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Bar Association Constitution

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SimDemocracy Bar Association Constitution

Article 1: Application of this Act

§1. The SimDemocracy Bar Association (herein referred to as “SDBA”) shall be the official assembly of legal professionals of r/SimDemocracy and the SimDemocracy Discord server.

§2. Only members of the SDBA shall be allowed to represent other citizens of SimDemocracy in a court of law.

Article 2: Administration of the Bar Association

§1. The SDBA shall be led by the Director of the Bar Association.:

§1. The Bar Director shall be appointed by the President and confirmed by the members of the Bar Association with a simple majority (greater than half the number of voting members).:
§2. The procedures for confirming the Bar Director nominees may be changed by Bar Association Bylaws as long as these bylaws do not contradict Article 2§1.1 of this Act.
§3. No person shall be Attorney General and Director of the Bar Association simultaneously. The Director of the Bar Association shall not be considered an executive officer.:
§4. The Attorney General/ Chief Justice/ Chairman of the Ethics Committee of the Bar may choose to dismiss the Bar Director if they lose confidence in the Bar Director’s abilities. This non-confidence motion must be approved by a super majority (more than ⅔ of the voting members) of Bar members to take effect (the votes of those bar members who are absent/ or chose to abstain shall not be considered).

§2. The SDBA shall have an Ethics Committee, which shall perform duties assigned to it by the Bylaws of the Bar Association.

§1. The Ethics Committee’s members shall be elected/appointed and dismissed in accordance with the bylaws of the Bar Association.

Article 3: Membership of the Bar Association

§1. The Bar Director shall create, administer, and maintain a certification exam to ensure a high standard of legal knowledge for certified attorneys. To become a member of the SDBA, a person must pass the certification exam.

§2. The certification exam must be publicly available, and all citizens of SimDemocracy must have access to it.

Article 4: Disbarment

§1. Disbarment shall be defined as the revocation of an individual’s membership in the SimDemocracy Bar Association (SDBA), thereby prohibiting them from engaging in the practice of law in SimDemocracy.

§2. A person may be disbarred for the following reasons:

§2.1. Violation of SimDemocracy law.
§2.2. Breach of the SDBA Bylaws or binding Bar policies.
§2.3. Conduct involving dishonesty, fraud, deceit, or misrepresentation in a SimDemocracy court of law.
§2.4. Conduct that materially undermines the integrity, impartiality, or reputation of the SDBA or the legal profession.
§2.5. Persistent gross incompetence or persistent gross neglect of professional duties.

§3. The procedures governing disbarment shall be prescribed in the bylaws of the SDBA. Such procedures shall ensure that the accused member is afforded due process, including but not limited to the following:

§3.1. The right to be informed of the charges against them;
§3.2. The right to present a defense;
§3.3. The right to a fair and impartial hearing before the Ethics Committee.

Article 5: Bylaws of the Bar Association

§1. The Director of the SimDemocracy Bar Association (SDBA) or a group of 4 members of the Ethics Committee of the Bar Association shall have the authority to introduce, amend, or repeal bylaws governing the operation of the SDBA.

<ref name="nf italian">De Ordine Advocatorum Emendatio Constituti 2025</ref>§2. A member of the Bar Association may introduce, amend, or repeal bylaws governing the operations of the SDBA by presenting before the Ethics Committee a petition signed by at least four (4) other members of the Bar Association.

§3. No bylaw introduced, amended, or repealed shall take effect unless it has been approved by a simple majority vote of the members of the Bar Association who participate in the vote.

§4. The bylaws of the SDBA shall pertain exclusively to the internal affairs of the Association and shall not extend to matters beyond its jurisdiction.

§5. Any bylaw found to be in conflict with the provisions of this Act shall be deemed null and void to the extent of such conflict.

§6. In the event of any dispute or ambiguity regarding the interpretation or application of any SDBA bylaw, the Ethics Committee of the SimDemocracy Bar Association shall have the sole authority to interpret said bylaw.

Article 6: Miscellaneous

§1. The Bar Association Act 2023 is hereby repealed.

Article 7: Finance

<ref name="funding />§1. The SDBA’s budget shall be allocated as requested by the Bar Director to ensure that the OPD remains functional.

Repealed<ref name="funding>Bar Funding Fix Act 2025 passed by the Senate and signed by the President on 16 December 2025, and ratified by the bar on 17 December 2025.</ref>

<ref name="finance">SimDemocracy Bar Association Constitutional Amendment passed and signed on 20 May 2025.</ref> §1. The State of SimDemocracy shall bear the responsibility of funding the SDBA.

§2. There shall be constituted a Finance Committee consisting of the following five members:

§2.1. The Director of the SDBA, who shall be an ex officio member;
§2.2. The Chairperson of the Ethics Committee, who shall be an ex officio member;
§2.3. One member to be nominated by the Secretary of the Treasury, who shall hold office during the pleasure of the Secretary;
§2.4. One member, being a sitting Senator, to be nominated by the Speaker of the Senate, who shall hold office during the pleasure of the Senate and may be removed by a resolution passed by a simple majority of the Senate;
§2.5. One member, being a Judge of any Court established by law, to be nominated by the Chief Justice, who shall hold office during the pleasure of the Chief Justice.

§3. The Director of the SDBA shall submit a proposed budget to the Finance Committee once every two weeks. Upon approval of the proposed budget by a majority of the members of the Finance Committee, the Department of the Treasury shall release the requisite funds to the SDBA within twenty-four hours of such approval.

§4. The Finance Committee shall have the authority to audit the accounts of the SDBA every month. The audit report must be made available for public inspection.”

Article 8: Bar Administrative Pay

§1. The Bar Administration shall follow pay according to equivalent government positions, with the following pay grades.

§1.1. The Bar Director shall receive pay equivalent to a Cabinet Member
§1.2. Assistant Bar Directors shall receive pay equivalent to a Deputy Secretary.

§2. Mock Trial Judges, or their equivalent in future practical exercises as part of the Bar Exam, shall receive 100 tau per case (or exercise).

§3. Bar Administrative Pay shall be paid through the Bar Association Tau account, and included in reports to the Bar Finance Committee.

Article 9: Constitutional Amendments

<ref name="nf italian"></ref>

§1. The Director of the SimDemocracy Bar Association (SDBA), a group of four (4) members of the Ethics Committee, or a group of at least five (5) members of the Bar Association shall be able to propose amendments to the Bar Association Constitution before the Senate, which must approve or reject them through a simple majority vote within a reasonable time.

§2. No amendment to the Bar Association Constitution shall be enforced until it is approved by a two-third (⅔) majority vote of the members of the Bar Association in an internal referendum.

§2.1. If an amendment is not approved by a two-thirds (⅔) majority vote of the members of the Bar Association in an internal referendum, the Senate shall be entitled to pass it regardless with a two-third (⅔) majority vote.