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

Should Wisconsin legislators have complete immunity to lawsuits while they are in office and perhaps beyond?

Tagged with: J.B. Van Hollen Leah Vukmir open records law

As noted in my previous column, there are enormous gaps between a witness’s real-world experiences and those in the strange world of being a witness.

Tagged with: Expert witness

New Securities and Exchange Commission rules that go into effect Sept. 23 offer benefits, but require additional duties for securities issuers.

Tagged with: Murphy Desmond SEC

The WHA Information Center, a subsidiary of the Wisconsin Hospital Association, provides access to a variety of information.

Tagged with: Bev Butula

As the legal profession continues to contend with everything from layoffs to fee pressures, we have reached a point where upheaval is the new normal.

Tagged with: Ed Poll fees Lawbiz Coaches Corner

Voir dire is subject to judicial control and discretion, so it pays to know your judge.

Tagged with: Bench Blog Jean DiMotto Kitty Brennan Rodney Cubbie Voir dire

It’s a great time to be an associate, or hiring one.

There are surprising and enormous gaps between a witness’s real-world experiences and the very strange, unnatural world of being a witness.

Looking to enhance your writing skills? Bryan Garner, the highly recognized author and editor, offers a variety of interesting materials on his website, LawProse.

Tagged with: Bev Butula

While much of the English-speaking world was getting comfortable with – or being made uncomfortable by – its new understanding of the word “twerking” last month thanks to Miley Cyrus, the federal judiciary was welcoming another modern addition to its lexicon with somewhat less fanfare.

A co-worker sent me a link Wednesday to a blog post that discusses the possible charges against the character of Walter White in the AMC show “Breaking Bad.”

Tagged with: Eric Heisig

The legal profession does not require anything remotely resembling effective client communication as part of our law school curriculums.

Tagged with: Ed Poll Lawbiz Coaches Corner

On May 21, 1924, 19-year-old Nathan Leopold was out on a mission with his lover and equally brilliant partner, Richard Loeb. When they spotted Loeb’s 14-year-old cousin, Bobby Franks, walking home from an after-school basketball game, they offered him a ride. The Franks family never saw their son alive again.

I think I may have found the oddest entry ever put into a court record. And it’s in Milwaukee County.

Tagged with: Eric Heisig Judges


It sounds so simple: If a judgment or order “disposes of the entire matter in litigation as to one or more of the parties” and is properly entered or recorded (Sec. 808.03(1), Stats.), it is “final,” and the appeal time starts ticking.

Tagged with: Briefs for the Brief Writer Diane Slomowitz Fox O’Neill & Shannon

It has become conventional wisdom in this country that small businesses are the real engine of economic growth and job creation.

Tagged with: CLE Ed Poll Lawbiz Coaches Corner

Imagine my excitement when my Wolters Kluwer/CCH rep mentioned a free mobile application that provides attorney rates from major markets based on practice area.

Tagged with: Bev Butula

Wait, where exactly did I move? I guess close enough to a place where a dead body was hidden by alleged prostitutes before being found several days later.

Tagged with: Eric Heisig Judges

The takeaway from Friday’s treatment alternatives and diversion symposium in Madison was pretty clear: there needs to be a better way to prevent those who are arrested from coming back.

Tagged with: Eric Heisig

Recent developments interpreting the protections and limitations of the Drivers Policy Protection Act signal that conflict may be on the way between the DPPA and Wisconsin’s Open Records Law – a reality that may require more resources expended by information-hungry entities and municipalities in their attempts to navigate both laws.

Tagged with: 7th Circuit Court of Appeals Crivello Carlson Freedom of Information Act open records law U.S. Supreme Court

Two recent media interviews by leading legal consultants illustrate that the legal services market continues to move away from the BigLaw model of high rates and excess staffing.

Tagged with: Ed Poll Lawbiz Coaches Corner

A mental commitment case that recently went before the state Supreme Court offers a valuable lesson to attorneys and judges: listen closely.

Tagged with: Annette Ziegler Bench Blog Court of Appeals David Prosser Jean DiMotto Mark Mangerson Michael Gage Third District Court of Appeals Wisconsin Supreme Court

To answer your question, Mr. Shakespeare, there’s a lot in a name, especially when it’s associated with a law firm changing its name, even slightly.

Tagged with: Foley & Lardner Legal Cents Murphy Desmond

Law enforcement officers for years have taken advantage of overly broad civil forfeiture laws.

Tagged with: Anthony Cotton Court of Appeals Eighth Amendment forfeiture Kuchler & Cotton Law Offices On the Defensive

Lawyers are bound by Rule of Professional Conduct 1.15, which requires that client files be “appropriately safeguarded.” Failure to comply is a failure in the overall duty to act competently and in the best interests of a client.

Tagged with: Ed Poll

State Rep. Evan Goyke is acting on his assumption that Wisconsin residents are a simple bunch so swayed by gossip that they cannot be trusted with basic court records.

Tagged with: CCAP editorial Evan Goyke Gary Hebl Lena Taylor Melissa Sargent Wisconsin Circuit Court Access

Hello, and welcome to Court Gestures. If you are reading this, it means that the blog is up and running following a few weeks of newsroom debates about what it should be called, how it should look and what is worthy of a post.

Tagged with: Eric Heisig

Motions in limine can help deliver a jury win. Unfortunately, not all trial lawyers use motions in limine effectively.

I have been hearing a lot about a legal research website called Casetext, so I thought I would check it out.

Tagged with: Bev Butula

Corporate tweeters or bloggers — employees who post promotional and often entertaining commentary on behalf of their employers’ businesses — add much of their own personal brand — their voice, their opinions, their snarky remarks — to the information they are disseminating on the company’s behalf.

Tagged with: Facebook LinkedIn Social media Twitter YouTube