Can or should the board bring their lawyer to a meeting of the general membership?

[Guest Laura]

Can or should the board bring their lawyer to a meeting of the general membership?

If they do, can the general membership make a motion requiring the lawyer to leave?

[George Mervosh]

26 minutes ago, Guest Laura said:

Can or should the board bring their lawyer to a meeting of the general membership?

If they do, can the general membership make a motion requiring the lawyer to leave?

As to your first question, RONR doesn't say, but the membership controls their meeting and they may exclude any or all non-members any time they wish to. The board has no rights, collectively, at a meeting of the membership.

Edited February 19, 2019 at 06:12 PM by George Mervosh

[Guest Laura]

1 hour ago, George Mervosh said:

As to your first question, RONR doesn't say, but the membership controls their meeting and they may exclude any or all non-members any time they wish to. The board has no rights, collectively, at a meeting of the membership.

Thank you. Is there a RONR reference to that effect?

[George Mervosh]

5 minutes ago, Guest Laura said:

Thank you. Is there a RONR reference to that effect?

" A society has the right to determine who may be present at its meetings and to control its hall while meetings are in progress; but all members have the right to attend except in cases where the bylaws provide for the automatic suspension of members who fall in arrears in payment of their dues, or where the society has, by vote and as a penalty imposed for a specific offense, forbidden attendance."

"Nonmembers, on the other hand—or a particular nonmember or group of nonmembers—can be excluded at any time from part or all of a meeting of a society, or from all of its meetings. Such exclusion can be effected by a ruling of the chair in cases of disorder, or by the adoption of a rule on the subject, or by an appropriate motion as the need arises—a motion of the latter nature being a question of privilege (19). A motion to exclude all nonmembers (except absolutely necessary staff, if any) is often referred to as a motion to "go into executive session" (see 9)."   

RONR (11th ed.), pp. 644-645

Edited February 19, 2019 at 07:14 PM by George Mervosh
Fixing the page numbers

[Guest Laura]

4 minutes ago, George Mervosh said:

" A society has the right to determine who may be present at its meetings and to control its hall while meetings are in progress; but all members have the right to attend except in cases where the bylaws provide for the automatic suspension of members who fall in arrears in payment of their dues, or where the society has, by vote and as a penalty imposed for a specific offense, forbidden attendance."

"Nonmembers, on the other hand—or a particular nonmember or group of nonmembers—can be excluded at any time from part or all of a meeting of a society, or from all of its meetings. Such exclusion can be effected by a ruling of the chair in cases of disorder, or by the adoption of a rule on the subject, or by an appropriate motion as the need arises—a motion of the latter nature being a question of privilege (19). A motion to exclude all nonmembers (except absolutely necessary staff, if any) is often referred to as a motion to "go into executive session" (see 9)."   

RONR (11th ed.), pp. 644-645

Thank you!