Wisconsin Law Journal – WI Legal News & Resources Wisconsin Legal News & Resources

Maybe the state Senate did us a favor by not taking up three bills that would toughen the penalties for drunken driving in Wisconsin.

Tagged with: drunken driving

At this time of year, it’s common to see “wish lists” for various people or groups. That got me thinking (a dangerous, if rare, thing) of what “wish list” could be devised for those in the family law field.

Tagged with: Family Law Gregg Herman

It’s too bad for the Republicans who control the statehouse that tort reform seems to be far less of an issue of public concern than the economy.

Tagged with: Scott Walker tort reform Torts

I find the National Security Archive, based at George Washington University, fascinating. The entity provides many services including an “investigative journalism center, research institute on international affairs, library and archive of declassified U.S. documents… and indexer and publisher of former secrets.”

Want to be a better lawyer, for cheap? Join a listserv.

Tagged with: Jeff Pitman State Bar Wisconsin Association for Justice

Prodding lawyers to meet an administrative deadline is often a source of frustration.

Tagged with: Ed Poll Lawbiz Coaches Corner

A recent Wisconsin Court of Appeals case in a mental commitment action may have significant implications for post-judgment modification cases in family law in this state.

Tagged with: Daubert Family Law Gregg Herman Stafford Rosenbaum

Google Glass likely isn’t on your firm’s radar right now. Most law firm partners have never heard of it. And the product won’t even be available to the public until 2014. It’s currently only in use by Google employees and a few thousand “explorers.”

StateData.info is an online resource dedicated to sharing data on the employment of individuals with disabilities.

Tagged with: Bev Butula

Knowing how to work with the media is essential for lawyers and law firms.

A lot of folks — perhaps too many — are spouting off about the John Doe probe launched by the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s office into the campaign of Republican Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and more than two dozen conservative groups, among others.

Tagged with: Bill Lueders David Clarke Francis Schmitz John Chisholm John Doe investigation Scott Walker Wisconsin District Attorneys Association

As it turns out, new attorneys are having a hard time finding work in Wisconsin. And when they do, it’s not always what they expect.

At least two justices on the state's Supreme Court have lobbied Senators in favor of a bill that would change the way the title of chief justice is bestowed in Wisconsin.

Tagged with: Ann Walsh Bradley Annette Ziegler David Prosser Michael Gableman N. Patrick Crooks Pat Roggensack Wisconsin Supreme Court

It’s not just your checking account that’s limited to going positive or negative: client relationships work much the same.

So you think Wisconsin is the only state whose Supreme Court elections are seeing an influx of special interest money?

Tagged with: Eric Heisig

Law schools may do a good job of teaching legal principles and theory, but they often ignore the true focus of real world legal practice: the client.

Tagged with: witness

It didn’t exactly start like most 7th Circuit Court of Appeals opinions do. This one was written a little more, well, provocatively …

Tagged with: Kuchler & Cotton

State lawmakers are again second-guessing Wisconsin's online database for court records.

Tagged with: CCAP Robin Vos

Did you know that the Office of the Law Revision Counsel of the U.S. House of Representatives maintains a classification table for the U.S. Code?

Tagged with: Bev Butula

Lawyers are special – principles of economics do not apply to us.

Tagged with: Ed Poll Lawbiz Coaches Corner

Ten summers ago, after several years practicing law in New York, I moved to Minnesota to clerk for a federal judge.

After years of expanding the public trust doctrine, the Wisconsin Supreme Court and the Legislature are reversing course.

Tagged with: DNR public trust doctrine wetlands Wisconsin Supreme Court

After a case has concluded at the circuit court level, losing litigants often consult their trial attorney concerning their chances on appeal.

Tagged with: Appeals

A well-presented Court of Appeals case affirmed that when the defendant breaches a plea agreement prior to sentencing, the state may change its side of the agreement.

Tagged with: Bench Blog Court of Appeals District II Court of Appeals Jean DiMotto Lisa Neubauer Plea agreements

The statutes regarding post-judgment modification and removal are confusing. And unfortunately, a recent Court of Appeals decision makes them even more so.

Tagged with: District 3 Court of Appeals Family Law Gregg Herman Michael Bloom Michael Hoover

There are two words many legal researchers either love or fear: “legislative history.”

Tagged with: Bev Butula Legislative Reference Bureau

Lawyers are supposed to be great orators, but oftentimes, fear gets in the way, said oral advocacy professor Molly Bishop Shadel.

Want to party 24/7? Marketing experts Tim Tobin and Lisa Braziel suggest that social media is analogous to an ongoing, internet-based, 24/7 cocktail party.

Tagged with: Social media

Every day, in criminal trials throughout the state, juries are instructed as follows: “If you are satisfied beyond a reasonable doubt that the [elements of the crime] have been proved, you should find the defendant guilty. If you are not so satisfied, you must find the defendant not guilty.”

Tagged with: Anthony Cotton On the Defensive

The September 2013 issue of the Wisconsin Law Journal pointed out a problem that has plagued our profession for years: Members of the public do not know of ongoing misconduct of a lawyer who directly could harm them.

Tagged with: Michael Hupy whistleblower