A written parliamentary opinion is a formal document prepared by a professional parliamentarian in response to an inquiry from a client on a question of parliamentary procedure. There is a number of situations in which a written opinion can be very helpful for an organization and its members.

Often, something unusual will happen at a membership meeting or board meeting, and some of the members will be unsure as to whether the procedure followed was correct. They would like to know if the action or decision was valid, and often what, if anything, can be done to reverse it. The parliamentarian can examine the by-laws and other rules of the organization, in the context of general parliamentary procedure, and can render an impartial opinion on the matter, sometimes including suggestions on how to resolve the problem.

On the other hand, sometimes an organization, or some of its members, will be planning to do something unusual at an upcoming meeting, and will want an outside opinion on whether their plan is solid or not. Or in some cases, they know what they want to accomplish, but don’t know how to go about doing it. In both of these cases, a professional parliamentarian can review the necessary documents and pass judgment on the plan, if there is one, and usually suggest some improvements—or perhaps draft a whole new plan.

For more information about these services, or to hire a professional parliamentarian to serve your organization, please contact Raplyn Consulting.