The Annual Conference of the North Carolina Chapter of the Community Associations Institute will be virtual this year. While the Conference is officially next week, July 23-24, there will be many more educational opportunities on issues of concern to HOAs and condos. Registered attendees at this year’s Conference will choose 4 of 12 learning sessions to attend on Conference days (July 23-24). But one of 12 recorded sessions will be opened each day for viewing online Monday-Thursday in the 3 weeks following the Conference. You can attend or re-attend any as part of Conference registration. In addition, presenters will “attend” online the day … Continue reading
Category Archives: Parliamentary Law
New Firm Name & Partners
New Firm Name The law firm of Black, Slaughter & Black, PA will now be doing business as Law Firm Carolinas. The firm, which practices in North and South Carolina, has four offices: Greensboro, Charlotte, Triangle (Garner) and Coastal (Wilmington). New Partners In addition, three attorneys have been named partners in the firm: Jennifer Ruby, who does general civil litigation, business litigation and appeals. Ruby is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (2006) and Elon University School of Law (2010) and is based in the Greensboro office. Michael Taliercio, who manages the firm’s HOA/condo assessment … Continue reading
New NC Executive Order Again Allows Electronic Nonprofit Membership Meetings
NC Executive Order #141 issued on May 20 (and still in effect as of July 3) currently limits indoor meeting attendance to 10 and outdoor attendance to 25, which makes it rather hard to hold an in-person association membership meeting. By statute, NC nonprofit association boards have long been allowed to meet by telephone conference or video conference, so long as everyone can simultaneously hear everyone else. However, there has been no such statute for association member meetings. On April 24 the Governor issued Executive Order #136, which allowed for nonprofit membership meetings to be held virtually under certain conditions. … Continue reading
“Let’s Have Our Meeting or Convention Online!”
Due to the Coronavirus, in the last several weeks we have received a lifetime’s worth of questions about moving in-person business meetings and conventions to some type of electronic format. Our firm’s two Professional Registered Parliamentarian attorneys have assisted many clients in doing just that—board meetings, annual meetings, houses of delegates, etc. However, before jumping online there are considerations that should be addressed. Is an Electronic Meeting or Electronic Voting Allowed? There are two main online approaches to conducting business: (1) an electronic meeting and (2) electronic voting. An electronic meeting attempts to mirror an in-person meeting to some extent—members … Continue reading
The Coronavirus, Flu, and HOA/Condo Nonprofit Association Meetings
This is one of three articles on dealing with the Coronavirus and its impact. This blog looks at how association boards and members transact business outside of in-person meetings. See also Coronavirus: What Should Homeowner and Condominium Associations Do? and “Let’s Have Our Meeting or Convention Online!” As of today (February 27, 2020), estimates are that the Novel Coronavirus has infected 80,000 people worldwide, and killed 3,000. Flu statistics are even more shocking, with about 26 million Americans infected and 14,000 U.S. deaths. While I hope these crises will soon go away, we have been asked what to do if … Continue reading
Details on the 2020 National Community Association Law Seminar
As past President of the College of Community Association Lawyers (CCAL), I provide details each year on CAI’s national Community Association Law Seminar. Without question, the Law Seminar is the premiere HOA and condo legal program held each year. This year’s Law Seminar is the 41st annual and will be held January 15-18, 2020, in Las Vegas, NV. While the Law Seminar is mostly attended by attorneys, it’s not limited to attorneys. Other participants include insurance professionals, community association managers, and other industry leaders who wish to learn about HOA/condo law trends and practices. For insurance professionals who advise homeowner … Continue reading
Best Lawyers Recognition 2020
Law Firm Carolinas and two of its attorneys have been named to the 2020 US News Best Lawyers in America. Jim Slaughter has been recognized by Best Lawyers in the practices of Community Association Law and Real Estate Law. Keith Black has been recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice of Family Law. Law Firm Carolinas is again the only firm in North Carolina with a listing of “Community Association Law.”
Should an Announcement of Election Results Include Votes by Candidate?
This question was recently asked on a national HOA/condo list serve: “In a board of directors election, should the vote totals by candidate be released to the membership?” Without question, the answer of how election results are announced could vary by state, depending on state statutes. If a statute provides a specific process for elections, that process should be followed. Similarly, if the organization has clear provisions in its governing documents, such as the bylaws, follow that process. However, for associations that follow Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised, either due to state law or the governing documents, there is … Continue reading
New Firm Facebook Page
Law Firm Carolinas has a new Facebook page where you can keep up with firm activities, read recent blogs, and find out where attorneys are speaking (and includes a photo from this morning’s Piedmont Education Breakfast where Steve Black spoke on Declaration Amendments: Pandora’s Box)? The new page can be found at www.facebook.com/BlackSlaughterBlack. We ask that you follow it, like it, and share it!
Jim Slaughter Recognized for Pro Bono Service
Attorney Jim Slaughter was recently recognized by the Greensboro Bar Association for his pro bono work by being named to the Herb Falk Society. The Herb Falk Society honors Bar members who have performed 75 hours or more of pro bono service hours during the year, which includes free or reduced legal services to clients and activities to improve the legal profession. This is Jim’s 7th year of recognition. His is pictured here with Judge Teresa Vincent, 2019 President of the Greensboro Bar Association.
Committee of the Whole
“Committee of the Whole” is a type of committee described in Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised (12th Edition)(see RONR Section 52). While not commonly used, some large assemblies and legislative bodies follow the process. Without question, the procedure is an odd one. The normal presiding officer leaves the chair and a chairman of the committee is appointed. Members can speak in debate on the main question or amendment as often as they can get the floor. Only certain motions are in order. The committee is intended to adopt a report to be made to the assembly and then votes … Continue reading
Does Your Board Meeting Need a Parliamentarian?
In large association membership meetings or conventions, it is common to find someone serving as parliamentarian (whether a member or outside credentialed professional). A question I’m often asked, though, is “Does our board meeting need a parliamentarians”? (For purposes of full disclosure, I’m an attorney, Certified Professional Parliamentarian, Professional Registered Parliamentarian, past President of the American College of Parliamentary Lawyers, and author of two books on meeting procedure.) A parliamentarian is simply an adviser to the presiding officer and other officers, committees and members on matters of meeting procedure. There is no one-size-fits-all answer, but: As a takeaway, here are … Continue reading
Proxies & Proxy Voting at Membership or Board Meetings
Proxies and Proxy Voting at Membership Meetings Our attorneys get lots of questions about proxies and proxy voting. And that’s understandable, as proxy issues at meetings can get very confusing. A proxy is similar to a power of attorney as could be used to open a bank account or sell a car for another person. If proxies are permitted at a meeting, the proxy can likely be given to any person or entity. That’s because the person carrying the proxy isn’t really who is at the meeting–the proxy giver is. FYI, most parliamentary books like Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised … Continue reading
HOA & Condo National Law Seminar and Other Programs
Several HOA/condo association learning opportunities are coming up that you may wish to attend, both in North Carolina as well as nationally. Details for each program can be found below. 2018 National Community Association Law Seminar The national Community Association Law Seminar is the premiere HOA and condo legal program held each year. The year’s Law Seminar, sponsored by the Community Associations Institute (CAI) and the College of Community Association Lawyers (CCAL), is the 39th annual and will be held January 31-February 3 in Palm Springs, CA. The Law Seminar is mostly attended by attorneys, but it’s not just for … Continue reading
Taliercio Elected National Officer for Parliamentary Lawyers
Law Firm Carolinas attorney Michael Taliercio has been elected 2018 national Treasurer of the American College of Parliamentary Lawyers (ACPL). Taliercio is a Professional Registered Parliamentarian with the National Association of Parliamentarians and a Fellow in the ACPL, which recognizes attorneys who have distinguished themselves in the practice of parliamentary law, including lawyers who advise conventions, condominium and homeowner associations, governmental bodies, and nonprofits.
In the Robert’s Rule of Order, can a chair overrule a motion to call the previous question?
This question was asked elsewhere online, and my answer may be of interest to others– Unfortunately, without more facts the answer is likely “it depends.” If your adopted parliamentary authority is Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised (11th Edition) (“RONR”), there are several competing considerations: (1) RONR § 47 (p. 449) provides that the presiding officer has an obligation “to state and to put all questions that legitimately come before the assembly as motions . . . .” (2) However, RONR § 47 (p. 450) provides that the presiding officer should “protect the assembly from obviously dilatory motions by refusing … Continue reading
Best Lawyers Recognition
Two attorneys at Law Firm Carolinas have been named to the 2018 edition of U.S. News – Best Lawyers. Best Lawyers recognition is based on peer reviews and client recommendations. Barbara Morgenstern been recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice of Family Law as well as Family Law Mediation. Barbara has also been named a “Legal Elite” by Business North Carolina magazine and a North Carolina Super Lawyer for Family Law. She is a Certified Specialist in family law by the NC State Bar, a Fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, Past President of the NC Chapter of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, … Continue reading
The Benefits of a Professional Verbatim Convention Reporter
Having served as parliamentarian to hundreds of conventions, I’ve worked with different types of court reporters who used different methods to provide verbatim transcripts of the proceedings. These included stenographic court reporters using audiotape, specialized court reporting machines or laptops. At times I’ve also seen voice writing court reporters using a stenomask as you might see at a trial. With no disrespect towards others, I want to give special recognition to convention reporters Jack and Dee Boenau (pronounced BAY-no) of AmeriCaption, Inc. Because we’re on the convention circuit together, Jack, Dee and I see each other at conventions ranging from 300 … Continue reading
Challenging the Chairman of a Meeting
Have you ever been at a meeting that you did not believe was being run properly? Is the chair ruling every motion out of order? Were you unsure on what you could do or did you feel like there was nothing you could do? Fortunately, there are actions that you can take in these situations. If your group utilizes Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised, then there are several procedures that allow you to challenge the chair if you believe the meeting is not being run properly. One procedure some people might not be aware of to challenge the ruling … Continue reading
Using the Motion to End Debate to Keep Meetings on Time
I am regularly asked how to keep a meeting from going on too long. While there are avariety of different procedural tools that can keep a meeting from running on forever, the motion to end debate (also known as the motion for the previous question) is probably one of the best procedural options available if your group utilizes Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised. Put simply, the motion to end debate is the motion that seeks to end discussion now and to take a vote on a pending question (or questions). The motion requires a second and then a two … Continue reading