ABOUT LSA
All committee members, other than the Board of Trustees and Executive Committee, are appointed by the President. All standing committees are established in the Bylaws, but the President has broad latitude in the “charge” given to the committee. The President may also appoint ad hoc committees to serve on specific projects.
If you are interested in serving on a committee, review the committee list and then contact the President to express your interest in either a particular committee or committee work in general. Most appointments are made in the Spring, with service to begin at the close of the annual meeting. When possible, committees meet during the annual meeting to plan their work for the coming year.
Please note that there are usually more people who want to serve than there are committee slots, so there is no guarantee that all requests can be granted.
Elected Committees
The Board of Trustees is the governing body of the Association. It includes twenty-four elected Trustees serving three-year terms, as well as the President, Past President/President-Elect, Secretary, Treasurer, Editor of the Law & Society Review, and Book Reviews Editor. The Board of Trustees typically meets the day prior to the start of the Annual Meeting.
The Executive Committee is composed of the President, Past President/President-Elect, Secretary, Treasurer, Editor of the Law & Society Review, and the Trustee in each class who received the highest number of votes. The Executive Committee has power delegated to it by the Board of Trustees and acts in emergencies that arise between the Annual Meetings of the Board. The Executive Committee meets in January.
Standing Committees
The Audit Committee oversees the annual audit of the Association’s finances.
The Governance Committee nominates a slate of candidates to run for the offices of the Association and for membership on the Board of Trustees. The slate of nominees is finalized by the Board of Trustees ahead of the elections, which are held in the fall.
The Budget and Finance Committee advises the President and Trustees on issues related to finances, budget, and investments. This includes budget planning, preparation, and reporting — both on investment policy and strategies as well as on other financial matters referred to it by the President or the Executive Officer.
The International Activities Committee is responsible for developing programs that attend to the needs of members of the Association from outside the United States and that promote greater awareness of comparative and transnational scholarship.
The Collaborative Research Networks (CRN) Coordinating Committee reviews proposals for new CRNs and oversees the periodic self-review that each CRN is asked to conduct on its leadership and participant engagement.
The Membership and Professional Issues Committee focuses on recruitment of members and on the enhancement of the membership community.
The Diversity Committee is charged with implementing the Association’s policy on diversity, which focuses on systematic and sustained efforts to develop greater diversity in the Association.
The Publications Committee considers and recommends programs and policies for the Association’s publications, including the Law & Society Review. While the General Editor is a member of the Committee, the Committee itself is separate from the LSR Editorial Board.
Annual Meeting Committees
The Program Committee is responsible for all substantive aspects of the program for the annual meeting (as opposed to the logistical arrangements, which are handled by the Executive Office and the Local Arrangements Committee). The work of the Committee starts at the close of the previous year’s annual meeting, where members stay an extra day to begin planning for the next meeting. The Committee develops the plenary theme for the meeting, develops plans to enhance the substantive offerings and attract participants, creates panels from individually submitted proposals, and solicits chairs and discussants to serve on those panels.
The Graduate Student Workshop Committee is responsible for planning and conducting the Graduate Student Workshop, including establishing a theme and curriculum, recruiting faculty and students, and evaluating the event. The GSW is held at the site of the annual meeting, usually one and a half days preceding the annual meeting.
The Early Career Workshop Committee is responsible for planning and conducting the Early Career Workshop, which usually meets one and a half days preceding the annual meeting at the venue of the annual meeting. In some years, both the Graduate Student and Early Career Workshop committees may combine into a single Junior Scholar’s Workshop.
The Local Arrangements Committee works closely with the Executive Officer to connect the Annual Meeting to the local site, which typically involves compiling a local guide of restaurants and other attractions for attendees.
Ad Hoc Committees
The Association organizes ad-hoc committees to address specific projects important to LSA members. These committees are short-term, typically lasting for one year.
Prize Committees
The winners of LSA’s prizes and awards are selected by their respective Prize Committee.