(a) The Board of Commissioners of the Alabama State Bar may organize, create and establish a state law institute to be known as the Alabama Law Institute as an official advisory law revision and law reform agency of the State of Alabama.

(b) The institute shall have such members, officers and committees as the Board of Commissioners of the Alabama State Bar may direct.

(c) The governing body of the institute shall be a council composed of ex officio members and elected members as follows:

(1) One justice of the Supreme Court of Alabama, selected by the justices thereof.

(2) One judge of the Court of Civil Appeals of Alabama, selected by the judges thereof.

(3) One judge of the Court of Criminal Appeals of Alabama, selected by the judges thereof.

(4) One circuit court judge, selected by the Association of Circuit Court Judges.

(5) One federal judge residing in Alabama, selected by the federal judges residing in Alabama.

(6) The Attorney General of the State of Alabama.

(7) The legal advisor to the Governor of Alabama.

(8) The Chairman of the Judiciary Committees of the Senate and House of Representatives, or any attorney appointed by either of them who is a member of the Judiciary Committee.

(9) The President and Secretary of the Alabama State Bar.

(10) The chairman of the junior bar section of the Alabama State Bar.

(11) The Dean of the University of Alabama School of Law.

(12) The Dean of the Cumberland School of Law of Samford University.

(13) The dean of each privately operated law school in the State of Alabama whose graduates are admitted as candidates for examination and admission to the Alabama State Bar.

(14) The Dean of the Miles College Law School.

(15) The President and Secretary of the Alabama Law Institute.

(16) The attorney members of the Legislative Council of Alabama, together with the Secretary of the Legislative Council.

(17) Not less than three nor more than six attorney members appointed by the Governor of Alabama for terms to run concurrently with the term of the Governor.

(18) The Director of the Continuing Legal Education Program sponsored by the Alabama State Bar, the University of Alabama Law School and the Cumberland School of Law of Samford University.

(19) All elected members of the American Law Institute who reside in Alabama.

(d) The elected membership shall consist of two members who shall be elected from the members of the faculty of the University of Alabama School of Law, two members who shall be elected from the members of the faculty of the Cumberland Law School of Samford University and six practicing attorneys from each congressional district in the state.

(e) The term of office of the members of the judiciary who are ex officio members of the council shall be four years. The other ex officio members shall hold their positions during their respective terms of office. The terms of office of the elected members of the council shall be four years. The terms of office of the first elected members shall be fixed and determined by the Board of Commissioners of the Alabama State Bar and their successors shall be elected for terms of four years under such rules as the Board of Commissioners may adopt. Elected members of the council shall be eligible for reelection.

(f) Vacancies in the elected membership created by death, resignation or otherwise than by the expiration of the terms of office shall be filled by the council under such rules as it may adopt. Vacancies occurring through the expiration of terms of office shall be filled by election by the council under such rules as it may adopt.

The members of the Governing Council of the Alabama Law Institute shall serve without any compensation for services as such. The council may employ and fix and pay reasonable compensation to the director of the institute and his assistants, and may pay honoraria to members of the council who perform professional services for the institute, as authorized by the council.

The Board of Commissioners of the Alabama State Bar shall adopt a plan or plans of membership in the Alabama Law Institute so designed as to encourage and invite the cooperation of all members of the legal profession in the work of the institute.

The general purposes of the Alabama Law Institute shall be to promote and encourage the clarification and simplification of the law of Alabama to secure the better administration of justice and to carry on scholarly legal research and scientific legal work. To that end it shall be the duty of the Alabama Law Institute to:

(1) Consider needed improvements in both substantive and adjective law and to make recommendations concerning the same to the Legislature.

(2) Examine and study the law of Alabama and Alabama jurisprudence and statutes with a view of discovering defects and inequities and of recommending needed reforms.

(3) Receive and consider suggestions from judges, justices, public officials, lawyers and the public generally as to defects and anachronisms in the law.

(4) Recommend from time to time such changes in the law as it deems necessary to modify or eliminate antiquated and inequitable rules of law, and to bring the law of the state, both civil and criminal, into harmony with modern conditions.

(5) Render biennial reports to the Legislature and, if it deems so advisable, to accompany its reports with proposed bills to carry out any of its recommendations.

(6) Recommend the repeal of obsolete statutes and to suggest needed amendments, additions and repeals.

(7) Organize and conduct an annual meeting within the state for scholarly discussions of current problems in Alabama law, bringing together representatives of the Legislature, practicing attorneys, members of the bench and bar and representatives of the law teaching profession.

(8) Devise and carry out, through the facilities of the Legislative Reference Service and the Director and employees thereof, a plan for continuous Code revisions.

The Alabama Law Institute, in submitting reports to the Legislature, shall act solely in an advisory capacity. Its reports, studies and recommended publications shall be printed and shall be distributed by the Secretary of State in the same manner as acts of the Legislature.