Community Leaders
Congratulations and thank you! By leading and/or serving on a Corporate Legal Operations Consortium (CLOC) Committee, you are contributing your expertise to the evolution of the legal operations profession and the business of law. We believe that through this volunteer experience, you will enhance your leadership skills and enrich your own professional standing by serving as a thought leader within the industry.
This guide is intended to provide you with governance ideas, forms, and policies, with additional information that will support and help you start, build, and lead a successful committee.
Again, we sincerely appreciate you stepping up for the CLOC Community.
CLOC Board of Directors and Staff
CLOC members, over the years, have requested Committees be formed to focus on initiatives and aspects of Legal Operations and to create spaces for meeting to discuss and develop materials, policies, and support the work of CLOC and the Core 12 in expanding its reach to various sectors of the Legal Operations community at large. In summation, CLOC Committees are intended to support and enhance membership value as an opportunity to contribute to the body of knowledge and give back to the industry.
Committees are expected to follow the guidelines and abide by CLOC’s Committee policies described herein. We ask that all Committee Leaders become familiar with this committee guide. The CLOC Community Team is also available to support your efforts and answer any questions you may have.
CLOC Committees create and deliver outcomes or a body of work. Committees are established to support the strategic goals of the organization, and/or to give members, through a collaborative team of experts, the ability to assess, identify, and define the need for resources, policies, and initiatives in a Core 12 functional area.
A Committee provides members with the opportunity to act and facilitate change or enhance issues that the legal ecosystem faces each day. This work benefits members and the industry and helps navigate the future of legal operations.
A committee status may be considered Open, Idle, or Closed:
A Committee provides members with the opportunity to act and facilitate change or enhance issues that the legal ecosystem faces each day. This work benefits members and the industry and helps navigate the future of legal operations.
CLOC Committees are open to all Legal Operations Professionals and Ecosystem members in good standing, in accordance with the committee charter. Only Legal Operations Professionals Members can initiate the committee charter request. Current members in good standing may join a committee at any time, however, individuals must keep their CLOC membership in good standing to remain a member of a committee. New members are encouraged to join committees as part of their registration process.
Essentially, you will work to identify needs, facilitate discussions, and act as the project manager — organize meetings, identify committee members, assemble sub-committees, and manage the timeframe for the Committee’s outcome.
Most outcomes from Committees result in a body of work or tangible industry resources that benefit the CLOC membership and the entire legal ecosystem. Most committees focus on the CLOC Core 12 when defining their goals. All committee members’ names and companies are listed in every published piece for group recognition.
The CLOC Community Team provides ongoing support for Committee leaders including help with setting up a new committee, providing strategic direction, setting up meeting logistics, managing communications, and can also assist with speakers and content by request. Further, each committee is given an online group page in Community Connect, which includes a space for discussions and a document library for sharing materials. This serves as the central committee hub for asynchronous connection and to gather committee members’ ideas and support.
Committees are expected to follow the guidelines and abide by CLOC’s Committee policies described herein. We ask that all Committee Leaders become familiar with this committee guide. The CLOC Community Team is also available to support your efforts and answer any questions you may have.
Committees must operate within CLOC’s regular policy and operations framework by following and agreeing to all regular CLOC policies outlined below:
In addition, committee leaders agree to the following:
The Board of Directors and CLOC Management Team may, within its discretion, create Core 12 functional area committees or internal programs as deemed desirable from time to time for the purpose, among others and without limitation, of facilitating communication among members regarding specific issues or other matters of concern to the organization. In this case, current committee’s leaders of related active committees may be selected to develop the committee charter.
In addition, the Board of Directors and Management Team may establish or terminate a committee and/or committee members, or modify the terms of reference of any committee, in each case as CLOC deems necessary or advisable in the best interests of its members.
CLOC Committees are open to both Legal Operations Professionals and Ecosystem CLOC members, depending on the charter and purpose of the committee. While the committees are open to all, the same CLOC guidelines apply that at no time will solicitation of in-house members by a legal service provider or law firm member ever take place.
Existing committees are reviewed annually to ensure they continue to support the organization’s strategic direction and remain in compliance with their committee charter.
If you are interested in proposing a CLOC Committee, please complete the prospective committee proposal form and submit for approval. You may be asked to create a brief survey to the membership to understand and align goals for the proposed committee. This is also a great way to gauge interest in committee member support.
UPON CHARTER APPROVAL
Volunteer leaders are critical to supporting the CLOC Community, so it is important that Committee Leaders acknowledge the following expectations:
Term Limit:
Committee chairs shall serve for two-year terms, with co-chairs rotating off in alternating years to preserve leadership continuity.
We understand there are unforeseeable changes and if at any time a Leader needs to step down, CLOC’s Community Team will work with the remaining co-chair (if any) and/or the members to replace the departing Co-Chair. We require that any committee leadership departures are documented and sent via email at least two weeks prior to departure.
In order to allow for more opportunities for leadership, CLOC members may only hold one leadership position at a time – a Regional Group Leader, Board Member, Education Advisory Council Member, or Committee Chair.
Additionally, CLOC has the ability to require committee co-chairs to step down at any time, in full discretion, no questions asked.
Setting Up Your Meeting:
The first step in setting up and promoting your meeting is to complete the meeting request form. Please complete this form no less than 4 weeks in advance of your intended meeting date. This form gives the CLOC staff all the necessary information to help set up and promote your meeting. CLOC staff will distribute an invitation for upcoming meetings once the meeting is posted to the CLOC Community Connect calendar.
Meeting Structure & Cadence:
The leader’s primary role is as facilitator and project manager. Following are recommendations for leading your committee meeting & amplifying committee impact:
Staff Resource: All Committees have an assigned staff liaison to provide support, including:
Other Resources:
