Free Fastcase arrives for State Bar members
This past Halloween was probably a particularly scary day for representatives of Westlaw and LexisNexis working with Wisconsin practitioners. That’s because Oct. 31 marked the State Bar of Wisconsin’s roll-out of its newest, and by far most significant, member benefit: It launched free access to Fastcase for bar members — undoubtedly leaving Lexis and Westlaw […]
Lawyers find friend with PayPal’s payment options
If you’re looking for another way to make it easier to get paid, perhaps PayPal might become your new best friend. PayPal is an online payment service, which probably needs no introduction to those who are frequent buyers or sellers on eBay (I’m not). Now celebrating its 10th birthday, PayPal was acquired by eBay in […]
Social media: The new electronic town square
People often ask me, how does social media technology benefit business? I tell them it’s all about the relationship. Relation to others who use a product or service. Relation to the product or service itself. If used wisely, relation to the purveyors of products and services. Business is about building relationships. Social media, such as […]
Job interview can go bad … for employer
The process of selecting and interviewing job applicants is one of the most critical and contentious stages of the employment relationship. A faulty selection process or a bad interview can lead to significant business and legal problems. In addition to high turnover, losses in productivity and bad publicity, mishandled employment interviews can result in compensatory […]
Sun will shine on some unpublished decisions
Finally, the Wisconsin Supreme Court, to paraphrase Chief Justice Shirley S. Abrahamson, has let the sun shine in! Well, with blinds, if not curtains and drapes. On Oct. 15, after a number of unsuccessful attempts, the high court voted, subject to certain limitations, to allow the citation of unpublished opinions as persuasive authority. On a […]
Fraud and the Wall Street financial bailout
The question I have been asked more over the last few weeks than any other question is: “How big of a role has fraud played in this Wall Street bailout?” I wish that was an easy question to answer. It’s not, because fraud has played a role in many aspects of the whole financial drama […]
Court’s decision narrows the scope of ‘family’
It doesn’t take a village to raise children. It takes parents. That’s one of the central implications of a recent Wisconsin Court of Appeals case, Lubinski v. Lubinski (O’Rourke), No. 2007AP1701 (Wis. Ct. App. Sept. 25, 2008) (recommended for publication). Last week, I looked at the holding in greater detail. Briefly, the District I Court […]
Attorney is a Twitter about online networking resource
A couple of months ago, I read about Twitter and thought, “Why would anyone care what I’m doing right now? Do I really care what anybody else is doing right now?” While I dismissed it as a diversion for geeks, it turns out that Twitter can be useful to lawyers, as yet another effective, Web-based […]
Court finds stepmother has no right to boy’s custody
The drought is over. After nearly nine months without a Wisconsin Court of Appeals case arising from a divorce action being recommended for publication, late last month, the District I Court of Appeals issued its opinion in Lubinski v. Lubinski (O’Rourke), No. 2007AP1701 (Wis. Ct. App. Sept. 25, 2008). August and Colleen Lubinski (O’Rourke) were […]
Conquering the quest for malpractice insurance
“Oh how I need Someone to watch over me.” When he penned those words, lyricist Ira Gershwin got it right. As competent, experienced, dedicated and smart as you undoubtedly are, you cannot go it alone when it comes to professional malpractice. You need insurance. I recently read an article by Tom Watson at Wisconsin Lawyers […]
Some PR firms are beginning to share the risk
While working at a national trade association, I was charged with building visibility for issues in Washington with key members of Congress. After reviewing several DC-based PR firms, our CEO decided to hire a firm he knew, rather than one with specific expertise that matched our needs. The results were predictable, but we engaged the […]
The fraud blame game: Accusing the auditors
When a company discovers an internal fraud, it’s not uncommon for owners and management to look for a party to blame. After all, someone should have known that a fraud was in-progress, right? Often, the blame is cast in the direction of the auditors. The auditors are an easy target. Not only do they usually […]
Legal News
- With GOP convention over, Milwaukee weighs the benefits of hosting political rivals
- Secret Service head resigns as Congress formally investigates
- Milwaukee Police Department issues statement regarding video release policy
- GOP convention sets the stage for the Democratic convention in Chicago, activists and police say
- Survey: Harris has enough delegates to be nominee
- Outside the RNC, small Milwaukee businesses and their regulars tried to salvage a sluggish week
- Biden called to resign immediately after the president announces he won’t seek reelection
- Biden drops out of 2024 presidential race, endorses Harris
- Local PA cops allegedly thought Trump’s would-be assassin was Secret Service
- Biden-Lead Secret Service admits agency denied past requests by Trump’s campaign for tighter security
- Class action filed against Walgreens
- Former Waukesha County Sheriff’s Office lieutenant pleads guilty to smuggling contraband
Case Digests
- Ineffective Assistance of Counsel; Double Jeopardy; Sentencing
- Ineffective Assistance of Counsel; Sexual Assault-Prosecutorial Misconduct
- Contract-Negligence
- Criminal Law; Juvenile Law; Discovery
- Family Law; Child Support; Property Division First paragraph(s)
- Ineffective Assistance of Counsel- Exclusion of Evidence of Witness Bias
- Postconviction Relief-Sentencing-Ineffective Assistance of Counsel
- 14th Amendment – Due Process
- Criminal-Sentencing Guidelines – Enhancement
- Bankruptcy-Tax
- Civil Rights – 14th Amendment-Jury Instructions
- Contract; Foreclosure and Property