WCCAS Membership Policy

The following process for the consideration and selection of new members, as proposed by the Membership Committee, was approved by Members at the WCCAS AGM 2022, and will be instituted commencing in 2023:

• Membership in WCCAS shall be by invitation only, upon nomination and election.

  • A candidate for membership should be nominated by one current member and the candidacy supported by two other members.

    1. None of the proposing or supporting members shall be from the same law firm or organization (including chambers) as the candidate nor be related to the candidate.

    2. A member may nominate or support the membership of only one candidate in each calendar year.

    3. Nominations shall be made in writing by way of a completed membership nomination form, which needs to be completed by the nominator with no input from the potential candidate. The nomination form should be submitted together with the written expressions of support of the three members supporting the nomination and include a publicly available CV demonstrating the candidate’s arbitration experience.

    4. Nominations may be submitted between 15 May and 15 September of each year and should be directed to either the Chair of the Membership Committee or the President of WCCAS who shall promptly forward the nomination to the Membership Committee.

    5. The Membership Committee shall consider all candidates proposed in this manner and decide whether to recommend each candidate for election.

• The Membership Committee shall be comprised of at least six members of WCCAS and shall include the current President. At least two members of the Membership Committee shall have British Columbia as their professional home and at least two members of the Membership Committee shall have Alberta as their professional home. No more than two members of the Membership Committee may be from the same law firm or organization.

• A candidate may be recommended for membership upon a two-thirds vote of the Membership Committee. Members of the Membership Committee must abstain from voting upon the recommendation of any candidate from their law firm or organization (including chambers) or to whom they are related. The Membership Committee may also request that the proposing member provide more information regarding the candidate, in which case the candidate’s nomination will be deferred to the following year for consideration.

• The Chair of the Membership Committee shall prepare an Annual Report to the Membership that includes its recommendations with all nomination proposal forms and supporting materials for presentation to the Members at the Annual General Meeting. Those members nominating a candidate shall be advised if their candidate has been recommended for membership. The Annual Report shall be circulated in advance of the Annual General Meeting.

• The recommendations shall be presented to and acted upon by the members at the Annual General Meeting. Non-nominating members shall have an opportunity to comment on any candidates at the Annual General Meeting. A two-thirds vote of all Members is required to elect a new member.

• All discussions, proceedings, communications and reports related to proposals, recommendations or refusals for membership shall be held in strictest confidence by the members of the Membership Committee.

• The Membership Committee’s Annual Report and any discussions at the Annual General Meeting regarding candidates shall also be held in the strictest confidence by all members. In particular, no member may inform a candidate that she or he is under consideration for nomination or recommended as a member.

• Following the Annual General Meeting, the President shall extend an offer of membership to the successful candidates who must then meet any obligations related to membership such as payment of the membership fee before formally becoming members of WCCAS.