ASSOCIATION OF ALUMNI LLM PROGRAMS
STATUTES
STATUTES OF THE ALUMNI LLM FRIBOURG
Art. 1 Name and Headquarters
1. « Alumni LLM Fribourg >> is an association according to art. 60 of the Swiss Civil Code.
2. The association is headquartered in the Canton of Fribourg.
Art. 2 Goals
1. The goals of the association are:
a) to reconnect, strenghten, and forge new relationships across shared interests between members, including the students of the LL.M. or CAS programs organized by the «Institute for International Business Law» at the law faculty of Fribourg University;
b) to promote exchanges between the academic education, the scientific research and the professional practice of law and compliance;
c) where appropriate, to collaborate with the LL.M. and CAS programs, defend its interests and increase its visibility in the political scene, in the private economy and in the civil society.
2. Where appropriate, the association may collaborate with the alumni association "Alumni et Amis UniFR” and the “Alumni IUS Frilex”.
3. The association maintains friendly relations but is independent and not directly affiliated with Fribourg University or any of its LL.M. or CAS programs.
Art. 3 Non-Discrimination
1. Discrimination of any kind against a country, private person or group of people on account of race, skin colour, ethnic, national or social origin, gender, disability, language, religion, political opinion or any other opinion, wealth, birth or any other status, sexual orientation or any other reason is strictly prohibited and punishable by expulsion.
Art. 4 Members
1. The following natural persons are eligible to become a member of the association:
a) former or current students of the LL.M. or CAS programs;
b) former or current professors, as well as other official collaborators of the LL.M. or CAS programs at Fribourg University.
2. Persons interested to join the association as a member shall send their written notice of interest to the Executive Committee. The written notice shall contain adequate proof that the candidate complies with the eligibility criteria (see Art. 4, para. 1), as established by the Executive Committee.
3. The Executive Committee will be entitled to decide upon the application. If there is any doubt about the selection process, the Executive Committee can delegate the decision to the General Assembly.
4. Members can resign by written notice to the Executive Committee. The resignation will be effective upon payment of any contribution fees for the current year due.
5. At the proposal of the Executive Committee, the General Assembly may exclude a member if in view of the General Assembly, the member violated his duties and obligations.
6. The members have the right to:
a) attend the General Assembly with the right to vote;
b) timely draw up proposals for the inclusion into the agenda of the General Assembly.
7. The members are obliged to:
a) respect the statutes and decisions of the competent bodies of the association;
b) regularly participate in the activities of the association;
c) support the pursuit of the goals of the association;
d) if applicable, pay the annual membership fee.
Art. 5 Organization
1. The association has the following bodies:
a) the General Assembly, which is the supreme and legislative body;
b) the Executive Committee, which is the strategic and operational body;
c) the following Sub-Committees:
- Fundraising Sub-Committee
- Events & Organization Sub-Committee
- Social Media & Community Engagement Sub-Committee
- Website and IT Sub-Committee
d) the statutory and any external auditor(s).
2. All bodies must observe the statutes when performing their activities.
Art. 6 The General Assembly
1. The General Assembly is the supreme organ of the association. It is headed by the President.
2. The General Assembly determines the organization's orientation, strategy, and goals. In addition, it has the following main powers:
a) election and dismissal of the President, and Vice-President, the Chairpersons of the Sub-Committees;
b) and the statutory and any external auditor(s);
c) the expulsion of a member, at the request of the Executive Committee;
d) approve any act or decision of any other body exceeding the amount of CHF 1,000;
e) upon written request, exempt members of annual membership fee in cases of hardship;
f) approval of the annual report and the annual accounts and discharge of the Executive Committee;
g) fixing the membership fee;
h) passing resolutions according to the agenda and motions submitted to the General Assembly;
i) revision of the statutes of the association;
j) change of name of the association;
k) merger of the association with another Swiss association;
l) dissolution of the association.
3. The General Assembly meets in the ordinary meeting once a year, at the invitation of the Executive Committee.
4. An extraordinary meeting of the General Assembly is convened upon request of the Executive Committee or a written request of >50% of the members.
5. The General Assembly is convened at least 15 working days before the meeting, in writing and/or electronically, as well as by posting on the official website and/or social media channels of the association.
6. The convocation will contain an agenda for the meeting. Each member may forward to the Executive Committee items to be included in the agenda and proposed to the General Assembly; such items shall be submitted to the Executive Committee in writing and not later than 3 working days before the meeting.
7. The General Assembly may deliberate and decide on any object or proposal made at a meeting, even outside the daily agenda. This, subject to proposals for the revision of the statutes, the change of name, the merger with another association or the dissolution of the association, which must appear on the convocation.
8. The General Assembly deliberates and decides validly, regardless of the number of present members at the meeting.
9. Only members present have the right to vote. The delegation of voting rights between members is excluded. Voting shall be by show of hands (one vote per person) unless a at least three persons entitled to vote request that the vote shall be held by secret ballot.
10. Members of the Executive Committee shall attend the General Assembly without the right to vote. To increase the voting body and legitimize decisions taken, each of them shall exceptionally have a right to vote if there are less than ten (10) members present and eligible to vote at the General Assembly in question.
11. As a rule, decisions are made by a simple majority of the persons present and eligible to vote. In the event of a tie, the vote of the President is decisive.
12. The modification of the statutes, the change of a name, the merger with another association and the dissolution of the association are subject to a two-thirds majority of the members present and eligible to vote.
Art. 7 The Executive Committee
1. The Executive Committee consists of the following members:
a) the President;
b) the Vice-President; and
c) the four Chairpersons of the Sub-Committees.
2. Any person that has been a member of the association for at least one year is eligible to become a member of the Executive Committee.
3. The members of the Executive Committee are elected by the General Assembly for a period of two years. The President can be re-elected once. The other positions of the Executive Committee are renewable at most twice.
4. The Executive Committee has the following functions and powers:
a) the convening and preparation of the General Assembly;
b) the day-to-day administration of the association;
c) the management of the social assets of the association;
d) maintaining an updated list of members;
e) provide regular information and updates to the members at the General Assembly;
f) the design and organization of activities of the association; the Executive Committee is entitled to create task forces for specific projects that are contemplated to be held in a specific timeframe.
g) the implementation of the defined strategy by the General Assembly;
h) the negotiation and conclusion of any agreement to be concluded with other associations, sponsors and other third parties, provided that they inform the General Assembly at its next meeting;
i) propose to the General Assembly the membership fee;
j) appointment of the statutory auditor;
k) creation and removal of Sub-Committees.
5. The Executive Committee shall meet at least every two months upon the invitation of the President. Meetings can take place in-person or virtually. The President shall send out the written invite via email at least two weeks in advance and share the agenda at least three working days before the meeting.
6. The Executive Committee takes its decisions by a majority of the members present. Each member present shall have one vote. In the event of a tie, the vote of the President is decisive. The Executive Committee may take decisions by circulating (via email) unless one or more of its members request a meeting.
7. Members of the Executive Committee are expected to attend the meetings whenever possible. If a member of the Executive Committee is absent for three or more consecutive meetings of the Executive Committee, the person will forfeit its position as a member of the Executive Committee with immediate effect unless the absence was caused by severe personal hardship. Severe personal hardship shall include cases of death of family members, hospitalized sickness and physical disability that prevents the person from attending the meeting. Any such circumstance must be brought to the attention of the President of the Executive Committee before the meeting; the President shall submit the position to the Executive Committee which shall decide whether to acknowledge the hardship. The decision shall be communicated by the President to the absent member.
8. At each ordinary meeting of the General Assembly, the Executive Committee presents the activity report as well as the accounts for the period under consideration.
9. Upon request of the President, the Executive Committee may dismiss the Chairperson of a Sub-Committee provisionally until the next General Assembly when a successor will be elected.
Art. 8 President and Vice-President
1. The President and Vice-President represent the association generally.
2. The President and Vice-President shall aim to foster a positive image of the association and to ensure that its mission, strategic direction and values, as defined by the General Assembly and the Executive Committee, are protected and advanced.
3. The President and Vice-President shall seek to maintain and develop good relations between and among the association, the LL.M. and CAS programs at Fribourg University and the Alumni organization of Fribourg University.
4. The President and the Vice-President commit the association via joint signature.
5. The President shall submit a proposal for approval of the Vice-President by the General Assembly. If at the time of the election there is no candidate for the Vice-Presidency, the Executive Committee will be entitled to appoint the Vice-President upon proposal of the President.
6. In case of absence or impediment of the President or a vacancy of the position of the President, the Vice-President shall replace the President.
7. The President and/or Vice-President may invite other members of the Sub-Committees to attend the meeting of the Executive Committee without a right to vote.
Art. 9 Sub-Committees
1. Sub-Committees shall consist of one Chairperson and additional members.
2. The Sub-Committees shall report to the Executive Committee. They shall advise and assist the Executive Committee and execute the tasks in their respective fields of function.
3. The Sub-Committees shall meet whenever business requires. Chairperson shall be responsible to convoke the respective meetings.
4. The Chairperson shall provide written updates and reports at the meetings of the Executive Committee. The Chairperson shall be responsible to duly document any work and decisions undertaken by the respective Sub-Committee.
5. The Chairpersons of the Sub-Committees will be elected by the General Assembly. In case there are no candidates at the time of the election, the President shall be entitled to appoint the Chairperson for the remaining term. In case of a vacancy for the position as a Chairperson of a Sub-Committee after the election, the President shall fill the vacancy on an interim basis with another member of the respective Sub-Committee for the remaining term.
6. In case the Chairperson is unable to attend a meeting of the Executive Committee, he/she shall appoint a replacement from among the other members of the Sub-Committee.
7. The Executive Committee may create additional Sub-Committees at any time.
Art. 10 Honorary Members
1. After their term, the Presidents and the Vice-Presidents shall be bestowed the title as Honorary Members of the association.
2. The Executive Committee may bestow the title as Honorary Member to other natural persons that provided an extraordinary contribution to the success of the association.
3. Honorary Members shall be entitled to attend the General Assembly without the right to vote.
Art. 11 Membership Fee
1. The General Assembly may decide to implement membership fees.
2. The General Assembly shall fix the amount of the membership fee on the recommendation of the Executive Committee. It shall be the same for every member and amount to no more than CHF 50.
3. The membership fees are due 60 days after the ordinary meeting of the General Assembly.
Art. 12 Other Provisions
1. These statutes shall be uploaded on the website of the association.
Art. 13 Transitory Provision
1. The current President and Vice-President (both elected in 2021) shall conclude their first two-year term at the ordinary General Assembly in 2023. The ordinary General Assembly 2022 shall elect the Chairpersons of the Sub-Committees; any terms previously held by them shall not be added in the count defined in art. 7.3.
2. These statutes shall be ratified at the ordinary General Assembly 2022. To ensure sufficient participation and legitimate the decisions taken, the current members of the Executive Committee shall exceptionally be allowed to vote at all motions and elections presented at this General Assembly, irrespective of the number of General Assembly members present and eligible to vote.
3. These statutes replace any previous versions, particularly the statutes ratified on 23 October 2018 of the former student’s association of the LLM Programs, Fribourg «Alumni LLM Fribourg >>.
4. The General Assembly expressly allows the incumbent President and the Vice-President to sign and ratify the present statutes.