Meeting Prep and Procedure: A Guide for In-House Counsel

Our schedules are full of meetings. Yet, we often finish those meetings without a real feeling of accomplishment or understanding of what the purpose was. Don't let that happen to you!

Whether you sit on boards or are responsible for governance matters at work, as in-house counsel, you’re often tasked with chairing and/or managing meetings. The rules may seem complicated and intimidating, but they don’t have to be.

Join our expert, Jennifer Freund, Professional Registered Parliamentarian, for this informative 4-part series where she delves into meeting prep and procedures to help you maximize the efficiency, effectiveness and transparency of your next meeting.

This series is free for members, and $50 per webinar or $150 for the bundle for non-members. 

This PDF contains the accreditation information for the series. 

Registration

Click on the bundle link below to register. You can select individual webinars in the registration as desired. If you experience any trouble registering, please email CLE@ccca-cba.org for assistance.

Meeting Prep and Procedure: A Guide for In-House Counsel (4-part bundle) On-demand
Meeting Prep and Planning On-demand
Meeting Procedure Basics On-demand
Motions On-demand
Voting on Motions and Elections  On-demand

Webinar Descriptions

Meeting Prep and Planning

With an understanding of basic rules and some advanced planning, you can ensure your meetings run smoothly and meet expected standards. Learn how to assess your meeting requirements for large and/or online regular, annual and special meetings, including:

  • Meeting type and size
  • Meeting platforms
  • Motions and voting
  • Scripts and minutes
  • Guest attendance

Meeting Procedure Basics

How do you properly set an agenda? What is the role of the Chair? What do you do if you lose quorum? Are you properly adjourning your meetings? Understanding basic meeting procedures helps ensure your meetings don’t get derailed. Join us for an informative session where you’ll learn about:

  • The foundations of meeting procedures
  • Meeting basics: notice, quorum, order of business, decision making
  • The Chair’s role
  • Ex officio members
  • The correct procedures for common scenarios you may encounter

Motions 

For most of the meetings we’re involved in, decisions must be made. These decisions are made through motions. From simple to complex, there’s a standard process that should be followed to ensure efficiency, efficacy and transparency. But many of us struggle with the procedure once a motion requires debate and amendment. As the Chair, or trusted legal advisor, in-house counsel should understand common motions and how they’re handled. In this session, you’ll learn:

  • The 13 ranking motions
  • Steps in handling motions
  • Managing amendments
  • Improper motions

Voting on Motions and Elections  

Have you ever been in a meeting where someone asks, “How many votes do we need to adopt this motion?” and the Chair and others must scramble to figure out the count? Voting requirements should be fully understood before going into any meeting, especially if an election will be held. Tune into this last installment of our series while we dive into:

  • Voting requirements
  • What “majority” actually means
  • What to do with abstentions
  • Voting by the Chair
  • Elections