16. Where a member of the discipline committee is absent or unable to act, a majority of the members of a division may validly proceed with the hearing and render a decision, provided one of them is the chair or a vice-chair.
If the member who is absent or unable to act is the chair or a vice-chair, the other members may validly make a decision, provided the hearing has ended and the decision is made without dissent.
For the purposes of the second paragraph, the members of the discipline committee who remain seized of a matter may be assisted by a legal counsel appointed by the board of directors. The legal counsel advises the committee on all questions of law or procedure, but abstains from committee decisions.