WI Supreme Court approves citing of unpublished opinions, e-filing in appellate courts

On October 14, the Wisconsin Supreme Court adopted in principle a Wisconsin Judicial Council petition to amend Wis. Stat. § Rule 809.23(3) to allow citation of unpublished opinions for their persuasive value. The rule applies to opinions issued on or after July 1, 2009. Resources available from the Wisconsin Court System include the full text of the order and an audio recording of the hearing. The State Bar of Wisconsin website has also posted information regarding the adoption of the new rule, and the August 2008 issue of the Wisconsin Lawyer contains the article To Cite or Not to Cite: Should Wisconsin Permit Citing of Unpublished Opinions?, by Beth Ermatinger Hanan.

On October 28, the Supreme Court unanimously adopted, in principle, rule amendments introducing e-filing of Wis. Court of Appeals and Supreme Court cases. The anticipated effective date is July 1, 2009. For more information, including links to the petitions filed by the Court of Appeals and the Clerk of Supreme Court/Court of Appeals and a related Wisconsin Lawyer article, see this WisBar article. WisconsinEye provides links to the audio and video recordings of the hearing. Full text of the Supreme Court's order will be posted on the Wisconsin Court System website soon.

WSLL staff to attend WLA Annual Conference

Jane Colwin, State Law Librarian, and Connie Von Der Heide, Director of Reference & Outreach Services, will attend the 2008 annual conference of the Wisconsin Library Association November 4-7 at the Marriott Madison West hotel and conference center in Middleton. Colwin, who also serves on the Board of the Mid-Wisconsin Federated Library System, will attend programming and events relating to both public and law libraries. Von Der Heide is a member of this year’s conference planning committee, and she will also be a panelist on a program discussing the interrelatedness of reference, circulation and interlibrary loan services in public, academic, and special library settings.

2009 After Hours Subscriptions – Now’s the Time!

Wisconsin Attorneys: Would you like the convenience of using the State Law Library later in the evening or on weekends? Now’s the time to subscribe to our After Hours Service. A calendar-year subscription includes access to the library from 5pm to 10pm Monday through Friday, and 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays, and a convenient key fob for easy access into the building. As an After Hours subscriber, you’ll have access to the general library collection and all the electronic resources available on our public access PCs. You can also make photocopies and check out circulating library materials as needed. Details and application forms are available on our After Hours Service webpage.

The library has received several updated BNA Tax Management Portfolios. These concise guides, written by leading practitioners in the field, can be just the resource you need to research a specific tax-related issue.

Tax Issues of Educational Organizations, by John C. Stopel and Ronald D. Gorsline
Tax Management Inc. 2008
Call Number: KF 6289 .A1 T353 no.482

Educational organizations are faced with unique taxation issues involving scholarships, fellowship grants, corporate sponsorship and charitable contributions. This portfolio provides detailed discussion on these and other education-related tax issues.

Dynasty Trusts, by Christopher P. Cline
Tax Management Inc. 2008
Call Number: KF 6289 .A1 T35 no.838

This portfolio examines the use of trusts, which have significantly long and often perpetual duration, and analyzes state and federal income and inheritance estate taxes on such trusts.

Federal Taxation of Software and E-Commerce, by Gary D. Spraque and Robin A. Chesler,
Tax Management Inc. 2008
Call Number: KF 6289 .A1 T35 no.555

The main focus of this portfolio is on federal income taxation of software revenue. The portfolio addresses the relationship between copyright law and the Software Regulations (1998) for tax purposes.

Other additions to the collection:

New Title: Wages and Hours: Class and Collective Actions, by Laurie E. Leader,
Matthew Bender, 2008
Call Number: KF 3489 .L43 C5 2008

This treatise provides a roadmap for navigating class and collective actions involving the Fair Labor Standards Act. Chapters include: Hybrid or dual-filed collective actions, Multidistrict FLSA actions and Checklist for counsel in FLSA class actions.

New Video: Preparing for Your Deposition
State Bar of Wisconsin, 2008
Media Collection: KF 8900 .P84 2008

Also available in Spanish! Preparando su Declarcion
State Bar of Wisconsin, 2008
Media Collection: KF 8900 .P84 2008 SPANISH

This video is “designed to be given to clients to instruct them on how to give effective testimony during a deposition. Clients will learn how to avoid common mistakes made during a deposition, leading then to be more competent, relaxed and credible while giving testimony.”

See our latest New Titles list for the complete list of new arrivals.

For assistance in accessing these or other resources, please contact our Reference Desk.

The selections below are some of the State Law Library’s resources on products liability. Click on the titles for complete information.

To find more library materials, see this Library Catalog listing of subject headings for products liability. Or expand your search and locate items on product safety, consumer protection, and personal injuries. For assistance in accessing these or other resources, please contact our Reference Desk.

Books available @ WSLL

American Law of Products Liability 3d
KF1296 .H872
Timothy E. Travers
3rd ed.; (updated 2008)

Jury Instructions on Products Liability
KF8984 .E162 J84
Ronald W. Eades
4th ed.; (updated 2007)

Madden & Owen on Products Liability
KF1296 .M32 2000
David G. Owen, M. Stuart Madden, Mary J. Davis
3rd ed.; (updated 2008)

Products Liability: Design and Manufacturing Defects
KF1296 .B37
Lewis Bass
2nd ed.; (updated 2007-2008)

Products Liability in a Nutshell
KF1296.Z9 P48 2005
David. G. Owens
7th ed.; (2005)

Products Liability Reporter
KF1296.A6 P76
(updated 2008)

Restatement of the Law Third, Torts: Products Liability
KF395.A2 T63
American Law Institute
(updated 2008)

Internet Resources

Visit the Wisconsin State Law Library’s Legal Topics Page on Tort Law: Products Liability for a growing list of links to Internet resources. For related topics, visit our Legal Topics Index.

Did you know that KeyCite, the online citation verification service from Westlaw, is available for use by anyone who visits the Wisconsin State Law Library and Milwaukee Legal Resource Center? Traditionally, citator services such as KeyCite and Shepards have been used to verify that a case is still “good law” (i.e. has not been overruled), but these services can actually be used for much more than that.

Here’s our “Top Eleven” – because ten is not enough! – list of reasons to use KeyCite at WSLL or MLRC:

11. Citing cases are available on KeyCite as soon as they are added to Westlaw, usually the same day they are released.

10. KeyCite can be used to find parallel citations.

9. KeyCite can be used to learn whether a state or federal statute has been repealed.

8. KeyCite can identify proposed legislation affecting a rule or statute.

7. KeyCite is a great way to start research, find related cases and secondary sources that cite a particular case or statute.

6. KeyCite results lists can be restricted to focus on a particular jurisdiction or headnote.

5. KeyCite can be used to check the status of a U.S. Patent.

4. KeyCite includes citations from select Wisconsin Circuit Court decisions and orders.

3. Unpublished cases can be “KeyCited.”

2. KeyCite provides a graphical view of a case’s history – especially helpful for complex cases. See this Keycite tutorial for a demo.

1. KeyCite is available for FREE at the Wisconsin State Law Library and Milwaukee Legal Resource Center!

Product Research

Holiday shopping time seems to creep up and surprise me every year. Whether you’re buying toys and goodies for children … or just for you, consumer product information is always useful.

Some resources on researching products:

• Consumer Protection Resources (WI Dept. of Consumer Protection)
• Defective and Dangerous Products (Findlaw)
• Product Safety Standards (US Consumer Product Safety Commission)
• Recalls.gov (includes email alerts for new recalls)
• Toy Hazard Recalls (US Consumer Product Safety Commission)

Gov Gab

I’ve just added a delightful new discovery to my RSS feed reader: Gov Gab – your U.S. government blog. This fantastic blog gossips on a wide variety of topics, so entertaining that you forget you’re being informed. For a November treat, read their blog post on Thanksgiving, or a recent post on delicious pumpkin recipes.

(Curious about RSS feeds? Read our previous Tech Tip on using RSS feeds)

Notables for November

5th – In 1872, Susan B. Anthony breaks the law and votes. Watch a webcast discussing the trial of Susan B. Anthony from the Indiana Courts or read a summary of the trial from the Federal Judicial Center.

11th – Veterans Day

19th – Gettysburg address delivered. Celebrate by reading drafts of the address, or viewing photos and other materials at the Library of Congress.