At the December 13, 2024, meeting of the ISBA Assembly, four “At-Large” Delegates to the ABA House of Delegates will be elected, two from Cook County and two from the area outside Cook County. The nominees for these positions must be members of the ISBA, in good standing, and from the appropriate area at the time the ABA term commences. The elected delegates will serve for two-year terms commencing June 2025 and will join the ISBA delegation in August at the ABA annual meeting in Toronto.

In coordination with Fastcase, the Illinois State Bar Association has offered a free legal research member benefit since 2006, providing access to cases, statutes, and regulations. In 2023, Fastcase merged with vLex, a global leader in legal intelligence, raising questions about the future of this essential service. But rest assured: vLex Fastcase remains committed to democratizing the law and enhancing legal research tools. This member benefit has been substantially upgraded with enhanced features, while keeping the service completely free for ISBA members.

Organizational Summary The Illinois Judges Association (IJA) consists of over 1250 current sitting and retired Illinois state court judges. The Association supports judicial excellence and professional development and judicial education, fosters public confidence in an independent judiciary, works to preserve the independence of the judiciary by educating the public and students, and promotes a diverse judiciary that administers justice in a fair and impartial court system. Position Summary

 In her October 2024 Illinois Bar Journal article, “Much Ado About Little,” Katherine Hanson questions whether, as some legal scholars have claimed, that the COVID-19 pandemic may have paved the way toward extinction of the doctrine of forum non conveniens due to the technological innovations the pandemic ushered in.