The Law School and Library are both open for business as usual today.

Posted by Bonnie Shucha at 8:07 AM | Permalink

Due to severe weather conditions the UW Law Library will be closed beginning at 9:00 pm today, Wednesday, December 19th and all day tomorrow Thursday, December 20th. Sorry for the inconvenience.

Posted by Bonnie Shucha at 6:12 PM | Permalink

I am pleased to report that Kris Turner has been appointed as the new Reference & Technology Services Librarian at the UW Law Library.

Kris has a Masters in Library and Information Studies from UW-Madison has worked at the UW Law Library as the Circulation Services Assistant since January. He's also worked at the Madison Public Library and the UW Madison Forest Products Laboratory Library, and was a secondary school teacher for several years.

Kris has lots of enthusiasm and is full of great ideas for enhancing service to our patrons. Please join me in welcoming him to his new role at the library.

Posted by Bonnie Shucha at 12:37 PM | Permalink

UW-Madison News has posted a very interesting story about John Steuart Curry's mural "The Freeing of the Slaves" which is housed in the UW Law Law Library.

From the article:

"The Freeing of the Slaves" adorns the north Reading Room wall of the UW Law Library on Bascom Hill. The central figure -- a black man with arms upheld -- is almost 11 feet tall. At his feet lie two soldiers: one Confederate, one Union. Recently-freed slaves crowd around, while in the background the Union army marches off victorious, in perfect formation.

"It's tempting to read this as the classic story of how the Union Army freed the slaves, and the dead soldiers as the cost of that freedom," says history professor Steve Kantrowitz. "But at the center of this mural are the slaves themselves, who have essentially set in motion their own liberation."

Posted by Bonnie Shucha at 3:20 PM | Permalink

Here's a selection of some of the research guides that our staff has recently created or updated:

• International Commercial Arbitration: A Research Guide by Sunil Rao - Last Updated Oct 12, 2012
• Native American Law & Legal Sources by Jenny Zook, William Ebbott - Last Updated Oct 11, 2012
• iPad Applications for Lawyers, Law Faculty and Law Students by Jenny Zook - Last Updated Sep 14, 2012
• Research Sources in Public International Law by Sunil Rao, William Ebbott - Last Updated Aug 29, 2012

The Law Library has over 50 research guides in all. See the full list for more information.

Posted by Bonnie Shucha at 10:02 AM | Permalink

President Obama will be speaking on campus Thursday, October 4. This event is scheduled to take place on Bascom Hill from noon to approximately 6 p.m.

To ensure security for the event, the Law Library and Law Building will be closed from 7 a.m. until the end of the event on Thursday (approximately 6 p.m.). Other buildings on Bascom Hill will also be closed.

The Law Library will reopen at 6:30 pm or as soon after the building reopens as feasible. The School of Pharmacy has graciously invited Law School students to take advantage of their public spaces for study on Thursday.

Event logistics will include building and road closures to ensure proper security. Refer to http://www.wisc.edu for more details. Information will appear there as soon as it becomes available. Please be aware that parking lots and streets may be closed and buses may be rerouted.

-----
Update: The WI State Law Library has invited UW Law students and other library users to use their library on Thursday while we are closed. A big thanks to them!

Posted by Bonnie Shucha at 1:42 PM | Permalink

Effective today, there are some staffing changes at the UW Law Library.

Bill Ebbott, long-time Associate Director for Public Services, began full-time retirement on August 31st. I, Bonnie Shucha, will be taking over for Bill as Assistant Director for Public Services.

Cheryl O'Connor, formerly Faculty Services Librarian, will move into my former position as Head of Reference.

Nancy Paul, long-time Associate Director for Collections and Technical Services and more recently, Associate Director for Administration, began full-time retirement on July 1st of this year.

We wish Bill and Nancy all the best and thank them for their many years of service.

Posted by Bonnie Shucha at 11:02 AM | Permalink

My colleague Sunil Rao has published a well written book review of The Strange Alchemy of Life and Law, by Albie Sachs. It appears on the AALL Spectrum blog.

From the review:

In the process of conceiving this book, Justice Albie Sachs--who served on South Africa's first Constitutional Court from 1994 until his retirement in 2009--asked himself: "How do I actually make my decisions and write my judgments?". The Strange Alchemy of Life and Law is a lively and elegantly written exploration of this question; it is a series of interlinking chapters held together by the thread of Sachs' broad and varied experiences as a lawyer, anti-apartheid activist, participant in the formation of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, co-drafter of South Africa's constitution, and Justice on the Constitutional Court.

Posted by Bonnie Shucha at 10:50 AM | Permalink

UW Law Prof. Marc Galanter has a new book out called "Lawtalk: the Unknown Stories Behind Familiar Legal Expressions."

Like Galanter's last book entitled "Lowering the Bar: Lawyer Jokes and Legal Culture," this book looks like a lot of fun. WI State Journal columnist, Doug Moe, recently profiled Galanter and the new book. He writes:

The new book explains how words and phrases such as "shyster," "jailbait," "green card," "rainmaker" and "indict a ham sandwich" came into everyday language.

One of my favorites is "rap sheet" -- an individual's criminal record -- which dates to 1947 but jumped in popularity in 1954 when a self-promoting crook named Blackie Audett wrote a colorful but factually challenged autobiography titled "Rap Sheet." One reviewer suggested Blackie's biggest crime was writing "Rap Sheet."

Incidentally, the green card -- which documents a noncitizen's right to live and work in the United States -- hasn't been green since 1964.

The phrase "indict a ham sandwich" -- which speaks to how prosecutors can easily manipulate grand juries -- was popularized by a Jewish judge who later said he wished he had made the sandwich corned beef.

For more, read the full article.

Posted by Bonnie Shucha at 10:11 AM | Permalink

Did you know that the UW Law Library has both a Facebook page and a Twitter feed? Follow us to learn about library announcements, special hours, new publications, etc.

Note that the Twitter feed is the most comprehensive way to follow us since it incorporates posts from both WisBlawg and Facebook, as well as alerts for new subject guides.

Posted by Bonnie Shucha at 9:32 AM | Permalink

Re-posted from a UW Law School news article by Eric Taylor:

Recently retired Professor Ralph Cagle has gifted the library with his personal collection of materials chronicling the life and times of Abraham Lincoln.

The collection includes a great many books, not only for adults, but a fair number of children's books, and DVDs as well.

Of his interest in Abraham Lincoln and his gift to the library, Professor Cagle has this to say:

"I am very happy that the law school has accepted my Lincoln collection as a special collection of our library. The library staff has done a terrific job of gathering, organizing and cataloging this collection."

"Most Lincoln biographies give scant attention to his law practice. This may give the impression that his law practice was not an important influence on his intellectual or professional development, but that is incorrect The real reason they don't cover his practice very well is because publishers discourage authors from doing so it believing this is not the Lincoln that people want to read about."

"Nothing more fully explains Lincoln's judgment, political philosophy, rhetorical skill and leadership than what he learned and did as a day to day lawyer. Fortunately, Lincoln's law practice is the most completely documented law practice in American history. This collection captures a good deal of that documentation including the best of the scholarship interpreting how that practice influenced his important role in American history."

Professor Cagle goes on further to say that he, along with Attorney John Skilton, have taught one of the few courses in American legal education dealing with Lincoln As Lawyer.

"It's a course in which students examine Lincoln's main cases and how he handled the challenges of practice and can draw from that some lessons on how to practice law with power and integrity today. I'd like to teach it again sometime. I certainly know where to go for the research".

Many thanks to Professor Cagle for his generous gift.

The Lincoln Collection is located in the East Wing of the library (Law Library Lincoln Collection, Quarles & Brady Reading Room, 5 East) where the iconic mural by John Steuart Curry "Freeing of the Slaves" resides which also bears witness to Lincoln's legacy.

Come check it out today! All the items circulate.

See the full article for a selection of titles included in the collection.

Posted by Bonnie Shucha at 12:40 PM | Permalink

Here is the latest faculty scholarship from the UW Law School Legal Studies Research Paper Series via SSRN.

• The Meaning of 'Enterprise,' 'Business,' and 'Business Profits' under Tax Treaties and Domestic Tax Law: U.S. Report by Allison Christians, University of Wisconsin Law School Yariv Brauner, University of Florida - Levin College of Law

• Defining Innocence by
  Keith A. Findley, University of Wisconsin Law School

• Rejecting the Inter-American Court: Judicialization, National Courts, and Regional Human Rights by
  Alexandra Valeria Huneeus, University of Wisconsin Law School

• The Essence of Economics - Behavior, Choice and Comparison by
  Neil K. Komesar, University of Wisconsin - Madison, European University Institute-- Global Governance Program

• Public Interest Law: Facing the Problems of Maturity by
  Louise G. Trubek, University of Wisconsin Law School

Posted by Bonnie Shucha at 3:06 PM | Permalink

UW Law Profs Stewart Macaulay and Elizabeth Mertz have started a blog called New Legal Realism Conversations. The blog is an extension of the NLR Project webpage started in 2009 and will feature commentary from current contributors and highlights of important legal realist scholarship.

Some past topics include:

• Leading Economists Criticize Rational Choice Models
  
• Why Law Needs Empirical Anthropology
  
• Stewart Macaulay's Jazz Picks
  
• Legal Research Funded by Big Oil?

For those interested in Macaulay's work, note that in October, the UW Law School is hosting a conference entitled the "Empirical and Lyrical: Revisiting the Contracts Scholarship of Stewart Macaulay."

Posted by Bonnie Shucha at 10:23 AM | Permalink

The University of Wisconsin Law School is proud to announce the addition of three new faculty members.

Cecelia Klingele and Mark Sidel join the UW Law School faculty beginning in the Fall of 2011. Paul Secunda will join the Law School for the summer and the fall semester as Visiting Professor.

For more information about these professors, see the UW Law School website.

Posted by Bonnie Shucha at 3:49 PM | Permalink

Looking for a good restaurant in the Madison area? Check out our map of restaurants recommended by UW Law School faculty and staff. You can access it via the Web or on a smart mobile phone.

To use the mobile version, first, install the Google Maps for Mobile app on your device. It is available for Android, iPhone, Blackberry and more.

Then simply open the map at http://tinyurl.com/4jeu8an in your mobile browser or scan this QR code:
[what is a QR code?]

Say yes when it asks you if you want to open the link with Google Maps.

The map should then open on your mobile in Google Maps as a new layer. If you allow it to track your location, it will show you which recommended restaurants are in your area.

Touch a marker to see the name of the restaurant (the green markers are vegetarian/vegan friendly). Then touch the name to view the review and additional information.

If you click on the list icon in the bottom left corner of the map, it will bring up an alphabetical list of all the restaurants and show the distance from your current location.

Posted by Bonnie Shucha at 3:14 PM | Permalink

UW Law Professor, Brad Snyder is a featured commentator in the HBO Sports Documentary "The Curious Case of Curt Flood". The documentary examines Curt Flood's Supreme Court lawsuit against baseball's reserve clause.

Snyder's role in the documentary is featured in today's New York Times and Houston Chronicle. He is the author of A Well-Paid Slave: Curt Flood's Fight for Free Agency in Professional Sports.

To watch the documentary, tune into HBO, July 13 at 8:00 pm CT. View the HBO Trailer.

Posted by Bonnie Shucha at 3:09 PM | Permalink

Here is the latest faculty scholarship from the UW Law School Legal Studies Research Paper Series via SSRN.

• How Nations Share by Allison Christians, University of Wisconsin Law School
• Toward a Reality-Based Constitutional Theory by Andrew B. Coan, University of Wisconsin Law School
• Transparent and Commercialized?: Managing the Public-Private Model for Data Production and Use by Shubha Ghosh, University of Wisconsin Law School
• South Africa's Experience in Constitution-Building by Heinz Klug, University of Wisconsin Law School

Posted by Bonnie Shucha at 12:15 PM | Permalink

The Wisconsin Law Journal has a thoughtful article on the challenges facing new UW Law School Dean, Margaret Raymond - specifically the issues of economics and autonomy.

Posted by Bonnie Shucha at 9:21 AM | Permalink

Margaret Raymond has been named dean of the University of Wisconsin Law School. See the press release for more info.

Posted by Bonnie Shucha at 9:35 AM | Permalink

The University of Wisconsin Law School has narrowed its search for dean, naming three finalists for the position.

The finalists are Nicholas W. Allard, Gene Nichol, and Margaret Raymond. See the Law School press release for more information about each of the candidates.

Posted by Bonnie Shucha at 10:57 AM | Permalink

Here is the latest faculty scholarship from the UW Law School Legal Studies Research Paper Series via SSRN.

• The Sale of Patented Methods: Reconciling On-Sale Bar & Patent Exhaustion Doctrines in Light of In re Kollar & Quanta v. LG by Shubha Ghosh, University of Wisconsin Law School and Lucas Divine

• The 2006 Procedural and Transparency-Related Amendments to the ICSID Arbitration Rules: Model Intentions, Moderate Proposals, and Modest Returns by Jason W. Yackee, University of Wisconsin Law School and Jarrod Wong, University of the Pacific - McGeorge School of Law

• Wisconsin's Individual-at-Risk Restraining Order: An Analysis of the First Thirty Months by Betsy Abramson, Wisconsin Institute for Healthy Aging, Marsha Mansfield, University of Wisconsin Law School and Jane A. Raymond, Wisconsin Department of Health Services

• Claim-Suppressing Arbitration: The New Rules by David S. Schwartz, University of Wisconsin Law School

• What If Sharia Weren't the Enemy? Rethinking International Women's Rights Advocacy on Islamic Law by Asifa Quraishi, University of Wisconsin Law School

Posted by Bonnie Shucha at 10:12 AM | Permalink

Here is the latest faculty scholarship from the UW Law School Legal Studies Research Paper Series via SSRN.

• High Seas Shipwreck Pits Treasure Hunters Against a Sovereign Nation: The Black Swan Case by Kim Alderman, University of Wisconsin Law School

• Understanding Failure: Examiners and the Bankruptcy Reorganization of Large Public Companies by Jonathan C. Lipson, University of Wisconsin Law School

• Suing Putin: Patterns of Anti-Government Litigation in Russia, 2000-2008 by Alexei Trochev, University of Wisconsin Law School

Posted by Bonnie Shucha at 9:13 AM | Permalink

This weekend, third year law students at the University of Wisconsin will honor an almost century long tradition (no one knows for sure) of the homecoming cane parade and toss.

A recent article in On Wisconsin describes the tradition:

When they arrive in the shadow of the Field House, students toss their canes over the goalpost. It's a decades-long tradition that holds that catching their canes means they'll win their first cases after graduation. Drop them and they lose.

When the concept of law students carrying canes first appeared at the UW is in question. One report indicates it originated at Harvard University and showed up here in 1910. The tradition is also strongly linked to law professor William Herbert Page, who claimed it started in 1917 when he came to Madison from Ohio State.

Here are a few more articles and photos of the cane toss:

• Law School Legends and Lore Cane Parade from the Law School Web site
  
• "The University of Wisconsin Law School, 1868-1968, An Outline History," 1968 Wis. L. Rev. 321, has a paragraph about it on p 328-329.
  
• Profile of Harry S. Richards in "Three Historic Deans Honored," 26 Gargoyle Autumn 1975 - Summer 1976 at 7. "During his tenure....the tradition of the annual Cane Parade began."
  
• Story of the Log Cabin Cane Spring/Summer 2004 from 30 Gargoyle at 49
  
• Photo of cane toss from 1952 from 32 Gargoyle Spring 2006 at 40
  
• Photo of cane toss from 1979 from 11 Gargoyle Winter 1979 at cover
  
• Photo of cane archway from 24 Gargoyle Winter 1993, cover.

Posted by Bonnie Shucha at 9:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Here is the latest faculty scholarship from the UW Law School Legal Studies Research Paper Series via SSRN.

• Legal Protection of Archaeological Remains on Public Property in the U.S. Virgin Islands by Kim Alderman, University of Wisconsin Law School

• Controlling Creditor Opportunism by Jonathan C. Lipson, University of Wisconsin Law School

• Bella's Case: Parsi Identity and the Law in Colonial Rangoon, Bombay and London, 1887-1925 by Mitra J. Sharafi, University of Wisconsin Law School

• How Regulatory Frameworks Fight Cancer: Two Examples from the United States and the European Union by Louise G. Trubek, University of Wisconsin Law School, Thomas R. Oliver, University of Wisconsin--Madison, Chih-Ming Liang, University of Wisconsin Law School, Matthew Mokrohisky, Toby Christopher Campbell

Posted by Bonnie Shucha at 8:19 AM | Permalink

From the State Bar of Wisconsin news:

The State Bar of Wisconsin's Board of Governors voted 32-6 to oppose a petition submitted by 71 Wisconsin attorneys that would expand Wisconsin's diploma privilege to out-of-state law school graduates or repeal it altogether.

Posted by Bonnie Shucha at 1:29 PM | Permalink

UW Law School Dean Kenneth B. Davis Jr. announced yesterday that he will step down in September 2011 and return to the faculty.

From the UW Madison Press Release:

During his tenure as dean, Davis has steadily worked to raise the Law School's stature and visibility. Its national ranking has climbed along with its ability to attract top students from across the state and nation.

Davis attributes these accomplishments in part to the school's national reputation as a leader in diversity and its focus on "law in action."

Davis has also led an initiative called "Preeminent and Public," which encouraged those at the Law School to consider ways to advance its national stature and influence while at the same time being true to its mission as Wisconsin's only public law school.

That initiative has led to enhanced standards for faculty accountability and productivity, a more merit-based compensation system and expanded student learning opportunities in areas such as business law and professional skills.

Posted by Bonnie Shucha at 9:24 AM | Permalink

Here is the latest faculty scholarship from the UW Law School Legal Studies Research Paper Series via SSRN.

• Libertarian Paternalism, Externalities, and the 'Spirit of Liberty': How Thaler and Sunstein are Nudging Us Toward an 'Overlapping Consensus' by Anuj C. Desai

• Review of 'Judges Beyond Politics in Democracy and Dictatorship: Lessons from Chile' by Alexandra Valeria Huneeus

• A Matter of Rhetoric: The Diversity Rationale in Political Context by Daniel Ibsen Morales

• A Foundation Theory of Evidence by David S. Schwartz

Posted by Bonnie Shucha at 9:56 AM | Permalink

UW-Madison experts, including several Law School faculty and staff, have been appointed to 12 special committees the Wisconsin Legislature created to study emerging state issues and make recommendations for the 2011-12 legislative session.

Law school appointees include:

• Criminal Justice Funding and Strategies: Ben Kempinen
  
• Judicial Discipline and Recusal: David Schultz
  
• Records Access of Circuit Court Documents: Keith Findley & Lahny Silva
  
• Spousal Maintenance Awards in Divorce Proceedings: Marsha Mansfield

From: UW Madison News Hat tip to Bill Ebbott

Posted by Bonnie Shucha at 9:09 AM | Permalink

I don't think that I ever realized how many great restaurants there are in the Madison area. See the many recommendations from our UW-Madison Law School faculty and staff on the this Google map.

From upscale dining to burger joints to chocolate shops, there is something for every taste. Enjoy!

Below is a snap shot of the map. Click here for an interactive version. Restaurants with vegetarian or vegan offerings appear in green. All others are in blue.

Posted by Bonnie Shucha at 3:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Here is the latest faculty scholarship from the UW Law School Legal Studies Research Paper Series via SSRN.

• Tunnel Vision (chapter in Conviction of the Innocent: Lessons from Psychological Research) by Keith A. Findley, University of Wisconsin Law School

• Comparing Approaches Toward Governing Scientific Advisory Bodies on Food Safety in the United States and the European Union by Stephanie Tai, University of Wisconsin Law School

• Do Bilateral Investment Treaties Promote Foreign Direct Investment? Some Hints from Alternative Evidence by Jason W. Yackee, University of Wisconsin Law School

Posted by Bonnie Shucha at 8:54 AM | Permalink

Here is the latest faculty scholarship from the UW Law School Legal Studies Research Paper Series via SSRN.

• Case Study Research and International Tax Theory by Allison Christians, University of Wisconsin Law School

• Open Borders, the US Economic Espionage Act of 1996, and the Global Movement of Knowledge and People by Shubha Ghosh, University of Wisconsin Law School

• Changing the Sentence Without Hiding the Truth: Judicial Sentence Modification as a Promising Method of Early Release by Cecelia M. Klingele, University of Wisconsin Law School

• When Natural Science Meets the Dismal Science by Stephanie Tai, University of Wisconsin Law School

Posted by Bonnie Shucha at 9:38 AM | Permalink

Asifa Quraishi, UW Law School professor and founding member of the National Association of Muslim Lawyers and the California group American Muslims Intent on Learning and Activism, is part of the U.S. Delegation attending the 54th Session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women. She is one of only five Public Delegates from the United States.

Today's panel discussion is being webcast by the UN.

Posted by Bonnie Shucha at 1:08 PM | Permalink

Here is the latest faculty scholarship from the UW Law School Legal Studies Research Paper Series via SSRN.

• Horizontal Merger Guidelines: The Omitted Dimension of Buyer Power Comments Submitted to the FTC and DOJ by Peter Carstensen

• Taxation in a Time of Crisis: Policy Leadership from the OECD to the G20 by Allison Christians

• The SEC and Foreign Companies - A Balance of Competing Interests by Kenneth B. Davis

• From Reconstruction to Deconstruction: Undermining Black Ownership, Political Independence, and Community Through Partition Sales of Tenancy in Common Property by Thomas W. Mitchell

• The Lost History of Governance and Equal Protection by Victoria Nourse with Sarah Maguire

• Forced Sale Risk: Class, Race, and The 'Double Discount' by Thomas W. Mitchell with Stephen Malpezzi, University of Wisconsin at Madison and Richard Green, USC Lusk Center for Real Estate

• Comments for the United States Departments of Agriculture and Justice Workshops on Competition Issues in Agriculture by Peter Carstensen

Posted by Bonnie Shucha at 3:26 PM | Permalink

UW Law School students will help Dane County homeowners facing foreclosure take their cases through a mediation process with their lenders, reports UW-Madison News.

Beginning in February, Dane County Circuit Court will require lenders to tell homeowners they have an option to mediate their foreclosure cases and notify them of available resources, including a clinic staffed by UW Law School students.

Posted by Bonnie Shucha at 10:21 AM | Permalink

Here is the latest faculty scholarship from the UW Law School Legal Studies Research Paper Series via SSRN.

• Law, Politics, and Access to Essential Medicines in Developing Countries by Heinz Klug

• Resolving Problems Among Neighbors in Post-Soviet Russia: Uncovering the Law of the Pod"ezd by Kathryn Hendley

• A Legal Regime for the Mining of Helium-3 on the Moon: U.S. Policy Options by Richard Bilder

• The Federal Arbitration Act and the Power of Congress Over State Courts by David S. Schwartz

Posted by Bonnie Shucha at 10:13 AM | Permalink

Here is the latest faculty scholarship from the UW Law School Legal Studies Research Paper Series via SSRN.

• Mobilizing Law in Contemporary Russia: The Evolution of Disputes Over Home Repair Projects by Kathryn Hendley

• Taking Great Cases: Lessons from the Rosenberg Case by Brad Snyder

• The Life and Times of the Big Six, or, The Federal Courts Since the Good Old Days by Marc Galanter

• Transnational Human Rights: Exploring the Persistence And Globalization of Human Rights by Heinz Klug

Posted by Bonnie Shucha at 8:48 AM | Permalink

UW Madison News has a wonderful profile of Cecelia Klingele about her experience as a U.S. Supreme Court clerk for Justice John Paul Stevens. A 2005 graduate of the University of Wisconsin Law School, Cecelia returned to Madison this fall to start a two-year teaching appointment as a visiting assistant law professor.

Posted by Bonnie Shucha at 8:43 AM | Permalink

Saturday's Wisconsin State Journal has a wonderful front page article about the tenth anniversary celebration of the UW Law School's Wisconsin Innocence Project.

Twelve prisoners have been freed by the Wisconsin Innocence Project. Six of them were there Friday to be honored and watch for the first time an emotional 25-minute video about their cases...

Wisconsin's program started at a time when there were just a handful of such projects. [Innocence Project co-directors, Keith Findley and John Pray, associate professor Byron Lichstein] work with law students to investigate and litigate possible innocence cases among the 400 or so requests that come in each year...

"If there's anything we've learned from the DNA exonerations of the past 20 years is that our best intentions and most firmly held beliefs can be wrong," Findley said. "No one can ever be too sure. We all have to be open-minded and skeptical and willing to re-examine everything."

Posted by Bonnie Shucha at 10:06 AM | Permalink

New faculty scholarship as appears in the latest UW Law School Legal Studies Research Paper Series via SSRN.

• Judging from a Guilty Conscience: The Chilean Judiciary's Human Rights Turn by Alexandra Valeria Huneeus, University of Wisconsin Law School

• Hoffman v. Red Owl Stores: The Rest of The Story by William C. Whitford and Stewart Macaulay, University of Wisconsin Law School

• 'Telephone Law' and the 'Rule of Law': The Russian Case by Kathryn Hendley, University of Wisconsin Law School

• Open Borders, Intellectual Property Policy, and Federal Criminal Trade Secret Law by Shubha Ghosh, University of Wisconsin Law School

Posted by Bonnie Shucha at 2:32 PM | Permalink

From the latest edition of the University of Wisconsin Law School Legal Studies Research Paper Series in SSRN.

• Administrative Procedures and Bureaucratic Performance: Is Federal Rulemaking 'Ossified'? by Jason W. Yackee, University of Wisconsin Law School and Susan Webb Yackee, University of Wisconsin - Madison - Department of Political Science, University of Wisconsin - Madison - La Follette School of Public Affairs

• Mandatory Arbitration and Fairness by David S. Schwartz, University of Wisconsin Law School

• Debt as Venture Capital by Darian M. Ibrahim, University of Wisconsin Law School

• All Appeals Lead to Strasbourg? Unpacking the Impact of the European Court of Human Rights on Russia by Alexei Trochev, University of Wisconsin Law School, Queen's University (Canada) - Institute of Intergovernmental Relations

• Stakeholder Participation in New Governance: Lessons from Chicago's Public Housing Reform Experiment by Lisa T. Alexander, University of Wisconsin Law School

Several UW Law Library staff have also recently published works:

• Sunil Rao, Review of Faith & Law: How Religious Traditions from Calvinism to Islam View American Law, International Journal of Legal Information 375 (Summer 2008).
  
• Bonnie Shucha (with Deborah Ginsberg and Meg Kribble), Inspiring Innovation: Planning, Implementing, and Evaluating the Web 2.0 Challenge, 101 Law Library Journal 355 (Summer 2009).
  
• Bonnie Shucha (with Heidi Yelk), A Guide to Wisconsin Legal Information Sources, Wisconsin Lawyer, July 2009.

Posted by Bonnie Shucha at 12:42 PM | Permalink

From the Wisconsin State Journal:

Applications at the UW-Madison Law School were up by about 5.5 percent this year, and more students than anticipated said they plan to enroll in the fall, said Mike Hall, assistant dean for admissions.

The increases could be a reflection of the difficult job market, Hall said.

Law school officials were aiming for a class of about 240 students, but nearly 300 admitted applicants have said they intend to start classes in the fall.

"Typically we are somewhat over-enrolled, but not as over-enrolled," as this year, Hall said.
Between now and August, Hall expects that some of the students who have committed to UW-Madison will change their minds.

About 2,950 people applied to the law school, compared to 2,797 in 2008 and 2,633 in 2007.

Posted by Bonnie Shucha at 11:15 AM | Permalink

From the State Bar of Wisconsin News:

A challenge to Wisconsin's diploma privilege has been remanded to federal district court following the U.S. Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals' decision in Wiesmueller v. Kosobucki, 08-2527...

In its opinion, the court of appeals said that the district court's dismissal of the action left it in "an evidentiary vacuum." The plaintiffs had been appealing that order issued.

The court indicated that the plaintiffs should build the evidentiary record before the diploma privilege's effect on interstate commerce can be assessed.

"[S]uppose - a supposition not only consistent with but actually suggested by the scanty record that the plaintiffs were not allowed to amplify - that Wisconsin law is no greater part of the curriculum of the Marquette and Madison law schools than it is of the law schools of Harvard, Yale, Columbus, Virginia, the University of Texas, Notre Dame, the University of Chicago, the University of Oklahoma, and the University of Northern Illinois (which happens to be within a stone's throw of Wisconsin, as are the three law schools in Minneapolis)," the court wrote.

"That would suggest that the diploma privilege creates an arbitrary distinction between graduates of the two Wisconsin law schools and graduates of other accredited law schools. And it is a distinction that burdens interstate commerce," the court concluded....

If the diploma privilege is invalidated, the court noted that "unequal treatment can be eliminated without conferring any benefit on the plaintiff that challenged it." Accordingly, the court said Wisconsin may only require all applicants take the bar exam....

However, the court offered that Wisconsin might also choose "to require all applicants (or perhaps all applicants who had not practiced for a period of time in another state) to take a continuous legal education course in Wisconsin law in lieu of a bar exam."

Update: See the response from Marquette Law School Dean Joseph D. Kearney. Here's an excerpt:

While Marquette is not a party to this case (the defendants are the members of the Wisconsin Supreme Court and its Board of Bar Examiners), I expect that on remand (and any subsequent appeal) the diploma privilege will pass constitutional muster. This is the beginning of my seventh year as dean and thirteenth as a member of the faculty at Marquette; throughout this time Marquette Law School has sought to ensure--because of the diploma privilege--that our students are especially introduced to the law and legal profession of Wisconsin. Certainly I expect that it is not the case (to quote a "supposition" posed by the Seventh Circuit) "that Wisconsin law is no greater part of the curriculum of the Marquette and Madison law schools than it is of the law schools of Harvard, Yale, Columbia, Virginia, the University of Texas, Notre Dame, the University of Chicago, the University of Oklahoma, and the University of Northern Illinois." Id. at 9. Indeed, I know it not to be the case at Marquette, and I expect that a similar thing is true at the University of Wisconsin. To be sure, it will take a while to demonstrate all this through the litigation system, but Marquette will provide the Attorney General's office any support that it requires in marshaling evidence.

Posted by Bonnie Shucha at 9:30 AM | Permalink

The University of Wisconsin Law Library is very pleased to announce the release of the J. Willard Hurst Collection which details the career of the man commonly identified as the father of modern American legal history.

The collection primarily spans the years 1932 through Hurst's death in 1997. The bulk of material dates between 1946 and 1980 when Hurst was a professor at the University of Wisconsin Law School, where he developed the field of American legal economic history through his scholarship and teaching. The collection provides insight into the evolution of Hurst's view of legal history and his role in developing a community for legal historians.

The collection includes Hurst's personal outlines and notes; course texts; publications; publication reviews; research notes; correspondence (incoming and outgoing letters); personnel records; photographs; audio recordings; and typewriter. Correspondence, topical outlines and notes, and audio recordings compose a bulk of the collection.

In anticipation of high research demand, the majority of materials in this collection have been digitized and are freely available on the Law Library website. Researchers may browse the collection by series; search the detailed finding aid; or view the complete finding aid in PDF.

The complete collection, including those materials which have not been digitized, is available at the UW Law Library. Contact the library staff for assistance.

Posted by Bonnie Shucha at 9:26 AM | Permalink

The UW Law School Commencement Ceremony will be held tomorrow, Friday, May 15, 2009 at 1:00 p.m. at the Monona Terrace. For the first time, the hooding ceremony will be webcast live on the Law School's website. Family and friends who are not able to attend the ceremony in person are invited to watch it all online.
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5/15 Update: This link will take you directly to the webcast.

Posted by Bonnie Shucha at 2:18 PM | Permalink

Recent faculty and staff scholarship from the University of Wisconsin Law School Legal Studies Research Paper Series in SSRN:

• Rediscovering the Lawyer School: Curriculum Reform in Wisconsin by Keith A. Findley, University of Wisconsin Law School
• Developmental States and the Legal Order: Towards a New Political Economy of Development and Law by David M. Trubek, University of Wisconsin Law School
• What Would Justice Holmes Do (WWJHD)?: Rehnquist's Plessy Memo, Majoritarianism, and Parents Involved by Brad Snyder, University of Wisconsin Law School
• Inspiring Innovation: Planning, Implementing, and Evaluating the Web 2.0 Challenge by Bonnie J. Shucha, University of Wisconsin Law School, Deborah Ginsberg, IIT Downtown Campus Library & Meg Kribble, Harvard Law School Library, Harvard Law School Library
• Networks, Norms and National Tax Policy by Allison Christians, University of Wisconsin Law School

Posted by Bonnie Shucha at 10:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

The University of Wisconsin Law School has created a new page entitled Intellectual Life which features the research and scholarship of the faculty and staff.

On the page, you'll find audio recordings of recent presentations, announcements of upcoming presentations and conferences, and news about faculty and staff.

Posted by Bonnie Shucha at 1:32 PM | Permalink

Latest faculty and staff scholarship from the University of Wisconsin Law School Legal Studies Research Paper Series on SSRN:

• Northeast Asian Development and the Problem of Rights: Challenges for a New Developmental State by John K.M. Ohnesorge, University of Wisconsin Law School
• Toward a New Paradigm of Criminal Justice: How the Innocence Movement Merges Crime Control and Due Process by Keith A. Findley, University of Wisconsin Law School
• Patenting Games: Or, Baker v. Selden Revisited by Shubha Ghosh, University of Wisconsin Law School
• Protection and Enforcement of Well-Known Mark Rights in China: History, Theory, and Future by Shubha Ghosh, University of Wisconsin Law School and Brad Luo, Dedman School of Law
• Globalizing Public Interest Law by Louise G. Trubek, University of Wisconsin Law School and Scott Cummings, University of California, Los Angeles - School of Law

Posted by Bonnie Shucha at 11:34 AM | Permalink

If you follow Althouse, you probably know that the UW Law professor recently became engaged to a man she met through her blog. The New York Times shares the story of their unique courtship.

Posted by Bonnie Shucha at 8:59 AM | Permalink

Here's the latest scholarship from the University of Wisconsin Law School Legal Studies Research Paper Series via SSRN.

• Financing the Next Silicon Valley, Darian M. Ibrahim, University of Wisconsin Law School

• Fair Taxation as a Human Right, Allison Christians, University of Wisconsin Law School

• In Democracy's Shadow: Fences, Raids and the Production of Migrant Illegality, Daniel Ibsen Morales, University of Wisconsin Law School

Posted by Bonnie Shucha at 4:12 PM | Permalink

The Capital Times has a nice article on the UW Law School's Mock Trial team. The team finished second-place at a tournament in Los Angeles last month.

Posted by Bonnie Shucha at 10:21 AM | Permalink

University of Wisconsin Law School Professor Alta Charo has been selected for President Elect Obama's HHS agency review team. How exciting!

Professor Charo is the Warren P. Knowles Professor of Law and Bioethics at the University of Wisconsin at Madison, where she is on the faculty of the Law School and the Medical School's Department of Medical History and Bioethics. See her extremely impressive bio for more.

See also Nan Hunter's (Professor at Georgetown Law) list of other law professors named to the transition team.

Posted by Bonnie Shucha at 8:40 AM | Permalink

The latest edition of the Wisconsin Law Journal has several articles about the challenges facing persons exonerated of crimes and released from prison. A number of the cases highlight students and faculty from the Wisconsin Innocence Project.

• After the Door Opens
• Exonerees Hope to Find Strength in Numbers
• Putting Broken Lives Back Together

Posted by Bonnie Shucha at 1:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

"Louis Butler Jr., a former Wisconsin Supreme Court justice and the first African American to sit on the state's highest court, will teach at the University of Wisconsin Law School as Justice in Residence beginning this fall." Read more at the UW Law School News.

Posted by Bonnie Shucha at 3:07 PM | Permalink

From the latest edition of the UW Law School Legal Studies Research Paper Series as published by SSRN.

• Who Says Shari'a Demands the Stoning of Women? A Description of Islamic Law and Constitutionalism by Asifa Quraishi, University of Wisconsin Law School

• A Sociolegal History of Public Housing Reform in Chicago by Lisa T. Alexander, University of Wisconsin Law School

• The Construction of Healthier Europe: Lessons from the Fight Against Cancer by Louise G. Trubek, University of Wisconsin Law School, Mark Nance, University of Wisconsin Law School, and Tamara K. Hervey, University of Sheffield - Faculty of Law

• Sovereignty, Taxation, and Social Contract by Allison Christians, University of Wisconsin Law School

  Posted by Bonnie Shucha at 1:19 PM | Permalink

The Wisconsin Law Review has recently announced its 2008 Symposium: The Continuing Evolution of Securities Class Actions. It will be held on Friday, October 17, 2008 at the Edgewater Hotel in Madison, Wisconsin. The symposium is co-sponsored by the Institute for Law and Economic Policy.

For more information, please contact the symposium editors.

Posted by Bonnie Shucha at 11:20 AM | Permalink

I'm pleased to announced that the entire run of the University of Wisconsin Law School's alumni newsletter, The Gargoyle, has been digitized and is freely available on our Web site. The collection spans from volume 1 (1969) to the present.

The digitization project was organized by the UW Law Library in collaboration with Technology Services. It was graciously funded by the Benchers Society.

The collection is currently browse-able by issue and article title. A search box will be added soon.

Posted by Bonnie Shucha at 4:05 PM | Permalink

The Winter/Spring 2008 edition of The Gargoyle is now available online. The Gargoyle is the alumni magazine of the University of Wisconsin Law School. Here is a list of featured articles:

• Studying the Police
  The Law School's pioneering program of researching and teaching about the police is beginning a new chapter in the age of the Internet.

• How I Got Here
  Professor Herman Goldstein, known internationally for his groundbreaking approach to studying the police, looks back on the decisions and twists of fate that brought him to Wisconsin.

• Everything You Need to Know About Impaired Driving
  Nina Emerson '92, director of the Law School's unique Resource Center on Impaired Driving, "knows OWI law better than anyone else."

• Helping Today's Patients, Training Tomorrow's Professionals
  The Center for Patient Partnerships is thriving as Director Meg Gaines '83 and her multidisciplinary staff and students join to advocate for clients facing serious illnesses.

• On Behalf of Children
  Five years after the three founders of the Children's Justice Project first discussed their passion for helping children in the legal system, the student group is flourishing.

Posted by Bonnie Shucha at 9:39 AM | Permalink

The Law Library is very pleased to report that two of our staff members have received UW Madison Library Service Awards.

Michael Morgalla, our Faculty Liaison, received the award for classified staff. Mike works with our Law School faculty on current awareness, obtaining resources across the campus, verifying citations, charging out material from special collections, and addressing basic reference questions.

Steven Weber received a student award. Steve has worked in numerous departments including reference, collections, administrative office and circulation as lead desk worker. Steve is also currently attending library school here at UW Madison.

Both Mike and Steve are tremendous assets to the Law Library and we were so pleased to see them honored with these awards.

For more information about other Library Service Award winners, see Libraries@UW-Madison.

Posted by Bonnie Shucha at 1:12 PM | Permalink

New faculty scholarship from the UW Law School Legal Studies Research Paper Series from the Legal Scholarship Network (SSRN).

• Do Bits Really Work? Revisiting the Empirical Link between Investment Treaties and Foreign Direct Investment Jason W. Yackee, University of Wisconsin Law School

• Wiretapping before the Wires: The Post Office and the Birth of Communications Privacy
  Anuj C. Desai, University of Wisconsin Law School

• Taxation as a Global Socio-Legal Phenomenon
  Allison Christians, University of Wisconsin Law School
  Steven Dean, Brooklyn Law School
  Diane M. Ring, Boston College - Law School
  Adam H. Rosenzweig, Washington University, St. Louis - School of Law

• The Elastic Tournament: The Second Transformation of the Big Law Firm
  Marc Galanter, University of Wisconsin Law School, Madison
  William D. Henderson, Indiana University School of Law-Bloomington

Posted by Bonnie Shucha at 11:29 AM | Permalink

As of the first of the year, the Wisconsin Women's Law Journal is now the Wisconsin Journal of Law, Gender & Society. From the announcement:

The new name is more closely aligned with the Journal's mission statement. For twenty-two years, the Journal has been seeking scholarship that, "examine[s] the intersection of law and gender with issues of race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and sexual orientation." As the Wisconsin Journal of Law, Gender & Society, we will continue to publish articles with this content, now under a more inclusive name that acknowledges the impact of gender on the legal system, without reference to one sex.

See also the announcement of their upcoming symposium, "Working From the World Up: Equality's Future" on March 14th and 15th, 2008.

Posted by Bonnie Shucha at 10:52 AM | Permalink

Several of the UW Law School's legal clinics/projects are featured in the latest edition of The Third Branch. They include:

• Family Law Assistance Center
• Small Claims Clinic
• Family Court Assistance Project
• Restraining Order Clinic

These programs, developed by the Dane County Bar Association and the UW Law School, are designed to assist self-represented litigants at the Dane County Courthouse.

Posted by Bonnie Shucha at 8:42 AM | Permalink

The latest edition of The Gargoyle, the UW Madison Law School alumni magazine, is now available online.

On a research note, I'd like to draw your attention to an article I contributed about the various library services available to UW Law School alumni and others (see page 8). This includes document delivery, databases, current awareness services, and reference assistance.

Other highlights from this Summer 2007 issue include:

• Constitutional Law in Action
  Professors Richard Monette, Heinz Klug, and Brady Williamson have used their expertise in constitutional law in a very concrete way: helping nations to create their own constitutions.

• Clinical Legal Education: It's For All Kinds of Lawyers
  Contrary to the misconception that clinical legal education always involves criminal law, the Law School's 13 clinics help students develop professionalism and skills for all fields of law.

• How I Got Here
  Professor Marygold Melli decided in eighth grade that she wanted to be a lawyer. She met -- and surmounted -- challenges all along the way from a legal profession that wasn't ready to admit women.

• A Plan Called LRAP
  Careers in public interest law can seem out of reach for graduates carrying the burden of debt that grew as they paid for their education. The Law School is building a Loan Repayment Assistance Program to help out.

Posted by Bonnie Shucha at 11:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

You may have noticed that WisBlawg was unavailable late last week. It was because the Law School's server was down to make the switch to the newly redesigned UW Law School Web site. Check it out!

Posted by Bonnie Shucha at 8:52 AM | Permalink

A new issue of the SSRN UW Law School Legal Studies Research Paper Series was released yesterday. Articles include:

• "Renegotiations and Settlements: Dr. Pangloss' Notes on the Margins of David Campbell's Papers" by STEWART MACAULAY

• "Constitution-Making, Democracy and the Civilizing of Unreconcilable Conflict: What Might We Learn from the South African Miracle?" by HEINZ KLUG

• "New Governance & Legal Regulation: Complementarity, Rivalry, and Transformation" by DAVID M. TRUBEK and LOUISE G. TRUBEK

• "The Transformation of Statutes into Constitutional Law: How Early Post Office Policy Shaped Modern First Amendment Doctrine" by ANUJ C. DESAI

• "Hard Law & Soft Law in International Taxation" by ALLISON CHRISTIANS

• "Freedom to Provide Health Care Services within the EU: An Opportunity for a Transformative Directive" by LOUISE G. TRUBEK and TAMARA K. HERVEY (University of Sheffield - Faculty of Law)

  Posted by Bonnie Shucha at 10:07 AM | Permalink

University of Wisconsin Law School Prof Alan J. Weisbard has started the aptly named blog, The Wise Bard. He'll be writing about "life and law and things that matter (to me): bioethics, the experience of illness, law and legal education, Jewish affairs, religion and state, contemporary culture, and, of course, politics."

Posted by Bonnie Shucha at 3:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

The latest edition of the UW Law School Legal Studies Research Paper Series is now available via the Legal Scholarship Network (SSRN) - Vol. 3, No. 1: March 16, 2007

Table of Contents:

- "The Business of State Supreme Courts, Revisited"
HERBERT M. KRITZER
University of Wisconsin, Madison - Department of Accounting and Information Systems
PAUL BRACE
Rice University - Department of Political Science
MELINDA GANN HALL
Michigan State University - Department of Political Science
BRENT BOYEA
University of Texas at Arlington

- "Monopolists Without Borders: The Institutional Challenge of International Antitrust in a Global Gilded Age"
D. DANIEL SOKOL
University of Wisconsin Law School

- "Can the President Read Your Mail? A Legal Analysis"
ANUJ C. DESAI
University of Wisconsin - Law School

- "Interpreting the Qur'an and the Constitution: Similarities in the Use of Text, Tradition, and Reason in Islamic and American Jurisprudence"
ASIFA QURAISHI
University of Wisconsin - Law School

- "Contracts as Organizations"
D. GORDON SMITH
University of Wisconsin Law School
BRAYDEN KING
Brigham Young University - Department of Sociology

Posted by Bonnie Shucha at 2:25 PM | Permalink

Steve Meili and the UW-Madison Consumer Law Clinic are featured in the latest issue of The Wisconsin Idea.

Students gain an awareness of the life situation of the clients," says Meili. "What might seem like a fairly simple legal problem is really much more complicated. It is important for students and lawyer to realize you can't compartmentalize people's problems into neat little boxes.

Posted by Bonnie Shucha at 1:12 PM | Permalink

The recent snow has brought out the ice sculptors on Bascom Hill. Bucky Badger stands in front of Bascom Hall and SpongeBob is right outside the Law School.

Posted by Bonnie Shucha at 9:47 AM | Permalink

The Wisconsin Law Journal has a nice article on UW Law profs, Stewart Macaulay and Marc Galanter, who each had an article included in the "The Canon of American Legal Thought," an anthology looking at the top 20 works in American legal thought since 1890.

From the article:

Macaulay's contribution was his 1963 article, "Non-Contractual Relations in Business," and Galanter's contribution was the 1974 essay, "Why the Haves Come out Ahead: Speculations on the Limits of Legal Change."

"We selected what we thought were the deepest and most influential essays," said Fisher, who is a professor of Intellectual Property Law and Director of the Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard Law School. "The articles by Macaulay and Galanter -- both of them crucial in launching the 'Law and Society' movement -- easily fit those criteria."

Thanks to Bill Ebbott for the tip.

Posted by Bonnie Shucha at 2:23 PM | Permalink

If you need to visit the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus but could you a little help navigating your way, check out the new, interactive Campus Map.

This is the best online map I've ever seen. You can click and drag to see other parts of the map, zoom in or out, measure distance, and mouse over any building, parking lot or bus stop to get detailed info. Click on the "aerial" button at the top left to change the view to an aerial satellite image.

Do a search for "Law Library" and see it for yourself. It will zoom you to the Law School building, link you to details about the building and its departments. Click on the blue bus icon on the corner of Park and University to see which buses stop there (including the free ones). In the bus stop window, click on the route number to have the whole route displayed on the map.

Posted by Bonnie Shucha at 10:56 AM | Permalink

The Gargoyle, the University of Wisconsin Law School alumni magazine, is now available online. Currently, the Spring 2006 and Winter 2005 issues are available.

Posted by Bonnie Shucha at 1:33 PM | Permalink

There are a lot of interesting images in the University of Wisconsin Collection from the UWDC. Here is a view of Bascom Hill circa 1907. Note the old law school building half way up on the left. For a larger view, see the original from the UWDC collection (link removed - see below).

A larger photo of the old law school building (built in 1893) hangs in the Law Library on the wall leading into the Quarles and Brady Reading Room.

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Update: It appears that the link to the image from the UWDC doesn't work because I believe that the url was tied to my session. You can still see it if you do a search of the WI Collection search page and search on the term "photogravure" (What is a photogravure?)

Posted by Bonnie Shucha at 10:38 AM | Permalink