Queensland Law Society (QLS) Corporate Secretary Louise Pennisi has some important advice for anyone considering running in this year’s QLS Council election – don’t leave it until the last minute!
The election, including nominations, campaigning and voting, runs over a four-week period from 11 September to 9 October. Nominations close on Thursday.
“Having run a few elections over the years, there is an emerging pattern where you find a mad rush of nominations come through on the day that nominations close. Sometimes within the hour of closing,” Louise said.
“This is cutting it fine as there is a strict 4pm deadline and there have been occasions where the nomination form is incomplete or the seconders aren’t full members, for example they are insurance members or associate members.
“What ends up happening is the candidate frantically reaches out to colleagues to confirm they are full members to sign and complete their nomination form. It’s then a race against time before the 4pm deadline.
“If you are interested in nominating, please ensure you leave yourself plenty of time to finalise your nomination form well before nominations close.”
Then there is the all-important nominee profile, if you are serious about success.
“Don’t forget to complete your nominee profile as soon as you submit your nomination form, so your bio and headshot can be published from Friday 22 September,” Louise said.
“It is a statement of no more than 150 words relating to service to the community or legal profession, area of law in which they practise and any special interests. The headshot should ideally be a high-resolution photo between 300KB and 1MB.
“Candidates also have the option to provide a LinkedIn profile.
“Nomination form and nominee profile are available on the website and nominations close at 4pm AEST on Thursday 21 September.
“And if you want to have a sneak peek who has nominated, see qls.com.au/election.”
If you are unsure about the nomination process, Louise would like QLS members to know there is a comprehensive FAQ list if there are any queries.
Members can also contact elections@qls.com.au for anything further.
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