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About NALP >  Governance >  Proposed Governance Change 2026

2026 - Proposed Governance Changes

At the 2026 Annual Business Meeting, held on April 17, NALP leaders announced proposed changes to the association's membership and governance structures. 

Hear directly from Task Force and Board members at the NALP Member Town Hall Discussion on July 28 at 2:00 pm ET. Register here


Learn more in the sections below.


Memo to NALP Members

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June 1, 2026

Memo to NALP Members from Michael J. Ende, President; Alison Ashe-Card, Immediate Past President; and Nikia Gray, Executive Director

RE: Proposed Amendments to NALP Bylaws

During the course of NALP's 2025-2026 business cycle, NALP's Governance Review Task Force, chaired by Tony Waller (University of Georgia School of Law), undertook a review of our bylaws with an eye to updating them and developing a more inclusive NALP membership model. This model was shaped by our members' direct input gathered through surveys, meetings, and focus groups over the past two years. As a result of the Task Force's good work, we are delighted to be able to share a set of recommended bylaws amendments that you will be asked to adopt during an electronic voting period scheduled for September 2026.

The new membership model — which we are calling the "All-In" membership model — is designed to:

  • Offer greater value across both our law schools and legal employer communities;
  • Better reflect the diversity of our membership and lower barriers to participation; and
  • Enable NALP to be more responsive to the way members work today and in the future.


To enable the implementation of the "All-In" membership model, the Task Force, the NALP Board, and NALP staff conducted a comprehensive review of our voting structure, evaluating multiple methodologies against the values of fairness, engagement, transparency, and preparedness. This past February, the Task Force proposed the recommended changes to our bylaws, which will meaningfully strengthen how members participate in NALP's governance, including a move to a "one member, one vote" structure for regionally elected positions. The 2025-2026 NALP Board of Directors considered these changes and voted unanimously and enthusiastically in support of them.

This is a meaningful moment for our association. Building on our core value of inclusion, the proposed changes to the membership model will ensure that more members, at more career stages and in more contexts, can access the full benefits of belonging to NALP. Additionally, the proposed new voting structure will enable a more representative voting process and create more opportunities for members to shape the future of our association.

Between now and this fall, when voting members are asked to vote on the bylaws amendments, we will be sharing more information about these changes and how they are going to benefit you. We will also provide opportunities for you to have all your questions answered, including in the Town Hall that will take place in July.

If you have any questions, please contact any of us, a Board member, or any member of the Governance Review Task Force.

Proposal From the Governance Review Task Force

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1. Background

As an outgrowth of the 2023 Strategic Plan, the Governance Review Task Force (Task Force) was asked to analyze our current membership structure taking into account increasing branch office growth and remote work structures. The Board also charged the Task Force with considering the voting structure in light of any suggested membership structure change. After two years of member engagement, surveys, and Board, Regional Leadership Council, and Task Force meetings and outreach, we developed a number of recommendations.


2. Re-imagining Organizational Membership

NALP’s current membership structure was created when most legal employers had one office in one city. The structure has been amended over time to accommodate the proliferation of multi-city law firms to allow for separate memberships for each office or place of business. At present, there is inconsistency in NALP organizational membership. Some firms provide it, and some do not. Remote and hybrid work has also created inconsistency in individual memberships, as the current NALP structure ties employee membership to a specific physical office. This has unintentionally created situations in which employees who are not assigned to an office that holds NALP membership may have limited engagement opportunities.

The Task Force recommends amending the bylaws to simplify Organizational Membership for multi-office organizations by removing the need for an organization to purchase a separate membership for each additional office.


3. Re-imagining Individual Membership

Since NALP’s founding, membership benefits have been tied to an individual’s employer and included discounted rates for conferences, publications, data, and professional development resources. Under the current model, one designated “Main Member” holds the organization’s voting rights, while organizations may pay additional fees for “Member Employees” to receive membership benefits without voting rights. This structure has often forced organizations to limit who receives access to those benefits.

The Task Force recommends a more inclusive "All-In" membership model that would extend membership benefits — including voting rights in most NALP elections — to more employees within Member Organizations.


4. Re-imagining NALP Voting Eligibility for Member Employees

A recurring theme throughout the Task Force’s surveys, meetings, focus groups, and other outreach was Member Employees’ frustration at being unable to vote in regional elections, including for the Nominating Committee, Regional Leadership Council, and Conference Planning Committee.

To better align with NALP’s core value of inclusion, the Task Force recommends a "one member, one vote" model for regionally elected positions, allowing all duly registered Member Employees to vote. Member Organizations would continue to designate one "Organizational Voting Member" to vote on governance matters, Officer and Director slates, as well as regional elections on behalf of the organization.

Supporting Documents

View the PDF of the redline version.

View the PDF of the clean version — this is how the Bylaws will appear if the changes are approved by the membership in September.

View as a PDF

This document reflects the proposed substantive, organizational, and structural changes to the NALP Bylaws by the Governance Review Task Force.

I. Offices

  • No changes to this section.


II. Membership

  • Updated language to refer to Law School Member Organizations and clarified that Law School Member Organizations include not only those accredited by the American Bar Association, but also those law schools accredited by any state or regional accreditor recognized by the State Bar or Supreme Court of that State, or by accreditors approved by the U.S. Department of Education (2.2a(ii)).
  • Updated language to refer to Employer Member Organizations and added that such members may hold separate memberships for each country they are located in (2.2b(iii)) to clarify change in 2.2c.
  • Removed reference that Members with multiple offices could hold separate memberships for each office or place of business (2.2c).
  • Revised section to allow each Member Organization to designate any number of its employees or partners to receive the Member Organization's benefits as Member Employees. This section replaces the former "Main Member" construct (2.3).
  • Provided that each Member Organization is entitled to one vote in officer/director elections, bylaws amendments, and other matters of concern, exercised by a designated Organizational Voting Member (2.3a).
  • The Organizational Voting Member and Employee Members, referred to as Individual Voting Members, are to be designated by the Member Organization in writing during membership renewal (2.3a(i) and 2.3b).
  • Provided that each Individual Voting Member is entitled to vote in elections of Annual Education Conference Planning Coordinators, Regional Representatives, and/or Nominating Committee Members (2.3b).
  • Set forth designation, notice, and deadline requirements for Organizational Voting Members and Individual Voting Members (2.3a, 2.3c).
  • Clarified that Organizational Voting Member voting rights may be transferred within a Member Organization, while Individual Voting Member voting rights are not transferable (2.3a, 2.3b).
  • Reaffirmed that no voting by proxy is permitted (2.3a, 2.3b).
  • Reconciled and reorganized language regarding suspension or termination of membership for cause, including notice, voting thresholds, and electronic meeting participation (2.6).
  • Clarified Affiliate status as non-voting and refined admission, suspension, and termination authority (2.7).


III. Dues and Fees

  • No substantive changes to Section III. Updated language to refer to Member Employee (3.1).


IV. Annual Business Meeting

  • No substantive changes to Section IV. Updated language to refer to Member Employee (4.3).


V. Member Voting

  • Updated the language to replace the reference to the Main Member with the Organizational Voting for the election of officers and directors (5.1).
  • Updated the language to reference that it is the Individual Voting Members who will vote in the elections of the Annual Conference Planning Coordinators, Regional Representatives, and Nominating Committee Members (5.2).
  • Clarified the Board's authority to submit other matters of concern to the membership for a vote and to determine the appropriate voting body, whether the Organizational Voting Member or the Individual Voting Members (5.3).
  • Clarified that matters primarily affecting students or law school educational issues are decided by a majority of Law School Members participating in the vote (5.3).


VI. Board of Directors

  • No substantive changes to Section VI. Updated language to refer to Member Organizations and Member Employee (6.1) and Organizational Voting Members (6.4).


VII. Officers and Administrators

  • No substantive changes to the provisions relating to Officers and Administrators. Updated language to refer to Member Organizations (7.8).
  • Clarified that while the Executive Director will serve as the Secretary, the Board has the authority to elect someone other than the Executive Director, to allow for consistency with 7.1 (7.12).


VIII. Meetings of the Board of Directors

  • No changes to Section VIII.


IX. Nomination, Election, Replacement, and Removal of Officers and Directors

  • No substantive changes to provisions related to Section IX. Updated language to refer to the Organizational Voting Members (9.4 and 9.8).


X. Elected Positions Within NALP Regions

  • No substantive changes to provisions related to Section X. Updated language to refer to the Individual Voting Members (10.5a).


XI. Committees

  • No substantive changes to provisions related to Section XI. Updated language to refer to the Member Employee (11.1c).


XII. Fiscal and Membership Years

  • No substantive changes to provisions related to Section XII.


XIII. Notices

  • No substantive changes to provisions related to Section XIII. Updated language to refer to the Member Organization (13.1).


XIV. Parliamentary Authority

  • No substantive changes to provisions related to Section XIV.


XV. Corporate Seal

  • No substantive changes to provisions related to Section XV.


XVI. Operations

  • No substantive changes to provisions related to Section XVI.


XVII. Indemnification

  • No substantive changes to provisions related to Section XVII.


XVIII. Bylaws Amendments

  • No substantive changes to provisions related to Section XVIII. Updated language to refer to the Organizational Voting Members (18.1).


XIX. Effective Dates

  • No substantive changes; clarified language to ensure consistency (19.1).


XX. Dissolution

  • No substantive changes to provisions related to Section XX.

View the list of NALP leaders (PDF)

FAQs: Proposed Changes to NALP Governance and Membership Structure

  • NALP’s proposed new membership structure would achieve two goals:
    • Allowing more employees/professionals within a NALP member organization to join NALP without incurring the costs of additional individual member fees.
    • Simplifying membership for multi-office organizations.
  • NALP's proposed voting structure would change to reflect strong member interest in having a direct voice in regional elections. The new structure is designed to increase participation, transparency, and engagement, while maintaining the importance of regional and member employer-type representation. It also gives members a direct responsibility role in electing the Nominating Committee, which finalizes a slate of candidates for NALP’s Officers and Board of Directors. The Nominating Committee's slating process ensures a careful balance of experience, skills and characteristics needed by the Board in any given year.
  • The new membership model would be an “All-In” organizational membership for law schools and legal employers.
  • This would allow each member organization to designate any number of its employees (including law firm partners) to receive the member organization’s benefits.
  • Each member organization would only need one membership to cover all of their offices and employees. All offices of a member organization would collectively hold one membership, and members having multiple offices would no longer hold separate memberships for each office.
  • Members with offices in multiple countries must hold separate organizational memberships for each country with an office with any employee(s) who want to receive member organization benefits.
  • The new voting structure, “one member, one vote,” would allow any registered NALP member to vote in their regional elections. These elections include the Regional Leadership Council, Nominating Committee, and Conference Planning Committee positions.
  • US: No changes have been proposed regarding how members vote within regions. Registered NALP members in the US are organized into five “general regions:” Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Southeast, Midwest, and West/Rocky Mountain. Within each general region, each individual US member would still be able to vote for candidates from their own membership type (for example, law school or legal employer) to serve on the Regional Leadership Council, Nominating Committee, and Conference Planning Committee. US Members would still vote only within their assigned region and membership type; they would not vote across regions or for candidates from a different member category. For example, a law school member in the Northeast would vote for Northeast law school candidates for each of these positions.
  • Canada: No changes have been proposed regarding how members vote within regions. Registered NALP members in Canada are part of NALP’s “limited region.” Within this region, each individual Canadian member would still be able to vote for candidates to serve on the Regional Leadership Council, Nominating Committee, and Conference Planning Committee. Unlike in NALP’s general regions (in the US), there is no membership-type restriction on voting; Canadian members would still be able to vote for candidates regardless of whether they are a law school or legal employer member.
  • No changes have been proposed to regions. In the US, regional elections would still be by member employer type, within NALP’s current regional structure. Employer individual voting members would vote in their region for employer members. School individual voting members would vote in their region for school members. Canadian individual voting members would vote for all candidates in the Canadian limited region.
  • All offices of a member organization would collectively hold one vote to approve the Nominating Committee’s proposed slate of NALP’s Board of Directors and Officers. As was done previously, the Nominating Committee's slate will be presented to the membership for approval. Thereafter, member organizations would vote to approve or reject the full slate (rather than voting on individual candidates). Each member organization casts one vote by the person who is named as the “organizational voting member.”
  • In determining how to vote, the organizational voting member should gather input from other NALP members within their organization. NALP will provide guidance and best practices to support this process and promote meaningful engagement across member organizations.
  • This approach reflects NALP’s membership structure, in which organizations hold membership and voting authority on governance matters. It also balances individual member input, through the regional election of Nominating Committee members, which is responsible for developing the slate.
  • All offices of a member organization would collectively hold one vote to approve bylaw and other governance changes. As was done previously, votes on changes to NALP’s bylaws will be conducted at the organizational level, rather than by individual members. Each member organization casts one vote by the person who is named as the “primary member.”
  • In determining how to vote, the primary member should gather input from other NALP members within their organization. NALP will provide guidance and best practices to support this process and promote meaningful engagement across member organizations.
  • This approach reflects the view that governance decisions are best made at the organizational level, while still incorporating input from individual members. It is also intended to support a transparent and consistent voting process across the membership.
  • An electronic voting period will open in September 2026, during which NALP membership will vote on these proposed changes to membership and voting procedures. As the vote is a governance decision, voting will be conducted at the organizational level, under the current voting procedures.
  • If the proposed changes are adopted:
    • The new membership structure will be put into effect in the Fall of 2027, during the 2028 annual membership renewal process.
    • Regional elections under the new “All-In” voting model will begin in Spring 2028.

Additional Resources

NALP Governance Update: Working Together by Tony Waller
May 2026 Bulletin+ article

Additional articles to follow

Timeline

Proposed Bylaws Changes Timeline

Side by Side Comparison of Current and Proposed Membership Structures

NALP Membership Structures - Comparison