WSLL @ Your Service May 2021
Contents
Lexis Digital Library - Kari Zelinka
We are excited to announce the launch of Lexis Digital Library, a collection of eBooks that you can read from home or the office (which for many of you has been the same this past year).
Access
To access Lexis Digital Library from our website, select Search from the menu, then click on eBooks. Look for Lexis Digital Library in the list and log in with your library card.
Apply for a library card today. If you lost your library card, please contact wsll.circ@wicourts.gov for help logging into our databases.
Content
Besides having the annotated laws of several states, some exciting titles in this collection include:
- Employment in Wisconsin: Guide to Employment Law, Regulations and Practices
- Federal Habeas Corpus Practice and Procedure
Where once you might have had to come to the library to check out a volume or two from our large print Lexis sets, now you can read or search these books from your own computer.
- Collier on Bankruptcy
- Corbin on Contracts
- Moore's Federal Practice
- New Appleman on Insurance
- Nichols on Eminent Domain
- Page on the Law of Wills
- Powell on Real Property
- United States Code Service
Searching
You can search a particular volume or across the whole set at once. If you want to search a term or phrase across a set of books, first browse to the book or use the "find a book by title" search box. On the results screen, click on "view set." Enter your keyword or phrase in the "Search this set" box. Scroll through the results and then use "go to passage" to read the section that interests you.
Bookmarks, highlighting and annotations
- Bookmark a page to come back to by selecting the ribbon in between the two pages displayed on your screen.
- Highlight key passages by selecting the text with your cursor, then choosing the highlighter icon in the top bar to pick your desired color.
- Annotate by highlighting text with your cursor. Choose Annotations from the top bar, type your notes into the text box, and click done.
To view your bookmarks, highlighted passages and annotations that you've made, simply click on the corresponding icon in the top bar and the results will be displayed on the right hand sidebar.
Printing
Lexis Digital allows printing by section. (You cannot print an entire chapter.)
Prior releases
Access superseded versions of each volume to see the volume as it existed on a specific release date.
Use Lexis Digital in Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge, and other modern browsers. Lexis Digital does not support Internet Explorer. Try Lexis Digital Library today and let us know what you think!
Welcome New Attorneys - Michael Keane
May marks the time when many law school graduates are admitted to the Wisconsin Bar. Staff at the David T. Prosser Jr. State Law Library, the Dane County Law Library, and the Milwaukee County Law Library congratulate these new members of the legal profession. We wish new attorneys every success in beginning their legal careers and are ready to help.
All Wisconsin licensed attorneys are eligible for a free library card. A State Law Library card will allow you to borrow materials from our excellent legal collection. During the current pandemic, we have been able to continue to provide access to our collection through circulation by mail, scanning and emailing sections from our books, and our sidewalk pickup service. Your library card also allows you access to numerous databases that can be of great value to legal researchers. We also encourage attorneys to make use of our reference services – our experienced staff will be able to help you find the answers you are looking for and can assist you in using our library's resources to complete your research more efficiently.
Congratulations again to all May law school graduates! Apply for your library card here: Get a Library Card.
Legislative Council Issue Briefs - Jaime Healy-Plotkin
Beginning in 2019, the Wisconsin Legislative Council, the nonpartisan legislative service agency of the Wisconsin Legislature, began preparing a new series of research reports titled Issue Briefs. If you are at the start of a research project related to Wisconsin government or need to know the most recent updates, Issue Briefs are the place to start.
At two pages each, the staff attorneys writing Issue Briefs offer a snapshot of current topics, government programs, and recently passed legislation of interest to the Legislature. The authors succinctly investigate a topic and cite relevant Wisconsin Statutes, Wisconsin Acts, Federal laws, or case law. In 2020, the majority of titles were related to COVID-19, including outlining the Emergency and Executive Orders and the impact of the pandemic on government services. Trending topics addressed in 2021 Issue Briefs include:
The Wisconsin State Law Library maintains a paper copy on the shelf (Call number KFW2418.L43 [year] IB) as well as digital links to the Legislative Council's website and the Wisconsin Digital Archives collection.
Titles for the 2019-2020 Issue Briefs are available in our catalog. You can also browse through the 2021 Issue Briefs in our catalog.
If you need help tracking down legislation or a law review article mentioned in an Issue Brief, or you would like more information on access to these briefs, please contact our Reference Librarians.
New Books - Kari Zelinka
New Edition! Make Your Own Living Trust, 15th ed, by Denis Clifford, 2021
Call Number: KF 734 .C58 2021
If you would like to avoid probate and plan for your children's futures, peruse Make Your Own Living Trust. You may decide that putting in some planning now will save your heirs a lot of time later, and your property can go directly into their hands. This book contains the forms you need as well as instructions on how to correctly fill them out to make a living trust in your state. An overview is provided to see if this is a good fit for your needs and then the author walks the reader through choosing beneficiaries, how to keep control of trust property while alive, choosing someone to manage trust property, and how to include various property in the trust from real estate to jewelry.
Chapters include:
- What Type of Trust Do you Need?
- Choosing What Property to Put in Your Living Trust
- Trustees
- Choosing Your Beneficiaries
- Property Left to Minor Children or Young Adults
- Preparing Your Living Trust Document
- Transferring Property to Your Trust
- Copying, Storing, and Registering Your Trust Document
- After a Grantor Dies
- A Living Trust as Part of Your Estate Plan
New Edition! Divorce Taxation, Rev. 19, by Brian C. Vertz and Melvyn B. Frumkes, 2021.
Call Number: KF 535 .F782 2021
If you are advising divorced clients in the area of tax law, this updated edition of Divorce Taxation will come in handy. A lot has changed in the last year and tax law is no different. Updated contents of Revision 19 include CARES act tax revisions, paycheck protection programs, expanded unemployment, stimulus payments, and much more. The authors point out potential tax savings in the areas of property dissolution and support where applicable. The manual contains appendices full of forms, tables and checklists to help you solve problems you may run into.
Topics include:
- Child Support
- Medical Expenses for Dependents
- Property Aspects of Dissolution
- The Kiddie Tax
- Alimony and Separate Maintenance Payments
- Innocent Spouse Election and Equitable Relief
- Stock Options
- Deductibility of Attorneys Fees
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.
Tech Tip - Heidi Yelk
The Pandemic, Technology & the Environment
Carbon footprint
Recent news has been flooded with stories of climate change and stories of returns to the office. Last year at this time, we saw stories of how the shutdown's effect could be seen from space as carbon emissions briefly fell.
How will the return to the office affect climate? It's a complicated question. The Watershed blog recently released a free tool to help companies analyze environmental impacts of new work models. See Decoupling Work From Carbon.
If you are interested in an individualized carbon calculator, see the EPA's Carbon Footprint Calculator.
Views of technology
Pew Research has been tracking views of technology during COVID-19. Work from home, internet affordability, and the digital divide are all covered in this 2020 survey.
Broadband availability
Late last year, the Wisconsin Public Service Commission, Broadband Office released the Wisconsin Broadband Map. Residents, businesses, and local governments throughout Wisconsin can use this map to discover possible Internet Service Providers in their area and determine the speeds of available service.
Library News - Carol Hassler
Memorial Day Update
All three libraries will be closed on Monday, May 31st in observance of Memorial Day. Send questions and requests to wsll.ref@wicourts.gov or leave a message at 608-267-9696. We'll get back to you on Tuesday, June 1st.
25 Years of Service at the Milwaukee County Law Library
In May of 1996, the Milwaukee County Law Library became a branch of the Wisconsin State Law Library through a contractual agreement with Milwaukee County. The library, located in the Milwaukee County Courthouse, provides a curated legal collection and experienced researchers to help attorneys and pro se users. The Milwaukee County Law Library strives to provide safe and convenient access to the resources their users need, and to connect people with services that can help them navigate the court system. Happy anniversary, MCLL!
MCLL in its original and current location
Spring Classes
Our May webinar is now open for registration through the Wisconsin State Law Library. Registration for each webinar is limited to 100. Registrations will be approved daily by the moderator. Once your registration is approved, you will get an email confirmation with connection information. Please reach out to carol.hassler@wicourts.gov with questions.
HeinOnline: The Information Source You Need, Where You Need It
Thursday, May 13th, 12:00-1:00 p.m.
Location: Live webinar - Register for HeinOnline
Registration is free. 1 CLE credit applied for
With access to full-text law reviews and bar journals, primary federal and state law, state constitutions, congressional documents, and sources of federal legislative history - this database is too good to be missed. Learn what HeinOnline has to offer.
Westlaw Webinars
Thomson Reuters continues to offer free CLE-credit classes to attorneys. The following webinars are offered to users in several states. Please note that some search options and features of these webinars are not included in the law library's subscription to Westlaw. All registration, attendance verification, and CLE application is handled by Westlaw, not the law library. During each webinar, four attendance codes will be read. Make note of these codes to verify your attendance.
Westlaw Edge (60 minutes; 1 CLE Credit Pending)
Click on the date to visit the registration page by Westlaw:
Thursday, May 13, 11:30 CDT
In this 60 minute online class, we'll discuss how to utilize the advanced technology in Westlaw Edge. Westlaw Edge is powered by state-of-the-art artificial intelligence built upon more than 100 years of editorial enhancements. This session will discuss how to use Westsearch Plus, use Overruling Risk to understand if a case has been implicitly overruled, easily compare prior statutes to aid in statutory analysis, research judges and opposing counsel using litigation analytics, and analyze your own brief using Quick Check. We will also touch on user experience improvements that aid in completing your research faster than ever.
Legal Ethics: Attorney Competence with Technology (60 minutes; 1 CLE Credit Pending)
Click on the date to visit the registration page by Westlaw:
Tuesday, May 18, 12:30 CDT
Attorney competence in the ever-changing world of technology is a tricky subject. The technology does not remain static, and the attorney's workload is continually increasing. The ABA has stated that attorneys must keep abreast of changes in technology. In addition, many legal commentators continue to publish articles and other resources regarding the implications of technology competence.
It is essential, therefore, to stay up-to-date with the latest technology. This webinar will follow the rule on keeping up with current technology with a brief tour of Practical Law, Drafting Assistant, and the following Westlaw resources:
- Court Rules, and Secondary Sources
- Briefs and Trial Court Documents,
- Attorney, Judge, and Expert Witness Profiles.
May Snapshot
A walk down memory lane at the Milwaukee County Courthouse
Photos by Jenna Marquardt
We are accepting snapshots! Do you have a photo highlighting libraries, attractions or points of historical interest? Send your photo the editor at carol.hassler@wicourts.gov to be included in a future issue.
Comments Welcome!
- Contact Carol Hassler
608-266-1424
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