diff --git a/mailnews/addrbook/resources/content/abMailListDialog.js b/mailnews/addrbook/resources/content/abMailListDialog.js
index 067e224fc41e..5db7e7de9b23 100644
--- a/mailnews/addrbook/resources/content/abMailListDialog.js
+++ b/mailnews/addrbook/resources/content/abMailListDialog.js
@@ -320,6 +320,8 @@ function OnLoadEditList()
 
   document.addEventListener("keypress", awDocumentKeyPress, true);
 
+  moveToAlertPosition();
+
   // workaround for bug 118337 - for mailing lists that have more rows than fits inside
   // the display, the value of the textbox inside the new row isn't inherited into the input -
   // the first row then appears to be duplicated at the end although it is actually empty.
@@ -336,8 +338,6 @@ function AppendLastRow()
   var listName = document.getElementById('ListName');
   if ( listName )
     listName.focus();
-
-  moveToAlertPosition();
 }
 
 function AppendNewRowAndSetFocus()