ACPL’s past president and author, Thomas (Burke) J. Balch, JD, discussed the intersection of the practice of law and parliamentary procedure.
Burke explored when the parliamentarian’s work could constitute the practice of law. He examined various authorities and analogous situations from other professions. Burke is an author of the current edition, and immediate past editions, of Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised and Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised In Brief. He has twice served as Parliamentarian of the National Association of Parliamentarians and on the Parliamentary Research Team for the National Parliamentarian. He is licensed to practice law in Illinois; he received his B.A. from Williams College in 1977, and his J.D. from the New York University School of Law in 1983. He retired from work as a legislative analyst and lobbyist in 2016 and is now focused on his service to numerous organizations as a professional parliamentarian.
