It was once common practice for organizations to have two separate governing documents, a constitution and by-laws, but this has fallen out of favor because of the ease of use, increased clarity, and reduced chance of conflict inherent in a single, unified document.[1] This single document, while properly referred to as the by-laws, is often referred to as a constitution or a constitution and by-laws.[16] Unless otherwise provided by law, the organization does not formally exist until by-laws have been adopted.[17]