PLA 2020 Annual General Meeting Notice

PLA 2020
Annual General Meeting
2 November 2020 at 6pm
Via video conference-facility provider, Zoom

Dear PLA Member

Please see the Notice of General Meeting below, including details of Officers and Committee members standing for election.

The Committee has been closely monitoring developments in respect of the COVID-19 pandemic, including the related public health guidance and legislation issued by the UK Government. As at the date of this notice, the number of people that can gather both publicly and privately is limited, depending on the circumstances. In light of these measures, and to protect the health and safety of our members and the wider community, we have taken the decision to hold the General Meeting “virtually”, with members participating through a secure video-conference facility. The Committee has determined that Zoom, the secure video-conference facility, would be best suited for these purposes.

The General Meeting will be held with the minimum required quorum present, including the Chair, the Committee members and a limited number of others (the “Permitted Attendees”), in order to conduct the business of the meeting. While we would have liked for as many members to “virtually” attend as possible, the Committee determined that arranging a facility for a possible 1,300-plus attendees would neither be cost-efficient nor proportionate to the PLA’s resources.

Notwithstanding these arrangements, members are strongly encouraged to vote at the General Meeting. In order to do so, members are strongly advised to appoint the Chair of the meeting as their proxy and otherwise complete their proxy voting instructions. To download a proxy form, please see the Notes to the Notice below.

Although members are not able to attend the General Meeting in person this year, member engagement and participation remains important. Therefore, we have taken the decision that members may submit questions relating to the business of the GM in advance of the meeting. Questions may be submitted via email using admin@pla.org.uk. We will publish the answers to questions on our website as soon as practicable after the General Meeting.

THE COMPANIES ACTS 1985 TO 2006

PRIVATE COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE AND NOT HAVING A SHARE CAPITAL

Property Litigation Association (the “Company”)

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that a General Meeting of the Company will be held via Zoom video conference-facility on Monday 2 November 2020 at 6pm for the purpose of transacting the following business:

1 To receive reports from:

The Chair
The Law Reform Committee
The Education and Training Committee
The Treasurer
The Website and Marketing Committee
The Regions Committee
The Junior PLA

2 To consider and, if thought fit, pass the following resolutions as ORDINARY RESOLUTIONS of the Company:

ORDINARY RESOLUTIONS

No 1: That the accounts of the Company for the financial year ended 31 August 2020 be approved by the Members. To download a copy of the unaudited accounts click here.

No. 2: That as the Company is entitled to exemption from audit the appointment of Auditors is not required in accordance with Section 477(1) of the Companies Act 2006 (the “Act”) and that the Members confirm that there is no requirement to obtain an Audit in accordance with Section 476 of the Act.

No.3: That the following persons be elected as Officers and Members of the Committee as the case may be:

Chair: Gary Lawrenson
Vice Chair: Mathew Ditchburn
Hon Treasurer: Mathew Ditchburn
Hon Secretary: Dellah Gilbert
Chair of Law Reform: Peter Bourke
Chair of Education and Training: Rebecca Campbell
Chair of Regions: Paul Barker
Chair of Website and Marketing: Mark Reading
Junior PLA: Anna Mullins

Dated: 16 October 2020

Registered office: One Fleet Place, London EC4M 7WS

Notes:

A Member entitled to attend and vote at the Meeting convened by the above Notice shall be entitled to appoint a proxy to attend, speak and vote in their place. You can only appoint a proxy using the proceedings set out in these notes and the notes to the proxy form.

The appointment of a proxy will not prevent a Permitted Attendee from subsequently attending and voting at the meeting, in which case any votes cast by the proxy will be excluded and the Permitted Attendee’s proxy appointment will automatically be terminated.

Any power of attorney or any other authority under which the proxy form is signed (or a duly certificated copy of such power or authority) must be included with the proxy form.

To be effective the instrument appointing a proxy, and (failing prior registration) any letter or power of attorney under which it is executed (or a duly certificated copy thereof) must be sent or delivered to the Company’s registered office (for the attention of Dentons Secretaries Limited) not less than 48 hours before the time for holding the meeting or adjourned meeting or (in the case of a poll taken otherwise than at or on the same date as the meeting or adjourned meeting) for the taking of the poll at which it is to be used, provided that a proxy and any such power or authority in respect of a poll to be taken otherwise than on the same day as the meeting or the adjourned meeting, but less than 48 hours thereafter, may be delivered to the Chair of the meeting at any time before the poll is taken.