In their November Illinois Bar Journal article, “A Palpable Conflict,” Anthony J. Longo and John M. Fitzgerald pit two ancient doctrines against each other: the law of the case vs. subject-matter jurisdiction. What happens, Longo and Fitzgerald ask, when subject-matter jurisdiction and the law-of-the-case doctrine clash? In other words, does the law-of-the-case doctrine really bar someone from relitigating the court’s subject-matter jurisdiction in a subsequent appeal? The authors, in their article, “A Palpable Conflict,” show that there is a split of authority on this issue. While the majority of reported Illinois decisions on this issue have held that the law-of-the-case doctrine indeed bars relitigating a court’s subject-matter jurisdiction, a minority of cases have found (or at least strongly suggest) that defects in subject-matter jurisdiction can indeed be raised at any time—including after the appellate court has already ruled that it does possess subject-matter jurisdiction.

At the December 2020 meeting of the ISBA Assembly, the Assembly shall elect four at-large delegates to the ABA House of Delegates, two from Cook County and two from outside Cook County. The nominees for these positions must be members of the ISBA in good standing from the appropriate area. The elected delegates will serve for two-year terms commencing June 2021 at the close of the ISBA Annual Meeting. The delegates will join the ISBA delegation in August 2021 at the ABA Annual Meeting.

Nominating petitions are now being accepted online for the upcoming ISBA election. In the spring, members of the ISBA will elect a third vice president (outside Cook County) and one seat each for the following Board of Governors seats: Area 1 (Circuit 18), Area 6 (Circuits 7, 8, and 9), and Area 8 (Circuits 3 and 20). There is also one Board of Governors seat in Cook County. There are 26 open seats for Cook County Assembly.

Join us from noon until 1 p.m. on Friday, November 13 to learn how to communicate better with clients, employees, and law firm colleagues with this in-depth discussion that explores different ways to build strong working relationships. Discover how to create an environment where everyone feels comfortable saying what they’re really thinking, how to build collaborative teams that are motivated to produce the highest quality work, how to promote flexible thinking, how to develop trust in a credible way, and much more.