Wisconsin State Law Library

What's New – Connie Von Der Heide

National Library Week 2012 - Spring Training @ WSLL

"Batter Up!" The start of a new season of America's Pastime is a sure sign of spring – and so is National Library Week, observed every April in libraries across the country. Throughout the week of April 9th WSLL will celebrate both of these time-honored traditions, so please join us for National Library Week - Spring Training @ the Wisconsin State Law Library.

"Come on out to the park!" We cordially invite all past, present and prospective library users to our National Library Week Spring Training party, Tuesday, April 10, 3:00 – 4:30 p.m. in the WSLL Reading Room. (No tickets necessary, and there's plenty of seating!)

Our Lady Justice statuette will be properly attired to preside over the festivities from home plate while you enjoy some tasty treats and register for door prizes. You can also check out the stats and playing positions of our newly formed team of "heavy hitters" - The WSLL Recommenders! - and enter your best guess in the "Which Case is a Foul Ball" quiz, for which all correct entries will go into a prize drawing at the end of the week. Please join us!

Ready to extend your range on Westlaw? On Thursday afternoon, April 12 Kara Higdon, our Westlaw representative, will be in the WSLL dugout (computer training room) to help you learn a few power-searching techniques. Discover field restriction searching, harness the power of Key Numbers, and learn how to use KeyCite effectively. Improve your game with these skills and find the sweet spot in your legal research – you'll be hitting the ball out of the park in no time! Seating is limited in this CLE-accredited class, so register today!

Finally, here's a quick and easy way to brush up on your WSLL catalog searching skills, and discover a few good books in the WSLL collection at the same time. Take our National Library Week online quizzes - one for fiction titles and the other for nonfiction. Try them both and see if you can hit a grand slam!

We look forward to your participation and hope you enjoy our entire Spring Training series. Happy National Library Week – and "Play Ball!"

May 1 is Law Day

Another time-honored tradition is Law Day, observed every May 1 since its establishment in 1958 by President Dwight D. Eisenhower to mark the nation’s commitment to the rule of law. Activities are now being planned in courthouses around the country – including several right here in Wisconsin - to support the American Bar Association’s 2012 theme, “No Courts, No Justice, No Freedom” and promote public understanding of how courts and the judicial process work.

Here in Madison, the Dane County Legal Resource Center (DCLRC) will assist the Dane County Bar Association (DCBA) by providing both space and access to library materials for their members (attorneys) who volunteer to provide free legal consultations. The courthouse will be open to the public that day for tours and other events, and anyone may take advantage of this free consultation opportunity. A complete listing of the DCBA’s Law Day activities may be found in this recent press release.

To learn about Law Day plans taking shape in other Wisconsin counties – and ways for attorneys to get involved in making those plans happen – see this article published in the Winter 2012 issue of The Third Branch, a quarterly publication of the Wisconsin Court System.

WSLL Staffer Attends Library Technology Conference

Carol Hassler, WSLL webmaster & cataloger, recently attended the 5th annual Library Technology Conference on the campus of Macalester College in St. Paul, MN. In addition to three nationally recognized keynote speakers, the conference offered over 80 traditional, workshop, hands-on and poster sessions led by 115 presenters from more than 65 different libraries, on topics ranging from usability testing to cloud computing, and from privacy issues to mobile computing.

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This Just In… – Pete Boll

Updated! Lawyer Disqualification: Conflicts of Interest and Other Bases, 2012 Cumulative Supplement, by Richard E. Flamm.
Banks and Jordan Law Publishing.
WSLL Call Number: KF 308 .F53 2003

In earlier days of the legal profession it was rare thing for a lawyer to petition the court for an order disqualifying opposing counsel. Now, however, such attempts are more common. Attorney Flamm, one of America's leading experts on conflict of interest and attorney disqualification, discusses in detail all of the grounds for seeking to disqualify a lawyer or firm. He also discusses procedures for filing and deciding disqualification motions, available defenses to disqualification, and many other relevant topics. At over 1,000 pages, this 2012 cumulative supplement thoroughly updates all 36 chapters of the 2003 volume - including footnotes, annotations, and case notes.

Updated! Employment Law Manual for Wisconsin Employers, 2012 Update, by Thomas P. Krukowski.
Krukowski & Costello, S.C.
WSLL Call Number: KFW 2734 .W5 E46

An excellent resource for HR and legal professionals, this manual will help any Wisconsin business manage employment relations as well as protect their legal rights. The 2012 update covers the latest federal and Wisconsin legislation, regulatory actions, and judicial interpretations of employment law. Twenty five of the 30 chapters have been updated, with three chapters replaced in their entirety: Individuals with Disabilities; Workplace Violence; and Discipline. The updated 2012 CD-ROM contains all forms and policies provided in the Manual, including the model employee handbook – as well as many of the latest federal and Wisconsin government publications in digital format.

See our latest New Titles list for a list of new books and other resources.

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

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MLRC News – Kellee Selden-Huston, MLRC Library Assistant

Milwaukee County legal-related service programs expand to meet need

Kellee's article originally appeared in the Winter 2012 issue of The Third Branch, a quarterly publication of the Wisconsin Court System. It is reprinted here with permission.

More and more people are depending on the free law-related services in the Milwaukee County Courthouse, including the Milwaukee Legal Resource Center (MLRC) and the Milwaukee Justice Center (MJC), which partners with Marquette Volunteer Legal Clinic.

The MLRC is serving about 55% more people than just one year ago. Approximately 3,680 people used the MLRC in January 2012, compared to an average of 2,080 patrons per month in 2011. That's true even though the Resource Center is temporarily operating in a space (Room G10-1) that's only one-third the size of its former location.

Once a "law library" serving mostly judges and lawyers, the MLRC's collection of printed materials has been reduced significantly to fit in the temporary location. It still serves lawyers and judges, but its services to the general public have increased both in kind and numbers, according to Head Librarian Lynne Gehrke.

"Very few people who come through our door are self sufficient. Almost every single person needs assistance, and their needs are expanding. We now create as many as 35 Access accounts in a day for fee waivers, and we are the only location in the courthouse to assist with electronic filing of the real estate transfer tax. Those are services that we didn't even offer a year ago," Gehrke said.

She and her three-person staff sell forms for divorces, modification motions, name changes, stipulations, de novos, paternity and other family law forms. The library users need assistance with a variety of questions ranging from researching law case and finding the right courtroom, to setting up online accounts and making copies.

The MLRC staff also sees to it that judges have up-to-date resources in their chambers and on their benches and provides research assistance to attorneys.

After supplying legal forms or packets, MLRC staff often refers patrons to the MJC's Family Law Self-Help Desk for assistance in filling out forms or the Marquette Volunteer Legal Clinic at the MJC for free legal assistance.

The Family Law Self-Help Desk, located in Room G9, has recently expanded its volunteer hours to help pro se litigants from 8:30 a.m. to noon, Monday through Friday, and from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
"We have doubled the number of people we are seeing," MJC Legal Director Ayame Metzger said. "I think that makes it a success." The increased days and hours of the clinic mean more people can get assistance during regular business hours every week day.

The volunteers and law students at the MJC Family Law Self-Help Desk focus on family court questions. Metzger explains: "We don't give any legal advice at the pro se clinic. We give out legal information, assist in filling out forms and supply information on how to file those forms."

Volunteers can help with divorces, modifications in child support and placement issues, reopening paternity claims, restraining orders, name changes, stipulations, contempt motions and motions to modify grandparents' rights. They don't help with anything that is done in children's court, such as guardianship issues. The MJC doesn't handle real estate issues or electronic filings that need to be done for transferring deeds.

Metzger is employed by the Milwaukee Bar Association and its Foundation, which works with Marquette Law School and Milwaukee County to provide the funding, volunteers, forms and supplies the free clinics need.

In addition to the Family Law Self-Help Desk, MJC partners with Marquette Volunteer Legal Clinic to provide brief legal advice and referrals to pro se litigants.

The brief legal advice clinic is located in Room 106 of the courthouse on Thursdays and Fridays from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. and offers help with small claims and other more in-depth matters requiring legal answers. MJC Executive Director Attorney Dawn Caldart and the staff of volunteer attorneys and law students help with issues that often arise in small claims and civil court.

Together, the MLRC, the MJC and the Marquette Volunteer Legal Clinic help the courts run more smoothly by reducing the number of ill-prepared litigants.

Editor's Note: A recent press release announced that the Milwaukee Justice Center has received a pledge of $100,000 from one of its founding members.

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Tech Tip in Brief – Heidi Yelk

Springtime Ideas for your Smart Phone

CPR / CCR apps: The best way to learn CPR or CCR is to attend a class taught by a trained professional. After class, consider downloading a CPR app as a refresher and to use in an emergency. Visit the American Heart Association's Hands Only CPR page for information on administering hands-only CPR (aka CCR). This page also links to a free smart phone app. Suzanne Kantra of techlicious.com recently compiled this list of CPR apps. Also, you may be hearing more about Pulsepoint, an app that sends a message to trained volunteers when CPR is needed in their location. This app was developed by the San Ramon Valley Fire Protection District but is now spreading to other areas throughout the United States.

Diagnosing a concussion: Here's one that might come in handy not just during spring training but any time of year. Concussion Recognition and Response, a new app for the iPhone, walks parents and coaches through a set of questions designed to help them recognize concussions. Read more about it in this article from the Canadian Medical Association Journal.

Connecting with Nature: The Sierra Club recently highlighted several smart phone apps for outdoor enthusiasts. These include Peterson's Birds of North America, iBird Explorer, and guides from the Audubon Society.

Is this thing on? Finally, you might be wondering if your smart phone is working the way it should or if it's in need of an upgrade. Lowell Heddings of How-to Geek.com writes about measuring a phone's performance in this segment of Popular Science.

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WSLL Recommends – Banking Crimes: Fraud, Money Laundering and Embezzlement

This monthly column highlights a legal research tool, in print and/or electronic format, that is not freely available on the internet. We hope it will increase your knowledge of sources with which you might already be familiar and help to expand your legal research toolkit.

Banking Crimes: Fraud, Money Laundering and Embezzlement explores issues with the investigation, prosecution, and defense of crimes against federally insured financial institutions. Author and private attorney John K. Villa specializes in civil and criminal corporate and financial services related litigation in Washington D.C. Using his expertise from years of practice, Banking Crimes is an attempt to collect and extract the significance of all the Federal court opinions interpreting the many criminal statutes passed by Congress in recent years. This work is comprised solely of the author's interpretation; federal prosecutors, defenders, and bankers would all benefit from this comprehensive examination of white collar crimes. The text includes primary excerpts of US Code and the Code of Federal Regulations. Appendices include relevant supplementary materials such as excerpts from the United States Attorneys' Manual and Financial Institution Fraud Federal Prosecution Manual.

Includes analysis of the following noteworthy federal statutes:

• Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery and Enforcement Act--FIRREA (Chapters 3 and 7)
• Misapplication and Embezzlement, 18 U. S. C. A §656 and §657 (Chapter 3)
• Bank Secrecy Act (Chapter 6)
• Annunzio-Wylie Anti-Money Laundering Act (Chapter 6)
• Right to Financial Privacy Act--RFPA (Chapter 9)
• Continuing Financial Crimes Enterprise Statute, 18 U.S.C.A. §225 (Chapter 10)
• Obstruction of Justice (Chapter 10)
• Bank Holding Company Act (Chapter 10)

Banking Crimes is available for check out from the Wisconsin State Law Library.

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Odds 'n' Endings – Amy Crowder

Food, Fools, and Libraries – an Interesting Combination?!

Did you know April is National Grilled Cheese Month? I didn't either, but thoughts of a grilled cheese on a cool spring day are making my taste buds sing. The Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board (MMB) celebrates this tasty month with a Grilled Cheese Recipe Contest. Don't worry, you still have time to submit your winning entry. Whether you need a little inspiration for that, or just a good recipe for dinner tonight, be sure to take a scroll through the mouthwatering pictures of gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches on the MMB's Grilled Cheese Academy website. Yum!

A few more April notables...

2nd – Observance of April Fools' Day
April 1st fell on a Sunday this year so, similar to other national holidays, April Fools' Day was observed on the following Monday, April 2nd. And if you believe that, you have been fooled. "April Fool!"

10th – Celebrate National Library Workers Day
April 8-14 is also National Library Week, and all of April is School Library Month, so it's a perfect time to rediscover your local library. Among the things you're likely to find there are free WiFi access, author talks and guest speakers, eBooks, computers where you can search the internet, book clubs, knowledgeable librarians, DVDs - and of course the latest bestsellers. No (April) fooling!

26th – National Pretzel Day
I'm not sure why pretzels get only one day while grilled cheese enjoys an entire month of recognition. In any case, it's all good to eat!

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