The Zone Governor and At-Large Governor

There are 12 Zone Governors, one from each of the zones into which PBA has divided the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. A zone may have only one county (Philadelphia, Allegheny) or as many as 9 counties (Zones 3 and 5). The geographical spread of each zone and the number of lawyers in the zone also vary markedly.

A Zone Governor is selected by the vote of the PBA members within his or her zone. The presidents of each county bar association make nominations within the zone. The election is conducted by the PBA through a mail ballot. In those instances where the county bar presidents agree on a nominee, no election is required, unless a candidate is nominated by a petition which is signed by 25 active members, as outlined in Section 901(e) of the Bylaws. A Zone Governor takes office at the conclusion of the Annual Meeting in May and serves for a term of three years. Four new Zone Governors are elected each year. Bylaws Article IX, Section 906.

There are 3 At-Large Governors - a Woman Governor, and two Minority Governors. All At-Large Governors are appointed by the PBA President and serve a three-year term. These appointments must be approved by majority vote of the Board of Governors. Bylaws Article IX, Section 907(b), (c), and (d). No Woman Governor or Minority Governor may serve a successive term in either capacity.

The Zone Governor and the At-Large Governor serve in a dual capacity. They are selected to represent their constituencies on the Board of Governors. Conversely, they also represent the PBA to their constituents. In these capacities, duties inevitably overlap. Bylaws Article IV, Section 402 (a) and (b).

The duties and responsibilities of a Zone Governor or an At-Large Governor are as follows:

GENERAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

(a) to become aware of the long-range goals of the Association in general and of issues concerning membership development in particular;

(b) to attend each meeting of the Board of Governors during the term of office, including attending the preceding meeting of the Board before actually taking office (even though the governor is only a silent observer at that meeting, this is very helpful);

(c) to express the needs and concerns of the members of his or her zone or constituency and to present the views from the zone or constituency concerning issues brought before the Board of Governors;

(d) to inform zone delegates and county bar leaders within his or her zone or constituency of actions by the PBA and actions being considered by the PBA;

(e) to attend all meetings of the House of Delegates and, in the case of Zone Governors, lead the zone delegations;

(f) to personify and represent the PBA throughout his or her zone or constituency;

(g) to orient county bar officers and zone delegates or constituencies with respect to the activities of the PBA, the services which PBA renders, and the opportunities which PBA makes available to all of its members;

(h) to represent the PBA at meetings and social functions of his/her constituency or at county bar associations in his or her zone;

(i) to join in any PBA function conducted within his or her zone or constituency;

(j) to be a listening post for the PBA and to keep the PBA alerted to developing concerns and problems of members from his or her zone or constituency;

(k) to be "ex officio, under the direction of the House, the Board and President, in charge of all Association matters within his or her Zone." Bylaws Article IV, Section 402 (b);

(l) to serve as a member of the Nominating Committee; and

(m) to act as liaison to assigned Committees/Sections, attending regularly scheduled meetings as well as social functions.

LOCAL RESPONSIBILITIES

(a) to act as a nexus between the PBA and all county bar associations within the zone or constituency;

(b) to attend as many as practical, but not less than one county function or specialized function of each county within the zone or constituency, including but not limited to annual meetings and social functions;

(c) to create opportunities to have PBA officers meet with the local bar associations in the zone or constituency;

(d) to conduct zone meetings to which all county bar officers and delegates are invited and to correspond with county bar leaders, inviting their comments on issues under consideration; and

(e) to establish “contact members” within the zone or constituency on which the Governor can call to maintain communication with that county.

ZONE & HOUSE OF DELEGATES RESPONSIBILITIES

(a) to hold caucus meetings in advance of a House meeting in order to ensure that all zone delegates are aware of any and all issues being brought before the House of Delegates;

(b) to do everything possible to ensure that all delegates attend each and every house meeting and that everyone remains at the meeting until it reaches a conclusion;

(c) to promptly fill any delegate seat which should become vacant in the zone; and

(d) to encourage any and all qualified PBA members within the zone to run for a seat in the House of Delegates, including young lawyer and government lawyer members.

LEGISLATIVE RESPONSIBILITIES

The Zone Governor and At-Large Governors should act as a nexus between the PBA and any legislator representing the zone or constituency. In an attempt to foster a good relationship with the legislators, a Governor, upon election or appointment, should contact each senator and representative in the zone introducing him or herself to those individuals. In addition, responsibilities are:

(a) to bring any and all concerns regarding PBA matters to the attention of the local legislator. Strongly encourage the legislator to enact any legislation which would benefit PBA member attorneys;

(b) to bring any and all concerns of legislators representing the zone to the Board of Governors;

(c) to stay informed on legislative issues that affect the members in the zone or constituency and attorneys in general, using resources such as the PBA Legislative Department, PBA Bar News and the PA Lawyer;

(d) to bring issues of importance to the attention of the Legislative Staff and affected committee and sections as soon as possible;

(e) to act as a direct contact to legislators to ask for their assistance or vote for or against important issues. Also seek out members in the zone who may have contacts or be acquainted with a particular legislator and ask for their assistance in communicating with that individual;

(f) to stay attuned to the attitude and position of the members in the zone or constituency on proposed legislation in order to be able to cast a representative vote when the issue is discussed at Board and House meetings; and

(g) to encourage all members in the zone or constituency to make yearly PAC contributions.

MEMBERSHIP DEVELOPMENT RESPONSIBILITIES

(a) to become familiar with all PBA benefits and services, communicate them to members in the zone and encourage them to take advantage of these services;

(b) to become aware of the strengths and weaknesses of the membership in the zone. Target the weak areas and suggest ways that PBA can better address them;

(c) to recruit as many new members to the PBA as possible by using his or her best efforts and personal contacts if need be;

(d) to make good use of PBA publications by publicizing important occurrences within the zone or constituency and by publicizing local bar activities and individuals;

(e) to foster enthusiasm and interest in the Association and its activities whenever possible; and

(f) to encourage attorneys, both members and nonmembers, to become interested in attending PBA meetings, committee activities and social events.

MISCELLANEOUS

Other duties include:

(a) in addition to regularly called meetings of the Board of Governors and House of Delegates, attendance to other PBA functions is important. These include:

--Conference of County Bar Leaders Seminar --Young Lawyers Division Retreats --Annual Meeting --Midyear Meeting --Committee/Section Days --Minority Bar Conference --Women in the Profession Conference --Pro Bono Breakfast --Liberty Bell Award Luncheon

(b) service on special committees such as the Orientation Committee, Annual Meeting Committee, etc.;

(c) maintaining constant contact with the PBA staff to ensure that both the Governor and staff are informed of all changes in county bar offices and in the membership of county bars.

A Zone or At-Large Governor’s rewards for his or her years of sustained effort will be the satisfaction of serving the legal profession well, the inspiration of working closely with the leaders of the bar, and the pleasure of the warm and lasting friendships made along the way.