Statute

ICLARS STATUTE

As approved in Palermo, Italy, General Assembly of the International Consortium for Law and Religion Studies on October 3, 2026

The "International Consortium for Law and Religion Studies" (hereafter "ICLARS") is hereby constituted.
The address of the ICLARS shall be the Dipartimento Cesare Beccaria of the University of Milan, via Festa del Perdono 7, 20122 Milan.
The general purpose of the ICLARS is to promote the development of studies of Law and Religion all over the world. In particular, it will be the ICLARS' task:

to promote collaboration between universities and other institutions undertaking research in this field;
to make available funds and facilities for research to the members of the ICLARS and to young scholars;
to promote meetings and contacts between scholars (including non-members);
to facilitate co-operation in the development of research and of academic or other expert training;
to provide consultation and co-operation services on behalf of public and private, national and international institutions in relation to the activities carried out by the ICLARS.

Membership shall be open to individual scholars undertaking teaching or research activities in the fields referred to in Article 3 and to individuals participating in the work of institutions and other experts interested in the same fields. Membership is also open to institutions but they shall not have the rights indicated in the Articles 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 14.
An individual or institution seeking membership shall be nominated by a member of the Steering Committee or shall apply for membership to the Association’s Secretariat. Upon submission of satisfactory biographical information, the name of the individual or institution applying for membership shall be submitted to the Steering Committee electronically or at a duly noticed meeting, and membership shall be granted upon the favourable majority vote of the members of the Steering Committee and provided payment of membership fees is made within thirty days.
Students recommended by members of the Association may become associate members upon payment of half of the membership fees of full members. Associates do not have the right to vote on Association matters and shall not receive free copies of the Oxford Journal for Law and Religion.
Each member shall pay an annual enrolment fee on admission and annually thereafter. The amount of the annual fee shall be fixed by the General Assembly on the proposal of the Steering Committee and may be changed from time to time. Members who fail to pay the annual fee by 31st March of each year shall be suspended from the rights and benefits of membership, which may be restored upon payment of all accrued arrears. Failure to pay the annual fee for four years shall result in automatic loss of membership. Lost membership may be reinstated upon application to the Steering Committee, who may approve it provided payment is made for three years of arrears. Reinstatement of lost membership on these favourable terms cannot be granted more than once.
A member may be expelled by a vote of two-thirds of the members of the Steering Committee.
The General Assembly of the ICLARS members shall be convened at the time of each ICLARS general congress, which in principle will be held biennially. Extraordinary assemblies may be called at the discretion of the Steering Committee or when at least one third of the members make a written request. Notice of the agenda of each General Assembly meeting (whether held in conjunction with a congress or as an extraordinary assembly) and of the time and place of such meeting shall be sent to members by electronic means not less than thirty-days in advance of the date of the proposed meeting, except when the Steering Committee determines that emergency circumstances require holding of a meeting without such notice.
Decisions of the General Assembly shall be taken by absolute majority of the members present and voting. No minimum quorum of members is required for the General Assembly to take action. Decisions of the General Assembly shall be sent to members by electronic means within thirty days following the General Assembly meeting at which the decisions were taken. When urgent decisions are to be taken, the Steering Committee can send a clearly formulated proposal to all the ICLARS members asking them to vote on the proposal. Decisions shall be taken by an absolute majority of the ICLARS members whose votes are received by the Secretariat within fifteen days after the proposal has been sent to the members.
The affairs and business of the Association are to be managed and conducted by the Steering Committee of the Association, which shall consist of the ICLARS President and twelve members, one of whom will be designated Vice-President in accordance with Article 15. At least four of the following five geographical regions shall be represented in the Steering Committee: (i) Africa, (ii) Asia, (iii) Europe, (iv) Latin America, and (v) United States, Canada, and Oceania. No country shall have more than one member in the Steering Committee, except in the case of region (v), where two persons of the same country can be members of the Steering Committee in the case of United States, Canada and Australia. For the purpose of the geographic distribution of members of the steering committee, ICLARS members will be considered attached to the country of their choice when they are citizen of two or more countries, when they develop their main academic work in a country other than the one they are national, or when they develop their main academic work in more than one country. Organizers of the ICLARS general congresses will be pro tempore members of the Steering Committee without a right to vote.
At least three months before a general congress of the Association at which the terms of existing officers expire, the President or the Steering Committee shall issue an official call for elections by electronic communication to current members of the Association. Individuals interested in being considered as candidates shall submit applications within 21 days from the date of the official call for elections by emailing applications directed to the President of the Association at the address indicated in the call for elections.
Applicants must be current with the payment of Association membership fees as of the date elections are officially called. Applicants must have been a member of the Association for at least three years.
An alphabetical list of the candidates for the Presidency and for the Steering Committee shall be emailed to members of the Association at least thirty days prior to the General Assembly meeting at which an election is scheduled.
The President and members of the Steering Committee shall be elected in a General Assembly meeting by secret ballot of those Association’s members with right to vote. Only Association members with a minimum membership of two years and current with the payment of the ICLARS membership fees as of the date elections are officially called shall have the right to vote for the President or the Steering Committee. Each member may be represented by another Association member by proxy; but no member can represent more than two other Association members.
The election of the President shall be conducted prior to the selection of the remaining members of the Steering Committee. The President shall be elected by an absolute majority of those present and voting. If this majority is not achieved at the first vote, a "run-off" ballot shall be held between the two candidates who have obtained the greatest number of votes. The President, after his election, and after election of the Steering Committee, will designate the Vice-President from amongst the members of the Steering Committee; such designation can be changed by the President at a later time.
For the election to the Steering Committee of members other than the President, no member can vote for more than twelve names. Members may not vote more than once for any candidate.
The terms of the President and the Steering Committee members shall continue until the second general congress of the Association after their election, except that if no congress is held for more than five years after their initial election, elections for their positions shall be held by electronic means according to Regulations to be prepared by the Steering Committee then in office, and providing notice of the election as provided in paragraph 11 above. The President cannot be re-elected. Any other member of the Steering Committee can be re-elected for a second term, but no more. Members of the Steering Committee remain eligible to be elected President at the conclusion of their second term.
If there is only one candidate for President, the candidate is declared President without a vote. In the event that there are twelve or fewer candidates for the position of member of the Steering Committee, they shall be declared members of the Steering Committee without a vote provided they are citizens of different countries, except in the case of members of region (v), where there can be up to two members of the same country for United States, Canada and Australia. If two or more candidates are from the same country in regions (i) to (iv), a vote to decide between them will take place, and the candidate who obtains the most votes will be elected. A similar procedure shall be followed if there are more than two candidates from the above-mentioned countries in region (v).
The Steering Committee by majority vote may fill vacancies that occur by reason of death, disability, resignation of the President or a member of the Steering Committee, or as a result of failure to elect a full complement of eight Steering Committee members (in addition to the President). In order to continue in office, the individuals thus appointed shall stand for election at the time of the next congress of the Association, in an election called in accordance with the procedures set forth above.
Policy decisions, administration and management tasks in relation to the ICLARS activity shall be taken and carried out by the Steering Committee which for this purpose shall have wide powers both as regards ordinary and extraordinary administration and also with regard to third parties. The Steering Committee shall take its decisions by majority vote. When votes are equal, the President's casting vote shall be decisive. Each member of the Steering Committee may be represented by another member by proxy; but no member shall cast more than two votes. The Committee shall be empowered, if so decided by an absolute majority of those present, to appoint one or more of its members as representatives for carrying out one or more tasks.
Former Presidents and former members of the Steering Committee, if they so wish, will become members of a Consultative Council whose function shall be to provide advice at the invitation of the current President on the activities of ICLARS. Membership will be for a four-year term and will be renewed every fourth year at the request of the person concerned communicated to the President, without limitation.
Every amendment to these Statutes will require the votes in its favour of at least two-third of those present and voting at a duly noticed General Assembly meeting.