By Megan K. Scanlon, Chief Deputy Clerk
Court of Appeals of Virginia

Last year, you asked the Bylaws Committee to spend the next two years incorporating plain language into the NCACC Bylaws.  The enthusiastic 11-member subcommittee’s first task was to collect feedback from the top down: Executive Committee, Standing Committees, and Members. From that feedback, we learned that the Bylaws are in relatively good shape, but there is room for improvement.

We then moved on to examine each section, looking for inconsistent terms, unnecessary wordiness, and other issues that can interfere with usability. We also looked at the Bylaws holistically: Does the overall structure still make logical sense? Do sections overlap? We then developed a style guide, which will ensure consistency, and we’re now digging into the details, section by section. We’ll update you on our progress in Albuquerque and will then continue our work, aiming to finish in time to present our proposed revisions to the membership in 2026!

Many thanks to the Bylaws Committee and the committed volunteers on the plain language review project: Emily Wetherell, Greg Hilton, Julie Clement, Lilia Oquendo Solís, Matt Pollack, Megan Scanlon, Mercy Prieto, Muriel Pitney, Scott Mitchell, Steve Lancaster, Tiffany Mortier, Tristen Worthen, and Valerie Pompey.