the Scottish Lawyers' European Group ("the Group")

2. OBJECTS

(i)

To enable Members to acquire or increase their knowledge of the legal systems, practice and procedures in the countries of Europe and of the organisation of the legal professions in the said countries and of the various European institutions.

To enable Members to acquire or increase knowledge of the law of the European Communities and the practice and procedures of the Community institutions (including the Court of Justice).

To promote closer links between Members and lawyers in other European countries.

(iv)

To organise lectures, meetings, and conferences including visits to such countries by Members and visits by lawyers from such countries to Scotland to promote the foregoing objects.

To publish and disseminate information by articles in professional journals, handbooks and otherwise to Members on European legal systems, practice and procedures, legal professions and supra-national institutions and to other European countries on the legal system, practice, procedure and the organisation of the legal profession in Scotland.

(vi)

To establish a centre of information to provide Members with practical means of dealing with their clients' business and other interests in other European countries including lists of foreign legal experts in the United Kingdom and other international directories.

(vii)

To ensure that the professional status, functions and rights of audience of Scottish solicitors and advocates are properly recognised before the European Court and in other European jurisdictions.

(viii)

To collaborate with other institutions or organisations with similar aims and objectives with a view to facilitating any of the foregoing objects.

Lawyers, within the meaning of Directive 77/249/EEC to facilitate the effective exercise by lawyers of freedom to provide services, academic lawyers, and such other persons as the Committee may from time to time approve who apply to join the Group shall become Ordinary Members of the Group upon payment of such registration fee and/or subscription as the Committee shall from time to time prescribe.

Persons who are trainee solicitors, intrants to the Faculty of Advocates, and such other persons currently pursuing a course of study in law as the Committee may from time to time approve who apply to become Student Members of the Group shall become Student Members of the Group upon payment of such registration fee and/or subscription as the Committee shall from time to time prescribe.

Firms of solicitors in Scotland, or such other unincorporated or corporate bodies as the Committee may from time to time approve, who apply to join the Group shall become Corporate Members of the Group upon payment of such registration fee and/or subscription which shall be a multiple of four times the amount payable by Ordinary members or such other multiple as the Committee shall from time to time prescribe.

4. HONORARY MEMBERS

The Committee shall be entitled to appoint such persons as honorary members of the Group for such period in each case as they shall decide.

The Committee shall consist of the President and Vice-President(s) of the Group, the President and Vice-President of the Law Society of Scotland, and the Dean of the Faculty of Advocates as ex officio members; a number of Ordinary Members of the Group or principals or employees ("eligible employees") of Corporate Members of the Group who are themselves eligible for Ordinary Membership of the Group (as ordinary Members of Committee); and such number of Student Members of the Group appointed by co-option as the Ordinary Members of the Committee shall from time to time determine.

At each Annual General Meeting of the Group one third of the Ordinary Members of the Committee shall retire by rotation but shall be eligible for re-election, such one third to be determined by the members of the Committee or failing agreement by lot.

If the number of Ordinary Members of the Committee shall not on the occasion of the Annual General Meetings referred to in paragraph (ii) hereof be exactly divisible by three, the number of Ordinary Members to retire shall be determined by omitting any fraction resulting from such division.

After their election or re-election at an Annual General Meeting, Ordinary Members of the Committee shall serve on the Committee for 3 years, but on retiring they shall be eligible for re-election.

The Committee shall from time to time be entitled to co-opt any Ordinary Member of the Group or eligible employees to serve as an ordinary member of the Committee. Any such member shall retire at the Annual General Meeting following his co-option but may offer himself for re-election.

Nominations of Ordinary Members of the Group or principals or eligible employees of Corporate Members of the Group to fill the vacancies on the Committee must reach the Secretary of the Group not less than 7 days before the date of the relevant Annual General Meeting and each nomination must be signed by a proposer and seconder, both being Ordinary Members of the Group, or principals or eligible employees of Corporate Members.

If there are more candidates for election to the Committee than the number of vacancies a ballot shall be conducted at the Annual General Meeting and the decision of the Chairman as to the results thereof shall be final.

The Officers of the Committee shall consist of a Chairman, Vice-Chairman, and Secretary and Treasurer. The Chairman and Vice-Chairman shall be elected from the Ordinary Members of the Committee by the Committee at its first meeting immediately following the Annual General Meeting in every year. The Secretary and Treasurer shall (unless the Committee shall decide otherwise) be a member of the Secretariat of the Law Society of Scotland appointed by the Committee for such period as they may decide.

The Committee may appoint any person within the definition of "lawyers" in Clause 3(1) or academic lawyers to be President and Vice-President(s) of the Group.

Four members of the Committee, of whom not less than three are ordinary members of the Committee, shall constitute a quorum for meetings of the Committee.

6. DUTIES OF THE COMMITTEE

The Committee shall be responsible for furthering the objects of the Group, for organising the Group and its activities and for the relations of the Group with the Law Society and the Faculty of Advocates.

7. ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

(i)

The Annual General Meeting shall be held annually on a date and at a time and place to be determined by the Committee who shall give 21 days notice thereof in the Journal of the Law Society of Scotland or by such other means as the Committee shall decide.

The Business of the Annual General Meeting shall consist of:-

(iii)

Any member wishing to raise any matter at the Annual General Meeting shall give notice in writing thereof to the Secretary of the Group not later than seven days before the date of the Meeting; provided that the Chairman may allow any matter to be raised at the Annual General Meeting without such previous written notice as aforesaid.

(iv)

The Chairman of the Committee shall act as Chairman of the Annual General Meeting failing him the Vice-Chairman whom failing any Officer or member of the Committee elected to take the Chair by the Ordinary members and principals or eligible employees of Corporate Members of the Group present at the Annual General Meeting. Decisions shall be taken by a majority vote of Ordinary Members and Corporate Members and in the event of equality the Chairman shall have a second or casting vote.

(v)

Principals of eligible employees or Corporate Members shall be entitled to attend meetings of the Group and each Corporate Member shall have four votes at General Meetings of the Group. Such votes shall only be exercised in person by one or more principals or employees of Corporate Members and each such vote may be exercised in any direction.

8. SPECIAL GENERAL MEETINGS

(i)

Special General Meetings of the Group shall be convened by the Secretary on the instructions of the Committee or on a requisition signed by not less than ten Ordinary Members or Corporate Members of the Group. The requisition must state the objects of the meeting. It must be deposited with the Secretary and may consist of several documents in like form each signed by one or more requisitionists.

(ii)

A Special General Meeting required by requisition shall be held within 35 days of receipt of the requisition and shall, subject to the provisions of this Article, be held on such date time and place as the Committee may appoint.

28 days notice of a Special General Meeting shall be given to Ordinary Members and Corporate Members of the Group.

9. AMENDMENT OF CONSTITUTION

The Group may at any General Meeting on 28 days written notice of such amendment given to Ordinary Members and Corporate Members of the Group amend this Constitution by a majority vote of the Ordinary Members present or voting by proxy at the meeting and the principals or eligible employees of Corporate Members present at the Meeting.

10. POWER TO CONSTITUTE REGIONAL SECTIONS

(i)

Where the number of members of the Group in any particular area of Scotland is considered by the Committee to be enough to justify the formation of a Regional Section for members practising in that area, the Committee may invite such members to constitute a Regional Section.

(ii)

A Regional Section shall be entitled to organise its own programme of activities.

(iii)

Each Regional Section shall be entitled to nominate one of its members to serve on the Committee of the Group for a period of one year.

(iv)

Each such member nominated by a Regional Section shall retire from the Committee of the Group at the Annual General Meeting each year but may be re-nominated by such Regional Section to serve for the following year.

(v)

Each Regional Section shall submit a report of its activities during the preceding year to the Group at its Annual General Meeting.

11. WINDING UP

The Group may at any General Meeting on 28 days written notice given by Ordinary Members and Corporate Members of the Group decide by a majority vote of the Ordinary Members present or voting by proxy at the meeting and the principals or eligible employees of Corporate Members present at the Meeting that the Group shall be wound-up and in this event the assets of the Group shall be transferred to the Law Society of Scotland and/or the Faculty of Advocates for such purpose as they think fit.