October 25, 2022 4:00 – 6:00 pm
For more information and to register - https://socialaw.com/education/event-detail/2022/10/25/default-calendar/roberts-rules-of-order-in-practice---a-mock-meeting
You may have attended an organization’s meeting, or a public hearing, and been stymied when asked, “You’re a lawyer, tell me what’s going on?” This afternoon’s presentation will consist of a mock meeting with all the stops out, putting the presiding officer through the paces. Our group of expert re-enactors will show what happens when rival organizational factions with good parliamentary backgrounds are fighting to control an agenda.
The chair had better know how to handle everything that can be thrown in the direction of the podium. In this demonstration, you’ll see how the chair can keep cool and stave off mayhem when confronted with a series of procedural challenges from both sides of the aisle. The mock meeting will be interrupted by brief explanations of the procedures, possible alternative procedures, and comparisons among different parliamentary authorities (such as Robert’s Rules of Order and Town Meeting Time). Forewarned is forearmed. Bring your questions.
The annotated model meeting script will be provided to participants after the program as a reference. This program can be useful in navigating complex issues that arise in deliberative decision making in a sophisticated membership meeting.
Program topics include:
- Who is recognized when there are several members rising and clamoring for attention at the same time?
- Who can interrupt a pending motion and how?
- In the heat of the moment, we went down a rabbit hole. How do we get out?
- Some members are doing everything they can do to delay the meeting. What can the chair do?
- Some members are repeatedly disruptive. What can be done?
- The chair is being a dictator, refusing to acknowledge members of the opposing faction. What are the members to do?
- How many motions can be pending at the same time? I can’t keep track.
- I’m lost. What can I do?
- This is a not a simple matter. There are at least 4 good alternatives. How can we decide among them?
- We keep getting off track. What can we do?
- We ran out of time. What happens to issues we didn’t reach?
Program Faculty –
- Hon. Michael Malamut, Housing Court, Eastern Division, Professional Registered Parliamentarian, Certified Professional Parliamentarian & Teacher, Certified Governance Consultant—
as Presiding Officer/Chair and Commentator
- Hon. Megan Christopher, Associate Justice, Probate & Family Court, Suffolk County Division—as Vice President
- Robert Clayman, JD, M.Ed.; Executive Director, Massachusetts Judges Conference—as Audit Committee Chair
- Alisa Drayton, JD, MBA, MS, Registered Parliamentarian; President, Parliamentarians of Boston Massachusetts Unit, National Association of Parliamentarians—as Bylaws and Governance Committee Chair
- Sharon V. Jones, JD, Registered Parliamentarian; Office of Sharon V. Jones, Attorney-at-Law; Corresponding Secretary, Parliamentarians of Boston Massachusetts Unit, National Association of Parliamentarians—as Program Committee Chair
- Peter Senopoulos, JD, Professional Registered Parliamentarian; President, George Demeter Unit, National Association of Parliamentarians—as Secretary
- Hon. Peter M. Coyne, Associate Justice, Juvenile Court, Suffolk County Division—as Membership Committee Chair
For assistance, questions on group discounts, accommodations requests, special billing, program content, out-of-state CLE credits, and general CLE information contact Michael Saporito by email at msaporito@socialaw.com. Registrations accepted in order of receipt. Registration fees are non-refundable. Most Social Law Library CLE events are recorded and the recording is emailed to those who have registered. When programs qualify for CLE credit, credit is only granted when attending the live program, not just for watching the video.