If you have any questions, please contact Kristin Davis at kristindavis@wisc.edu.

Three of those programs are the New York/Northeast Off-Campus Recruitment Program; the Washington, D.C. Off Campus Recruitment Program; and the West Coast Off-Campus Recruitment Program. The West Coast Program is scheduled for August 15 in Los Angeles; the Washington D.C. program is scheduled for August 20 in D.C.; and the New York/Northeast program is scheduled for August 22 in New York City. We participate in these recruiting programs along with other law schools, including the University of Minnesota Law School and the University of Iowa Law School.

If you think you MIGHT want to participate in any of these programs, please come to the Career Services Office to pick up one of the light blue registration forms and the related informational packet. Please return your completed registration form to the Career Services Office by noon on April 9, 2008. Registering does not obligate you to participate in any of these programs -- it merely gives you the RIGHT to do so, and will put you on the list of students who will continue to receive information about the programs.

Information sessions will be held on the following days and times (both sessions are the same):

Thursday, April 3, 12:00-1:30 p.m. in 336 Ingraham Hall
Monday, April 28, 3:00-4:30 p.m. in 336 Ingraham Hall

If you are interested in the Fulbright programs, but are unable to attend an information session, please contact Erin Crawley to set up an appointment. She can be reached at fellow@intl-institute.wisc.edu or 262-9632.

President: Joe Hanes

Competition Chair: Andy Barragry

Vice President - Evans: Janell Wise

Vice President - Heffernan: Adam Witkov

Secretary: Jenni Lee

Treasurer: Rudy Moore

Evans Problem Writer: Laura Bayard

For more information, please contact Brett Belden at bbelden@wisc.edu.

Second-year law students Ben Prinsen and Adam Witkov placed second out of thirty-two teams at the Mardi Gras Invitational Sport Law Competition, hosted by Tulane University Law School. Their problem asked whether a fantasy sports league's use of player statistics violated the privacy rights of professional athletes. Prinsen and Witkov argued in the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals during the final rounds. Neil Layton 3L coached the team.

Second-year law students Lauren Jankowski and Luke Kohtala placed third in the Midwest regional of the Saul Lefkowitz Moot Court Competition, organized by the International Trademark Association. Their problem concerned trademark and unfair competition law. Brett Belden 3L coached the team.

At the William E. McGee National Civil Rights Moot Court Competition, hosted by the University of Minnesota Law School, Rachel Graham 3L and Jeff Barrett 2L placed among the top four of forty teams. Their problem concerned the use of race as a factor in voir dire and preemptive juror strikes. Mia Haessly 3L coached the team.

Lillian Cheesman 3L and Vic Yanz 2L placed among the top four of eleven teams at the National Telecommunications Competition, hosted by Catholic University's Columbus School of Law. Their problem discussed whether a text-messaging service is a telecommunications service or an information service. Jon Beidelschies 3L coached the team.

Second-year law students Brandon Flugaur and Abdul Mitha placed seventh overall out of forty-two teams at the National Criminal Procedure Tournament, hosted by the University of San Diego School of Law. Their problem concerned the rights of an inmate to exclude evidence gathered after a prison riot. Michael Rhoades 3L coached the team.

At the Region VII rounds of the National Moot Court Competition, hosted by Marquette University Law School, second-year law students Rufino Gaytan and Ellen Qualey advanced to the quarterfinal rounds. Their problem concerned whether a state gun-control law was preempted by federal regulations. Robert Ellis 3L coached the team.

Finally, second-year law students Cathleen Dettman and James Block won Third Place Best Brief at the Chicago Bar Association Moot Court Competition. Their problem concerned the constitutional rights of a school teacher subject to a municipal regulation that required all city employees to reside within city limits. Dettman and Block also advanced to the second round of oral arguments at the competition. Elizabeth Kisthardt 3L coached the team.

President: Beth Stockbridge
Vice President: Nick Watt
Administrative Coordinator: Amanda Van Dyke
Treasurer: Jenny Zimmerman
Fundraiser: Darcy Copland
Scholarship Coordinator: Katy Ramsey
Alumni Coordinator: Anne Applebaum
Service Coordinator: Jenny Vandermeuse
Public Relations Coordinator: Lindsey Smith
Student Coalition Coordinator/LRAP Liason: Kyra Olds

If you have any questions about UW-PILF, please feel free to contact Beth Stockbridge at stockbridge@wisc.edu.

But wait, there's more!! The nineteenth edition of The Bluebook is scheduled to be published in 2010. Now is your chance to answer a survey and share your ideas with the editors for future enhancements. Surveys must be received by June 30, 2008. Comments and questions are also welcome through e-mail to suggestions@legalbluebook.com. Ten survey responses will be selected at random and these drawing winners will receiver a free copy of the nineteenth edition as well as a one-year subscription to the online version.

To see how The Bluebook has evolved over the years, take a look at the introduction section on their web page. In 1926 the premier edition consisted of a mere 28 pages while the current edition contains more than 400 pages.

The subscription component, accessible for use inside campus libraries or remotely by UW-Madison students, faculty, and staff, includes laws and regulations, tax treaties, and more. Coverage of legislation and regulations is nearly comprehensive, dating back to 1949. Cases are available selectively.

The free public component includes an overview of the Chinese legal system, basic laws, white papers, and legal news.

Nearly all materials in the database are available in English and Chinese.

For assistance with Lawinfochina contact Sunil Rao, Foreign Law Librarian, or one of the other reference librarians.

If you will be doing law-school related research, however, you may request full access to both databases by registering before the end of May. Instructions follow.

LexisNexis

To register, go to LexisNexis and click on the Summer Access Registration link or the graphic in the rotating banner at www.lexis.com/lawschool. If you do not register, your LexisNexis law school ID will be limited to only career materials as of June 1st.

You must verify that you will be doing one of the following:

• Summer School (includes Clinics)
  
• School-Related Research Assignment
  
• Moot Court Research
  
• Law Review or Journal research (includes 1Ls writing on)
  
• Working as a Professor's Research Assistant
  
• Non-Profit Externship (includes Public Interest position)
  
• Unpaid Internship/Externship (or small stipend)
  
• Bar Review
  
• Anything involving class credit

For specific questions, please contact our LexisNexis representative, Carolyn Bach.

Westlaw

During the months of June and July you are allotted two hours of usage per month. To extend your Westlaw password beyond those two hours, sign on to lawschool.westlaw.com and follow the summer access link.

To be granted full access, you must be doing one of the following things this summer:

• taking summer classes
  
• law review or journal work
  
• research for law faculty
  
• moot court competition
  
• unpaid public interest intern/externships (this excludes working for state or local governments or the courts)
  
• pro bono work required for graduation

For specific questions, please contact our Westlaw representative, Matt Singewald.

Loislaw

Note that your password for Loislaw does not expire over the summer, and your use of Loislaw is not restricted to educational purposes. UW Law School students who do not have a Loislaw password, may request one through the Law Library Web site.

Rasmusen, Eric B., editor. Game Theory and the Law. Cheltenham, Eng. ; Northampton, Mass.: Edward Elgar Publishing, c2007. 603 p.
Call number: K487/E3/G35/2007

Game theory is an economic philosophy that attempts to simplify situations enough to identify the key forces at work. Or as the editor, Eric B. Rasmusen, writes in the introduction: "So it is with game theory models. Stripping a situation down to particular players, actions, and payoffs puts in focus interactions between people or organizations that would otherwise be obscured by reality's details."

In law, this type of analysis is key to learning how to think and write like a lawyer. The briefs you present to the court must be succinct as to the facts, rules of law and relief sought. In crafting your arguments, game-theoretical analysis may very well allow you to measure the impacts various players have on situational events based on the strategic choices they've made or did not make to reach the best legal solution to your case.

This volume brings together a series of classic articles on the subject and use of game theory in law. The goal is to present a body of literature accessible to lawyers and the layperson alike so we might better understand the way in which laws affect the way people behave. Divided into five parts, the articles presented herein analyze game theory's application and potential contribution 1) to the law in general; 2) bargaining and procedure; 3) contracts; 4) torts, taxes, and crime; and 5) the courts.

Individual articles include "Agency Models in Law and Economics" by Eric A. Posner; Keith N. Hylton's article "An Economic Theory of the Duty to Bargain" which examines the interesting dilemma whereby the law requires the union and the employer to bargain in good faith yet there is no set legal requirement that either side make an acceptable offer to the other; and John Prather Brown's seminal article on tort law "Toward an Economic Theory of Liability." As noted in the introduction, Brown's work "precedes the conscious use of game theory in legal research, but follows exactly the same method: establish payoff functions for various players and see what actions they will take to maximize their payoffs."

With much the same focus in mind, Douglas G. Baird, co-author of an earlier book of the same title, Game Theory and the Law (Harvard University Press, 1994) writes in a review appearing in The University of Chicago Chronicle (vol. 15, no. 6, Nov. 10, 1994): "It's recognized that the law often merely sets the ground rules for negotiations. Much interaction between individuals in the marketplace and elsewhere takes place in the form of bargaining under the umbrella of the law. To understand how legal rules work, one must also understand the dynamics of bargaining. The formal tools of game theory help us better understand the give-and-take of bargaining."

The intent of this growing body of literature regarding game theory and the law is not only to arrive at better legal solutions to the issues of the day, but to make possible the creation of better laws in the future.

For our celebration this year, we have put together a number of activities including a legal research contest, displays, a Facebook welcome, and, of course, our faculty READ posters. This year's posters feature, Anuj Desai and Keith Findley & John Pray.

Want to star in your very own READ poster? Then head over to the CIMC this week with your favorite book. They'll take your photo and create a poster for you.

National Library Week is also an ideal time to discover some library resources of which you may not be aware. Look for the Reference Book of the Day on display at the reference desk. You might just find a few hidden gems in our collection.

And did you know that the Law Library has a Facebook page? Students - sign our wall this week and score some Westlaw and Lexis/Nexis points. Thanks to their generous support, we're awarding 5 Westlaw points for every UW law student who signs the wall, plus one lucky person will receive 1500 Lexis/Nexis points from a random drawing.

Now for the Legal Research Contest
Think you're pretty good at legal research? Now is your chance to test your skills.
Submit your answers to the following questions before 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, April 17 for the chance to win one of three gift bags donated by the Wisconsin Law School Alumni Office, Lexis/Nexis, and Westlaw. Send your answers to askuwlaw@law.wisc.edu

The winner will be drawn from those submitting the most correct responses. The contest is open to all UW Law School students, faculty, and staff. Winners will be notified by email. Good luck everyone!!

1. What U.S. Supreme Court Justice is considered the foremost American legal writer (i.e. published the most law books)?

2. Using the Law Library's guide to Public International Law identify an index that can be used to find and / or check the status of a treaty to which the U.S. is a party.

3. Decipher this abbreviation: Halligan, 49 LRA (NS) 112-120n

4. Whistle blowing can be dangerous, as depicted in a 1983 film about safety practices at a nuclear plant. Name the film and the actress playing the lead character.

5. Use Thomas, a website for accessing legislative documents, to answer the following questions: locate Public Law No. 106-249. What is the name of the Act?

What is the bill number that passed into law?

Who was the main sponsor of the bill?

When did the President sign the bill?

6. The only copy of the Magna Carta in the United States was recently sold at auction.

How much did it sell for?

Name the former presidential candidate who once owned this copy?

In which language is the Magna Carta written?

7. Who wrote the quote? "The profession of the law is the only aristocratic element that can be amalgamated without violence with the natural elements of democracy, and which can be advantageously and permanently combined with them."

8. What well-known First Amendment lawyer participated in the Pentagon Papers case, won an unanimous decision from the U. S. Supreme Court in Landmark Communications v. Virginia, and prevailed for NBC after the "King of Las Vegas," Wayne Newton, filed a libel suit against the network?

Name the title of his 2005 book in which he recounts the First Amendment battles these cases presented?

9. Identify the book published in 2006 that chronicles the women who have served as members of the U. S. Congress?

Next, name the first woman to serve in Congress? Hint: Use the title referenced above.

Per her voting record, what distinction does she hold that no other member of Congress can claim?

Doing Business
First launched in 2003, this is a great Web site for "comparing business regulations." In-depth data and reports about rankings of regulations relevant to doing business are supplied for 175 economies, along with tools for comparative analysis.

Export.Gov
This Web site brings together resources from across the U.S. Government to assist American business in international sales as well as identifying important exporting opportunities essential for anyone doing business abroad. Access to most of the materials is free but requires registration.

Zillow
Zillow provides estimates of home values and related data for over 70,000,000 properties to prospective buyers and sellers. Entering an address will produce a satellite photograph and street map, as well as data on home features such as number of bedrooms. Data coverage is not completely even, but homeowners and buyers will find Zillow.com a quick and easy way to estimate a home's current value.

Gethuman
Perhaps it is a bit of a stretch to describe this as a 'law-related' database but for anyone ever exasperated by trying to phone an organization in order to resolve a problem, check out this terrific resource. Aimed at consumers, the gethuman database of 500 companies includes customer service telephone numbers, specific instructions for reaching a real person at each company, and quality of service scores. Users can click on a company name to rate the quality of telephone support.

SeatGuru
For the causal or frequent flyer, this site provides detailed maps of commercial airliners for seating selections, in-flight amenities and general traveling information. Included are the locations of the galley, restrooms, exits, and closets. Color codes on the seats indicate uncomfortable or unpopular seats, average seats and preferred seats.

ALA's complete listing of the 2007 best free reference web sites is definitely worth a look.

Wisconsin Related Sites

NOW (National Organization for Women) Wisconsin Chapter
A newsletter and links to local and national information and resources related to
women and women's issues.

Women's History Resources
From the UW Women's Studies Librarian's Office. Links to online collections and other sites related to women's studies.

Women's Studies Consortium
Descriptions of women's studies departments and programs throughout the UW System; publications on women's studies by the UW press; links to related web sites; and more.

Women's History Month DVDs and Videos
A list of the videos related to women's history available at the Madison Public Library.

UW Women's Studies Librarian's Office
Links to the office's publications and resources for finding material related to women's issues, including bibliographies; UW E-Journals; links to web sites; and more.

Wisconsin Women's Network
Newsletter, links, job and volunteer opportunities, and local events related to Women's History Month.

Facts and History

American Women's History: A Research Guide
From Middle State Tennessee University. Through its indexes, the site provides citations to print and Internet reference sources, as well as to selected primary source collections. The guide also offers information about the tools researchers can use to find additional books, articles, dissertations, and primary sources.

Facts for Features
From the U.S. Census Bureau. Statistical data related to women.

The Gerritsen Collection
A collection of books and periodicals that cover the evolution of feminism and women's rights from 1543 to 1991. Searchable by keywords and boolean operators. Records are linked to page images that are downloadable in PDF.

Library of Congress: Women's History Month
Links to LOC collections, images, audio/visual recordings, and more, all related to women's history.

NOW (National Organization for Women)
Information about the organization, links to local chapters, and news related to women's issues. Lower left-hand corner of the page includes a link to NOW activities in Universities.

National Women's History Project
Information about the NWHP, national programs, news and events related to Women's History Month, links to women's history resource sites, and more.

Women's History
An overview of women's history and of the Library of Congress's manuscript holdings.

Women's History
From Thomson/Gale. Biographies of important women, a timeline of women's history, activities to celebrate women's history month, and more.

Women's History Month 2008
From the Learning Network. Facts, features, and links to reference resources on women's history.

Women Working: 1800-1930
From Harvard University Library. Access to digitized historical collection from Harvard's library and museum. Collection includes some 500,000 digitized pages and images including: manuscripts, books and phamplets, and photographs.

Directories of Internet Resources

About Women's History
Links to articles, documents, collections, biographies, the Encyclopedia of Women's History, and other sources related to women's history.

Women in the United States: Links
From the U.S. Department of State.

Women's History
From the Internet Public library.

WSSLINKS : Women and Gender Studies Web Sites
A directory of web sites maintained by the Women's Studies Section of the Association of College and Research Libraries, devoted to women and women's studies.

When I get a moment one of my favorite things to do at the Reference Desk is to check out some of the new titles on the Law Library's New Book Shelf (just past the Circulation Desk on the 5th floor). It's always fun and informative to see what's new. In many ways, it's like having a snapshot of the entire library, everything arranged in call number order, and ready to review right next to some comfortable chairs. In the first of a regularly recurring column, I am going to review the following new title:

Busch, Andrew. The Constitution on the Campaign Trail: the Surprising Political Career of America's Founding Document. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2007. 319 p.
Call number: KF/4552/B87/2007

Of the many areas of law, I find constitutional law continually intriguing, especially as we are in the midst of a presidential campaign year that many would consider to be of great historical importance. A quick look at some of the chapter titles, "The Constitution in Party Platforms," "The Constitution in Candidate Messages," and "Constitutional Rhetoric and Governing," sparks my interest to investigate further.

Busch proposes one way to evaluate the health and vibrancy of our Constitution from generation to generation is to "focus on the extent and character of constitutional rhetoric in American elections" (p.4) and how this affects their outcome, as well as, the subsequent conduct of candidates and political parties once in power. The theory is that "candidates who pay heed to constitutional concerns while campaigning may be more likely to pay them heed while governing" (p.6). And so, too, as it is with the voting public "by tracing the degree to which constitutional issues are visible in electoral campaigns, we can also roughly trace the degree to which Americans have already made a place for those issues on their political agenda" (p.7).

The study goes on to examine the vigor of campaign conversation regarding the Constitution from 1840 through 2006 looking at a variety of political communications such as major-party platforms, nomination acceptance letters or speeches, and more recently major-party television advertising and presidential debates. To understand the effect of this conversation once candidates are in elected office, the author examines inaugural addresses and State of the Union messages to test whether the rhetoric used on the campaign trail follows through and affects the manner in which they govern.

The modes of political communication mentioned above are then broken down into fifteen categories of constitutional rhetoric with the goal of measuring the "consistency" and "depth" to which constitutional issues come to the fore. Some of the categories used in this study include: 1) appointment and confirmation of constitutionally sensitive positions, 2) individual rights, 3) impeachment, 4) utilization of executive powers, and 5) contraction or expansion of judicial power.

These five categories, in particular, seem to resonate with the current political landscape. Whether these basic constitutional issues or any others become more important or not in the current presidential election cycle is an open question. Busch's study suggests that much depends on the level and vibrancy of the constitutional conversation that we have as a body politic in the months and years ahead.

The following is a selection of RSS feeds which may be useful to UW Law School students, faculty and staff. If you have any questions about RSS or would like any assistance setting up feeds, please contact Bonnie Shucha, Head of Reference.

Court Documents

• CCAP - Notification of new WI Circuit Court, Court of Appeals, and Supreme Court cases by party name and/or all filings for an individual case
  
• Wisconsin Courts - All new Court of Appeals and Supreme Court opinions, oral arguments, certifications, etc.
  
• Justia - Receive new full-text U.S. District Circuit Court opinions and filings by type, keyword, or jurisdiction
  
• Seventh Circuit - Track the latest opinions released by the US 7th Circuit Court of Appeals
  
• Cornell Supreme Court Collection - Monitor recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions

Legislation & Regulations

• GovTrack - Track U.S. Congressional bills - new bills by subject or representative, or by action on individual bills
  
• Justia Regulations Tracker - Track new Federal Register documents by agency, type of document or keyword

Legal Scholarship

• UW Law Library Selected Recent Acquisitions - New items received by the UW Law Library
  
• UW Law School Media Central - Audio and video recordings of law school lectures and events
  
• Current Law Journal Content - Law journal articles by publication, author, keyword, etc.
  
• Social Science Research Network - SSRN papers by author
  
• Westlaw Watch - New results for Westlaw searches or all new content from individual titles
  
• LexisNexis Publisher - New results for Westlaw searches or all new content from individual titles [Not available to law schools]

Blogs

• Justia Blawg Search - Search engine and directory of legal blogs
  
• Google Blog Search - Create RSS feeds by keyword for content from any blog

News

• Google News - Create RSS feeds from custom new searches
  
• Madison Newspapers
  
• Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
  
• Milwaukee Business Journal
  
• New York Times
  
• Wall Street Journal
  

Business

• PubSub - Customized SEC filings [not currently available]

Miscellaneous

• New Books from Amazon - Customized notification of new books by subject, including law
  
• RSStalker - Track Amazon price changes, and maybe get a price adjustment

We invite law students, faculty and staff to visit the page and register as "fans." Those registered as fans will receive Facebook updates and announcements from the library, such as changes in hours, info about new resources, etc.

Scanned images of briefs (created by the Wisconsin State Law Library) are available on the Law Library's web site. The Wisconsin Brief database consists of briefs for published Wisconsin Supreme Court and Court of Appeals cases as well as unpublished Court of Appeals cases from 173 Wis.2d (1992) to 291 Wis.2d ( 2006). When searching this database, simply enter the docket number or the case citation. Access to recent briefs or briefs from pending cases may be requested at the Wisconsin State Law Library. For more details refer to the About Wisconsin Briefs link on our web page.

Case briefs from the 1941 - 1992 era (238 Wis. Reports through volume 275 and 1 Wis. 2d through 172 Wis.2d.) are available in the Law Library's microform collection. The microfilm reader / printer work stations offer a scanning option to send pdf copies to your personal computer desktop. Due to space limitations older, bound briefs covering volumes 9 through 275 are housed at the campus storage facility. Use the "place request" feature on MadCat for retrieval and expect turn-around time to be one - two business days.

If you are looking for briefs to U.S. Supreme Court cases, there are two important holdings to check in the library. The first title includes documents back to 1832: Records and Briefs, U.S. Supreme Court [microform collection, 2nd floor]. The second title, Landmark Briefs and Arguments of the Supreme Court of the U.S. : Constitutional Law, dates back to 1793 but is selective in that it only includes 'landmark' cases in a given term [Reference Collection, KF101.8 K87] . Besides these two titles, live audio of oral arguments may be found online at www.oyez.org . Additionally, audio of oral arguments from selected cases ranging from 1955 to 2001 may be heard on the cd-rom set, The Supreme Court's Greatest Hits, [Circulation Desk KF101.9 U55 2002]. Lexis / Nexis and Westlaw also provide online access to federal brief databases.

The Law Library has numerous books to help you write better briefs. Try running a search in the MadCat Library Catalog using these suggested subject headings: Legal briefs, Oral pleading, Appellate practice or Amici curiae. If you prefer to browse, head to the stacks on level three - south using the general call number KF 251. More recent editions of these books will be found on reserve at the circulation desk.

UW and Madison Resources

Department of Afro American Studies
http://polyglot.lss.wisc.edu/aas/
Information about the department, links to student resources and more.

Black History in Wisconsin
http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/topics/blackhistory/
From the Wisconsin State Historical Society. Photographs, newspaper articles, court cases and other sources covering African American history in Wisconsin from the 18th century through through the 20th century.

Black Law Students Association
http://www.law.wisc.edu/students/blsa/
Information on local, regional and national events, Internet resources and more.

Wisconsin Black Student Union
http://wiblackstudentunion.rso.wisc.edu/
Information on membership, mission, history, and events.

College Library Ethnic Collection
http://www.college.library.wisc.edu/about/collections/ethnic.shtml
UW library books, and information/links regarding Black History month and related local, regional and national events.

Madison Center for Creative and Cultural Arts
http://www.mccca.net/bhmc.htm
Local calendar of events related to Black History Month.

Facts and History

African American Mosaic
http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/african/intro.html
A Library of Congress resource guide for the study of African American history and culture.

African American Odyssey
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/aaohtml
Online access to items from the Library of Congress's African American collections.

African American History and Heritage Site
http://www.creativefolk.com/blackhistory/blackhistory.html
Resources for African American Studies. Site compiled by Gerri Gribi, a historian and musician.

Africans in America
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia
An online companion to "Africans in America," a PBS television series.

AfriGeneas: African Ancestored Genealogy
http://www.afrigeneas.com/
Sponsored by many individuals and organizations concerned with the development and use of a system of genealogy for researching African related ancestry.

Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH)
http://www.asalh.org/
Since 1926, ASALH established the national theme for the month-long celebration of African American History Month. Site includes information on this years theme, and more.

Black Facts
http://www.blackfacts.com/
Sponsored and funded by Inner City Software.

Black History Month
http://www.npr.org/news/specials/blackhistorymonth/
Links to past National Public Radio coverage of Black History Month. Most specials are
from 2003.

Black Voices -- Black History Month 2008
http://www.blackvoices.com/black-history-month
Articles, slides, quizzes, and other information.

Directories of Internet Resources

Academic Info: African American History and Studies
http://www.academicinfo.net/africanam.html
Academic Info is a non-profit, educational organization.

Black History Hotlist
http://www.kn.pacbell.com/wired/BHM/bh_hotlist.html
From Knowledge Network Explorer, geared to the needs of California students, teachers, and librarians.

Black History Month
http://www.infoplease.com/spot/bhm1.html
Infoplease is a part of the Family Education Network, a company that seeks to bring together educational content on the web.

Black History Month Resources
http://www.free.ed.gov/subjects.cfm?subject_id=116&res_feature_request=0
From the U.S. Department of Education.

Facts for Features
http://tinyurl.com/38hadw
From the U.S. Census Bureau.

Gateway to African American History
http://tinyurl.com/dphkw
From the U.S. Department of State.

Here are just a few of the many ways in which we can assist you:

• Interpret a citation and locate material, such as a case, article, or government document
• Locate a book that you can't find in the MadCat Library Catalog
• Refine your search in MadCat or a periodicals database
• Provide advice on what treatise, database, etc. may best provide information on your topic
• Provide quick tips or point of need training in a legal database

You can contact the reference staff in one of four ways: In person, by phone, by email and via Instant Messaging or chat.

Reference assistance is available:

• Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m. - 9 p.m.
• Friday from 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.
• Weekends from 1 p.m. - 5 p.m.

In Person

One of the best ways to get research help is to consult with a librarian in person at the Reference Desk. The Reference Desk is located just inside the entrance of the Law Library across from the Circulation Desk. Although we welcome your questions by email, phone or IM/chat, in person consultations allow us provide a deeper level of assistance. For example, we can ask you questions to learn exactly what it is that you need or we can instruct you on how to conduct a database search. Cite checkers should be aware that showing us a troublesome citation in context of the original article helps us track it down more quickly.

Phone, Email, and IM/Chat

If speaking to us in person isn't an option, we invite you to contact us by email, phone or IM/chat. These methods are ideal for quick questions which we usually can answer right away. Note that more detailed questions may require that we get back to you.

You can phone the reference staff at (608)262-3394, or email us at askuwlaw@law.wisc.edu. With IM/chat, our newest reference service, you can instantly connect with reference staff online. Simply use the chat box on our home page (http://library.law.wisc.edu) or add our buddy name (below) to your IM contacts list:

• AIM: AskUWLaw
• Yahoo: AskUWLaw
• MSN: AskUWLaw@law.wisc.edu
• ICQ: 204333744

Please note: Our IM/chat service directs your message to our email service when we are offline. Be sure to enter your email address so that we may get back to you.

To help you remember our contact information, we've created business cards which you can keep in your rolodex or wallet, as well as stickers which you can put on your notebooks or laptops. You can pick up as many as you need at the reference desk.

On December 1, 2007, a revised and restyled Federal Rules of Civil Procedure (F.R.C.P.) became effective. The Style Project, as it is called, rewrote the rules using "plain language" with the purpose of making them easier to understand. This project, begun in 1992, resulted in the most extensive revision of the rules since their establishment in 1938.

The new rules may be viewed online at the Federal Judiciary's website for federal rules of practice, procedure, and evidence, as well as, at Cornell's Legal Information Institute website.

The Federal Judiciary's website also gives you considerable insight into the rulemaking process itself, and the changes that were made. For example, you will find links to the Current and Restyled Rules Comparison Chart, another chart outlining the Civil Rules Style Project Global Drafting Issues, as well as, excerpts from the Report of the Advisory Committee on Civil Rules (Part 1 of this report presents action items and the second a side-by-side comparison of the old and amended rules).

It is important to remember, though, that these changes are merely stylistic in nature as an aid to their use and implementation. The amendments are not and should not be construed to affect the substantive meaning of the rules themselves. Rule 86 addresses this very point by including a provision that the restyled Rules are not to be treated as superseding existing laws. Likewise, the Rule's Advisory Committee Notes appending each of the restyled rules state the same, i.e. "These changes are intended to be stylistic only."

Among the recently updated print resources incorporating the 2007 style amendments to be found in the library include:

Federal Civil Rules Handbook. St. Paul, Minn. : West Pub. Co.
Location: Reserve Collection KF/8816/A195/2008 (24 hour loan)

Moore's Federal Rules Pamphlet in 4 parts (see Part 1 for F.R.C.P.). New York, NY : Matthew Bender, 1997-
Location: Reserve Collection KF/8840/M642/Rules/Pt.1-4/2008 (24 hour loan)

Moore's Federal Practice. 3rd ed. New York, NY : Matthew Bender, 1997-
Volumes 1-14 have been completed revised to reflect the new changes.
Location: Quarles & Brady Reading Room, 5th Floor East, section 57 (non-circulating)

Here is how it works; instead of using Google, Yahoo or MSN to search, select a charitable search engine and earn money for charity by your activities. You search for free, while advertising dollars provide the money for the charity.

To learn more on what search engines provide money for charity, see this article from DoshDosh, 15 Charity Search Engines that help you give money to charity for free.

An Australian blogger has tried out four or five of these search engines and come up with his own recommendation on which search engine he liked the best. See his recommendation at Review of Charity Search Engine Searchkindly.com.

Another article, Charitible Clicking from Smartmoney, recommends the search engines Goodsearch.com. and Smartsearch.com.

Whatever charitable search engine you select, the search engine will help you find the information you need on the Web and you will help out a good cause. What better way to begin the new year.

• Extended Hours - From Friday, Nov. 30 to Thursday, Dec. 20, the Law Library opens at 8:00 a.m. and closes at midnight. During extended hours, access to the Law Library will be restricted to law students, faculty / staff and patrons doing legal research or using the federal documents collection.

• Reference Assistance - Keep in mind our IM / Chat service while you study. Have a quick question? Reference help is a click away.

• Exam Archive - Many faculty members make their past exams available to students as a study aid. These can be accessed from the Law Library web page using your netID.
  
  
• Exam Information - The Law School has a helpful listing on its web page with important exam information for students.

• Study Rooms - These rooms are always popular, especially at exam time, so stop by the Circulation Desk to reserve one of the Law Library's six study rooms.

Continuing our exploration of some of the newer annotations in the American Law Reports (ALR) family, this week we will look ALR 6th.

The ALR 6th, like ALR Fed 2d, is one of the newer series in the ALR family of law reporters. Besides the usual references to cases, statutes, and regulations, the new ALR 6th now includes references to appellate briefs and pleadings associated with the reported case highlighted in a given annotation, as well as, references to Westlaw topical databases, private and governmental websites relevant to the annotation's topic.

To review the annotations listed below, plus many more, consult ALR 6th in print, available in our Reference collection (KF132 A56), or access it online at Westlaw.

George L. Blum, J.D., Annotation, Validity of Warrantless Search of Motor Vehicle Passenger based on Odor of Marijuana, 1 ALR 6th 371 (2005).

Marjorie A. Shields, J.D., Annotation, Electronic Spoilation of Evidence, 3 ALR 6th 13 (2005).

George L. Blum, J.D., Annotation, Rights and Liabilities of Unaccredited Law Schools and Their Students, 5 ALR 6th 449 (2005).

George L. Blum, J.D., Annotation, Right of Jailed or Imprisoned Parent to Visit from Minor Child, 6 ALR 6th 483 (2005).

Fern L. Kletter, J.D., Annotation, Excessiveness of Bail in State Criminal Cases-Amounts over $500,000, 7 ALR 6th 487 (2005).

Kristine Cordier Karnezis, J.D., Annotation, Electronic Voting Systems, 12 ALR 6th 523 (2006).

Fern L. Kletter, J.D., Annotation, Construction and Application of Rule permitting Knock And Talk Visits under Fourth Amendment and State Constitutions, 15 ALR 6th 515 (2006).

Dale Joseph Gilsinger, J.D., Annotation, When is Warrantless Entry of House or other Building Justified under "Hot Pursuit" Doctrine, 17 ALR 6th 327 (2006).

Robin Miller, J.D., Annotation, Employee's Expectation of Privacy in Workplace, 18 ALR 6th 1 (2006).

Fern L. Kletter, J.D., Annotation, Cigarette Lighter as Deadly or Dangerous Weapon, 22 ALR 6th 533 (2007).

Marjorie A. Shields, J.D., Annotation, Invocation and Effect of State Secrets Privilege, 23 ALR 6th 521 (2007).

Jay M. Zitter, J.D. Annotation, Failure of State Prosecutor to Disclose Exculpatory Tape Recorded Evidence as Violating Due Process, 24 ALR 6th 1 (2007).

Brian L. Porto, J.D., Annotation, Timeliness of Execution of Search Warrant, 27 ALR 6th 491 (2007).

Elizabeth D. Lauzon, J.D., Annotation, Constitutionality of Requiring Presentation of Photographic Identification in Order to Vote, 27 ALR 6th 541 (2007).

Other annotations you can find in this series include a vast range of topics from remedies for breach of plea bargain, regulation of paintball guns, denial of driver's licenses to illegal aliens, application of the attorney-client privilege respecting electronic documents, and much more.

FILRD contains full-text, PDF files of prominent international law publications, including:

* Selected yearbooks and other serials from around the world.
* Proceedings of the American Society of International Law.
* U.S. law digests on international law.
* Decisions and other documents of the Hague Permanent Court of International Justice.
* Other materials related to international and foreign law.

FILRD is accessible on campus or remotely with UW Madison net id and password.

Note also that two related resources, the Treaties and Agreements Library and the World Trials Collection, are now also available on Hein Online.

CCAP, the online database of Wisconsin's Circuit Court dockets, lists information about criminal and civil cases, court dates, convictions and sentences from all 72 counties. Based on statistics from the Circuit Court Access Oversight Committee, this site averages a million hits per day! The "Frequently Asked Question" section of the CCAP database explains important details about using the website effectively. Another dynamic feature of the Wisconsin site is the addition of RSS feeds to receive automatic alerts on specific cases.

How accessible should court files be in the Internet era? The controversy regarding privacy and public accountability makes for a unique research experience from state to state. Listed below are reliable sources to navigate court dockets at the state and federal levels.

Our colleagues at the Wisconsin State Law Library maintain an extensive list of links to court records, public records and vital records on their Legal Topics Index - Court Records page.

LLRX, an outstanding law and technology website, includes federal and state court rules, forms and dockets section with links to over 1,400 sources. You can browse lists to find the resource you need or search by keyword.

Virtual Chase, another excellent legal research website, has a thorough listing of civil and criminal court records categorized by state, federal or international jurisdiction.

The National Center for State Courts compiles a topic guide regarding all aspects of court administration. Their resource listing on public access to court records is particularly interesting.

PACER (Public Access to Court Electronic Records) is an electronic service that allows users to obtain case and docket information from Federal Appellate, District and Bankruptcy courts, and the U.S. Party/Case Index via the Internet. service. A login and password, issued by the PACER Service Center, is required for access with minimal print charges of .08 cents per page. Feel free to stop at the Reference Desk for PACER assistance if you do not wish to register for an account.

Justia, a newcomer to the Internet legal services market, also provides a database for searching federal district court cases. Coverage starts with January 2006 to present.

And finally there are commercial vendors that offer comprehensive searches for public records. These databases are not included with the Law Library subscriptions, but keep them in mind. Lexis Nexis CourtLink provides electronic access to court records in over 4,000 federal, state and local courts.

Likewise, Westlaw's CourtExpress searches and monitors cases in federal district, bankruptcy and appellate courts as well as some state courts. This service also markets a document retrieval component.

Wisconsin Sites

University of Wisconsin Law Library

The UW Law Library staff has created many bibliographies and guides to materials and services available at the library or online. Some guides cover a specific legal topic, such as criminal law, estate planning, legal history, environmental law, foreign & international law, etc. Other guides direct users to services available to them, such as Sources of Information for the Wisconsin Attorney and Guide to Low Cost Legal Resources in Dane County.

Wisconsin State Law Library

The Wisconsin State Law Library has an extensive collection of guides and links to legal tutorials. Guides are available for Wisconsin law, federal law, treaties and international law, as well as, topical guides and legal tutorials. For more introductory materials, see the area on How and Where to Begin Your Research. To find the tutorials, scroll down to the Research Tools section.

Marquette University Law Library

Marquette Law Library also has a collection of research guides. Their Web sites states that the guides may be useful to those beginning research on a legal topic or undertaking legal research for the first time. Some serve as an introduction to an area of the law or a particular kind of resource, while others provide assistance in the practical tasks that accompany legal work, such as citing and using primary and secondary sources. Those who are experienced legal researchers as well as those new to legal research may find these guides useful in their descriptions of resources for locating the current state of the law and in their suggestions for manipulating unfamiliar databases.

Other Law Libraries

Many university law libraries provide legal research guides and several law libraries also provide an online tutorial for instruction in legal research. Listed are a few law libraries that provide these services:

• Cornell Law Library
• Georgetown University
• University of California - Irvine

Legal Sites

The Virtual Chase

The Virtual Chase, now owned by the law firm Ballard Spahr Andrews & Ingersoll, LLP, was created to disseminate articles to law librarians and other instructors of Internet research. The Virtual Chase provides a list of legal tutorials on a variety of topics. To create your own list of links, enter "tutorial" in the search menu box at the top of the home page. For more on The Virtual Chase, see their "About" page.

Another useful site on by The Virtual Chase is Internet Research Presentations and Teaching Web Sites.

Findlaw.com

Findlaw.com, a free legal web portal owned by Thomson Corporation, has a section for Law Student Resources which provides legal guides and tutorials for legal instruction.

Legal Databases

Westlaw.com

Westlaw's Training Options provides a selection of topical subject guides and instructional tools for learning how to research with Westlaw.

LexisNexis.com

LexisNexis also offers a collection of tutorials and tours (log-in required). They range from basic research skills to researching in a specific area of law.

LexisNexis also sponsors Zimmerman's Research Guide, a wonderful site containing legal research tutorials, as well as, many topical guides for legal research online. This is an excellent staring point when researching a new area of law.

This week's article explores some of the more recent annotations you'll find in the ALR Fed. 2d.

As a point of review: The American Law Reports (ALR) series are selective law reporters which are organized into several series (ALR 1st-6th & ALR Fed 1st-2nd). They present leading cases along with annotations representative of a specific legal issue or a particular point of law. The "annotation," in this instance, is comprised of short scholarly article analyzing the issues highlighted in the case being reported.

Besides the short article, some of the other editorial features you'll find in a given annotation will include references to: the West digest system, previous ALR annotations, and a table of relevant cases furthering your legal research.

The A.L.R. Fed. 2d is one of the newest series in the ALR family of law reporters, and has expanded its coverage to include both Federal and international topics. For more information, please visit http://west.thomson.com/alr/.

To review the annotations listed below, plus many more in print, go to Reference collection: KF132 A472 or online at Westlaw.

• Michael A. Rosenhouse, J.D., Annotation, Validity, Construction, and Application of 18 U.S.C.A. 3144, governing Arrest and Detention of Material Witnesses to Federal Crimes, 2 A.L.R. Fed. 2d 425 (2005).

• Robin Miller, J.D., Annotation, Validity, Construction, and Application of 18 U.S.C.A. 871, prohibiting Threats against President and Successors to Presidency, 3 A.L.R. Fed. 2d 241 (2005).

• Deborah F. Buckman, J.D., Annotation, Validity, Construction, and Application of Solomon Amendment, which denies Federal funding to Institutions of Higher Education that Prohibit Military Representatives access to and assistance for Recruiting Purposes, 5 A.L.R. Fed. 2d 551 (2005).

• James L. Buchwalter, J.D., Annotation, Construction and Application of Sixth Amendment Right to Trial by Jury - Supreme Court Cases, 6 A.L.R. Fed. 2d 213 (2005).

• Staff of American Law Reports, 2005 to 2006 A.L.R. United States Supreme Court Review, 12 A.L.R. Fed. 2d 749 (2006).

• Rachel A. Campbell, J.D., Annotation, When are Facts Offered in Support of Search Warrant for Evidence of Federal Drug Offense So Untimely as to be Stale, 13 A.L.R. Fed. 2d 1 (2006).

• Kimberly J. Winbush, J.D., Annotation, Rights of Parents to Proceed Pro Se in Actions under Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, 16 A.L.R. Fed. 2d 467 (2007).

• Robin Miller, J.D., Annotation, Effect of World Trade Organization (WTO) Decisions upon United States, 17 A.L.R. Fed. 2d 1 (2007).

• James L. Buchwalter, J.D., Annotation, Construction and Application of Constitutional Rule of Miranda - Supreme Court Cases, 17 A.L.R. Fed. 2d 465 (2007).

• Jared H. Jones, J.D., Annotation, Women's Reproductive Rights concerning Abortion, and Governmental Regulation thereof - Supreme Court Cases, 20 A.L.R. Fed. 2d 1 (2007).

• Jay M. Zitter, J.D., Annotation, Construction and Application of United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea - Global Cases, 21 A.L.R. Fed. 2d 109 (2007).

• Staff of American Law Reports, 2006 to 2007 A.L.R. United States Supreme Court Review, 21 A.L.R. Fed. 2d 559 (2007).

Other annotations you can find in this series include a vast range of topics from campaign finance laws, FOIA requests, identity theft, IP rights in computer games, and much more.

Fortunately, there are several good reference tools to help you make sense of even the most mysterious citations.

• Perhaps the most important weapon in every cite checkers' arsenal is The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation, which provides the proper abbreviation for many legal sources.
  
• Wisconsin Guide to Citation focuses on Wisconsin citations and provides examples for citing the most common primary and secondary authorities in briefs and memoranda, including the public domain citation format for Wisconsin state court cases.
  
• Bieber's Dictionary of Legal Abbreviations is another invaluable tool. This guide, which includes over 35,000 abbreviations is much more comprehensive than The Bluebook. It includes both a forward dictionary, which lists abbreviations and provides you with the complete title, as well as a reverse dictionary, which lists the complete title and provides you with the abbreviation. Bieber's is available both in the Reference Collection (Ref KF246 B46 2000) and at the Reference Desk. It is also available on LexisNexis.
  
• Another useful tool, Cardiff Index to Legal Abbreviations, is available free online. Like Bieber's the Cardiff Index can be searched either from abbreviation to title or from title to abbreviation. The index, which is maintained by Britain's Cardiff University, includes abbreviations for English language legal publications from the British Isles, the Commonwealth and the United States, including those covering international and comparative law.
  

Also, check out the UW Law Library's guide to Interpreting Legal Citations.

This database contains current and historical English translations of constitutions and other historical documents from 187 countries, as well as from a number of dependencies and territories. Original source documents are provided by a number of jurisdictions.

Complementing the official documents is analytical commentary that examines recent amendments, and highlights historical, political and economic issues relevant to the constitutional documents.

The intuitive search features include:

• The ability to browse by country name, new entries, or groups of countries.
  
• The ability to search across the texts of documents, with options to narrow by location, document type, date, and other data.

Constitutions of the World Online is available campus-wide or off campus with UW Madison net id and password. For assistance accessing or searching this database, please Ask a Librarian.

Highlighted below are some of Hein's other database offerings, too good to miss.

Legal Classics
This database contains monographs from the late 18th through mid-20th century, written by well known legal scholars. This collection is searchable by title, author or subject.

Federal Register and the Code of Federal Regulations
These databases provide comprehensive resource coverage from their publication inception dates of 1936 and 1938 respectively. Although the CFR coverage currently only extends to 1985, additional years will be added. The Federal Register coverage to up to date.

Treaties and Agreements Library
This is the world's largest and most complete online collection of U.S. treaties and agreements and includes such prominent collections as the United States Treaties and Other International Agreements set (commonly referred to as the "Blue set"), as well as famous sets from Bevans, Miller, Malloy and others.

World Trials Collection
HeinOnline is currently digitizing hundreds of trials from the Cornell University Law Library's extensive collection of world trials. The first 100 titles were released in HeinOnline in April 2007, and new content for this collection will be updated on a regular basis.

Philip C. Jessup Moot Court Library
The Jessup collection in HeinOnline provides access to all of the top moot court competitions since 1960.

Foreign & International Law Resources
This database includes some of the world's best international law publications, from the in-depth coverage of publications of the American Society of International Law and prominent Yearbooks from around the world to the Hague Permanent Court of International Justice series and the publications of dozens of other highly respected publishers.

Foreign Relations of the United States
This series presents the official historical record of major U.S. foreign policy decisions and significant diplomatic activity from 1861 to 1975, as produced by the State Department's Office of the Historian.

For a complete listing of the UW Law Library's HeinOnline subscriptions, see the HeinOnline Welcome page.

• guides to legal topics
  
• a legal blog & podcast search engine
  
• a federal regulations tracker
  
• federal case filings
  
• a collection of US Supreme Court cases and links

One of the most useful things about Justia, though, is that several of its resources, including U.S. Regulations Tracker and U.S. Federal Case Filings, offer RSS feeds of search results so that users can be alerted to future, on-point content.

Regulations Tracker allows you to search, browse, and track Federal Register documents. Not only is there a RSS feed for every agency, but you can customize them by type of document or keyword.

U.S. Federal Case Filings is a database of federal district court civil cases back to 2004. You can browse by browse by state and/or type of lawsuit or view all recent cases. Search by party name, jurisdiction, type of lawsuit, and within a given date range.

Search results contain the party names, jurisdiction, date, docket number, and in some cases full-text opinions, orders, and complete filings. Cases for which opinions and orders and available have a gavel icon. Cases for with complete filings are noted with a star icon. Links to blog, news and web searches for each party name are also available.

For each case, Justia offers a link to a fee based service called PACER in which many full-text filings are available. Contact Bonnie Shucha, Head of Reference, for more information about obtaining filings from PACER.

As mentioned above, RSS feeds are available for U.S. Federal Case Filings search results. Feeds can be created for a specific party name, legal practice area, jurisdiction, or any combination of the above.

For assistance using Justia, or if you have any questions about your legal research, please contact a reference librarian. We're available in person, by IM, email or phone - and we're always glad to help!

- Ask a Librarian! Law Librarians are ready to help with reference and research questions. Assistance is available at the desk (fifth floor), by phone (262-3394), by email (askulaw@law.wisc.edu), or via Instant Messenger (AskUWLaw). For more information or to use any of these services, visit the UW Law Library's Ask a Librarian Web page.

- A virtual tour of the Law Library is available on our Website.

- The computer workstations on the fifth floor are available for quick research and access to law library materials. To keep them available for this purpose, please don't use them for e-mail, chat rooms, games, or recreational web-surfing. Law students may check their email in the computer labs on the second floor or at the DoIT kiosks in the Atrium.

- Mac or PC laptops can be connected to the Law School servers without cable or wires. Computer lab assistants can help you configure your machine. See also the Wireless Network Setup instructions for Windows.

- Wired laptop access is also available by connecting to one of the library's network jacks. For more information, including a map of the library's networks jacks, see the Library's Network Connections Web page.

- To find books, CD-Roms, videos, and other materials owned by the UW Madison Libraries, use the MadCat Library Catalog. Note: journal articles are not available in MadCat.

- To find law-related articles, cases, codes and administrative regulations, check out the library's collection of Electronic Resources.

- There are many great places to study in the law library, including the Grand Reading Room, the Quarles and Brady Reading Room (both located on the fifth floor), and the third floor, west wing, near the stacks. Law students can also reserve study rooms at the circulation desk. Floor maps of the library are available on our Web site.

- The library has a collection of books devoted to success at law school. Below is a list of the most recent material

Acing Your First Year of Law School: The Ten Steps to Success You Won't Learn in Class. Location: Law Library Reserve KF/283/N69/1999

Bridging the Gap between College and Law School : Strategies for Success.
Location: Law Library KF/283/S77/ 2001

Educating Lawyers : Preparation for the Profession of Law
Location: Law Library KF/272/E38/2007

The Eight Secrets of Top Exam Performance in Law School: An Easy-to-use, Step-by-Step Program for Achieving Great Grades.
Location: Law Library KF/283/W48/1995

Expert Learning for Law Students.
Location: Law Library KF/283/S39/2005

Getting to Maybe: How to Excel on Law School Exams.
Location: Law Library Reserve KF/283 F57/1999

How to Succeed in Law School. 3rd ed.
Location: Law Library Reserve KF/283/M86/2001

How to Study Law and Take Law Exams in a Nutshell.
Location: Law Library Reserve KF/283/B87/1996

The International Student's Survival Guide to Law School in the United States: Everything You Need to Succeed.
Location: Law Library KF/283/2003

An Introduction to Law, Law Study, and the Lawyer's Role. 2nd. ed.
Location: Law Library KF/272/M64/2004

The Language of Law school : Learning to "think like a lawyer"
Location: Law Library KF/279/M4/2007

Law School Confidential: The Complete Law School Survival Guide: By Students, for Students.
Location: Law Library Reserve KF/283/M55/2000 (Revised 2004 edition available at College Library : KF/283/M55 2004)

Law School Survival Guide.
Location: Law Library Reserve KF/285/L395/2003

Planet Law School: What You Need to Know (Before You Go) - But Didn't Know to Ask. New ed.
Location: Law Library KF/283/F35/1998

A Practical Guide to Writing Law School Essay Exams
Location: Law Library KF/283/D47 2001

Reading Like a Lawyer: Time -Saving Strategies for Reading Law Like an Expert.
Location: Law Library KF/283/M398/2005

Succeeding in Law School
Location: Law Library KF/283/R36/2006

Abstracts to the movies are from Wikipedia, the Internet Movie Database and the Law-Related Video Collection.

Amistad

Amistad is the name of a slave ship traveling towards the New World in 1839. It is carrying a cargo of Africans who have been captured, taken on board, and chained in the cargo hold of the ship. As the ship is crossing the Atlantic, Cinque, who was a tribal leader in Africa, leads a mutiny and takes over the ship. They continue to sail, hoping to find help when they land. Instead, when they reach the United States, they are imprisoned as runaway slaves. They don't speak a word of English, and it seems like they are doomed to die for killing their captors when an abolitionist lawyer decides to take their case, arguing that they were free citizens of another country and not slaves at all. The case finally gets to the Supreme Court, where John Quincy Adams makes an impassioned and eloquent plea for their release.

The Hurricane

This film tells the story of Rubin "Hurricane" Carter, an African-American man who rose above his troubled youth to become a top contender for the middle-weight boxing title. However, his dreams are shattered when he is accused of a triple murder, and is convicted to three natural-life terms. Despite becoming a cause celebre and his dogged efforts to prove his innocence through his autobiography, the years of fruitless efforts have left him discouraged. This changes when an African-American boy and his Canadian mentors read his book and are convinced of his innocence enough to work for his exoneration. However, what Hurricane and his friends learn is that this fight puts them against a racist establishment that profited from this travesty and have no intention of seeing it reversed.

A Man for All Seasons

The story takes place in 16th century England. But men like Sir Thomas More, who love life yet have the moral fiber to lay down their lives for their principles, are found in every century. Concentrating on the last seven years of English chancellor's life, the struggle between More and his King, Henry VIII, hinges on Henry's determination to break with Rome so he can divorce his current wife and wed again, and good Catholic More's inability to go along with such heresy. More reigns as chancellor, hoping to be able to live out his life as a private citizen. But Henry will settle for nothing less than that the much respected More give public approval to his headstrong course.

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

Naive and idealistic Jefferson Smith, leader of the Boy Rangers, is appointed on a lark by the spineless governor of his state. He is reunited with the state's senior senator--presidential hopeful and childhood hero, Senator Joseph Paine. In Washington, however, Smith discovers many of the shortcomings of the political process as his earnest goal of a national boys' camp leads to a conflict with the state political boss, Jim Taylor. Taylor first tries to corrupt Smith and then later attempts to destroy Smith through a scandal.

A Passage to India

A Passage to India revolves around three characters: Cyril Fielding, his Indian friend Dr. Aziz, and Adela Quested. During a trip to the Marabar Caves, Adela accuses Aziz of attempting to rape her. Aziz's trial, and its run-up and aftermath, bring out all the racial tensions and prejudices between indigneous Indians and the British colonists who rule India.

Planet of the Apes

Four American astronauts crash and on an unchartered planet and discover it is ruled by a race of intelligent apes.

Black and Brown Community/ies and the Restorative Ideal

Professor Harris will discuss restorative justice and communitarian theory, from the perspective of African
American and Latino communities in the US.
by
Angela P. Harris
Professor of Law; Executive Committee Member, Center for Social Justice
University of California, Berkeley School of Law -- Boalt Hall

Friday, April 25, 2008 at Noon
Lubar Commons (7200 Law)

A light lunch will be provided on a firstcome, first served basis. Registration is not required.
Students and faculty are invited to an informal discussion session with Professor Harris immediately following her presentation.

Hosted by: Tonya Brito, Professor of Law.

Paper: A draft of this paper can be downloaded at this site: http://www.law.wisc.edu/m/2y2cz/angelaharris_paper_for_4-25.pdf

Speaker Bio: Before joining the Boalt faculty in 1988, Angela Harris served as a law clerk to Judge Joel M. Flaum of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit, and as an attorney in the San Francisco office of Morrison & Foerster. She was a visiting professor at Stanford Law School in 1991, Yale Law School in 1997 and Georgetown Law Center in 2000.
Harris's writing and research focus on feminist legal theory and critical race theory. Her recent publications include Gender and Law: Theory, Doctrine, Commentary (with Katherine Bartlett, 1998) and Race and Races: Cases and Resources for a Diverse America (with Juan Perea, Richard Delgado and Stephanie Wildman, 2000).
In 2003 Harris received the Rutter Award for Teaching Distinction, an annual award that honors a Boalt Hall professor who has demonstrated an outstanding commitment to teaching. She also received the 2003 Mathew O. Tobriner Public Service Award, an annual prize that recognizes Bay Area law school professors for their commitment to academic diversity and for mentoring the next generation of lawyers.
Education: B.A., University of Michigan (1981); M.A., University of Chicago (1983); J.D., University of Chicago (1986).

The author of the best student article, as judged by the IP Section Board of Directors, will receive an award of $1,000 in cash. The author of the second place article will receive an award of $500. The top two articles may also be considered for publication by the IP Section or by the Marquette IP Law Journal.

The competition is open to all J.D. candidates at the University of Wisconsin and Marquette University.

Academic credit may also be available; the Section suggests that students check with the appropriate Professor or Instructor.

The subject matter of the articles may relate to any branch of intellectual property, including patents, copyrights, trademarks, or trade secrets. The judges will evaluate each submission on several criteria, including originality, significance of topic, depth and quality of analysis, and clarity of writing style.

The deadline for submission is April 30, 2008. For more information, please go to http://www.wisbar.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Sections&TEMPLATE=/CM/ContentDisplay.cfm&CONTENTID=56345

Intent-to-enter submission deadline: January 31, 2008
Essay contest deadline: March 31, 2008

Rules, criteria, intent-to-enter forms and additional information about the contest are posted on the Public Justice web site at www.publicjustice.net.

Best of luck in your future careers!

Appointments are available on weekdays throughout the exam period, but are not available within 24 hours immediately preceding a 1L exam. Signing up at room 2378 is the fastest way to get an appointment, but you can also e-mail your request to mbray@wisc.edu, listing all the times you are available.

Workshops

No workshops are offered during the exam period.

Black and Brown Community/ies and the Restorative Ideal

Professor Harris will discuss restorative justice and communitarian theory, from the perspective of African
American and Latino communities in the US.
by
Angela P. Harris
Professor of Law; Executive Committee Member, Center for Social Justice
University of California, Berkeley School of Law -- Boalt Hall

Friday, April 25, 2008 at Noon
Lubar Commons (7200 Law)

A light lunch will be provided on a firstcome, first served basis. Registration is not required.
Students and faculty are invited to an informal discussion session with Professor Harris immediately following her presentation.

Hosted by: Tonya Brito, Professor of Law.

Paper: A draft of this paper can be downloaded at this site: http://www.law.wisc.edu/m/2y2cz/angelaharris_paper_for_4-25.pdf

Speaker Bio: Before joining the Boalt faculty in 1988, Angela Harris served as a law clerk to Judge Joel M. Flaum of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit, and as an attorney in the San Francisco office of Morrison & Foerster. She was a visiting professor at Stanford Law School in 1991, Yale Law School in 1997 and Georgetown Law Center in 2000.
Harris's writing and research focus on feminist legal theory and critical race theory. Her recent publications include Gender and Law: Theory, Doctrine, Commentary (with Katherine Bartlett, 1998) and Race and Races: Cases and Resources for a Diverse America (with Juan Perea, Richard Delgado and Stephanie Wildman, 2000).
In 2003 Harris received the Rutter Award for Teaching Distinction, an annual award that honors a Boalt Hall professor who has demonstrated an outstanding commitment to teaching. She also received the 2003 Mathew O. Tobriner Public Service Award, an annual prize that recognizes Bay Area law school professors for their commitment to academic diversity and for mentoring the next generation of lawyers.
Education: B.A., University of Michigan (1981); M.A., University of Chicago (1983); J.D., University of Chicago (1986).

You are cordially invited to participate in a highlight of the month's
activities,

a screening and director discussion of NO! The Rape Documentary

with Aishah Shahidah Simmons, an African-American feminist lesbian and
award-winning documentary filmmaker, writer and activist,

and Monica Dillon, a critically acclaimed musician, Hurricane Katrina
survivor and film producer,

who will visit the University of Wisconsin-Madison on April 16-17 to
help draw attention to the issues of sexual assault, homophobia and
racism.

Further details are provided in the attached poster and this press
release: http://www.news.wisc.edu/releases/14396

Sexual Assault Awareness Month sponsors include: Promoting
Awareness/Victim Empowerment (PAVE), University Health Services (UHS),
University Housing Residence Life Office, Gender Dialogues Project*,
Lectures Committee, Sex Out Loud, LGBT Campus Center, Campus Women's
Center, Multicultural Student Coalition (MCSC), and Associated Students
of Madison (ASM).

*The Gender Dialogues Project, generously supported by the Women's
Philanthropy Council of the University of Wisconsin Foundation, is a
collaborative effort of the Division of Athletics, Offices of the Dean
of Students, Office for Equity & Diversity, Center for the First Year
Experience, LGBT Campus Center, Multicultural Student Center, Office of
the Provost/Vice Provost for Diversity & Climate, Office of the
Secretary of the Faculty/New Faculty Services, University Health
Services, and Kronshage, Sullivan, and Cole Halls of University
Housing.

Appointments are available each weekday except April 1-9, when Mary is out of town speaking at two conferences. You can sign up at room 2378 any time the library is open. Signing up is the fastest way to get an appointment, but you can also e-mail your request to mbray@wisc.edu.

Workshops
Writing for Summer Legal Employers

If you are nervous about upcoming legal work and want some tips to help you impress your new legal employers, come to this workshop. The workshop allows ample time for individual questions.

Thursday, April 10, 11:00 in room 5223

Evaluating and Improving Exam Preparation

This workshop helps you determine what exactly is preventing you from getting higher scores and then provides you with two or more things you can do to remove that barrier.

Wednesday, April 16, 12:05, in room 5246
Thursday, April 17, 11:00 in room 5223

Eight to 10 students, current 1L and 2L, from the University of Wisconsin Law School and 10 students from Nagoya University Graduate School of Law will make up this 2 credit cross cultural negotiation course. The course is jointly sponsored by Nagoya University Graduate School of Law and the University of Wisconsin Law School's East Asia Legal Studies Center.

The course will be taught jointly by Professors Yoshiharu Matsuura and Ikuo Sugawara of Nagoya and Professor Susan Steingass of Wisconsin. The class begins with training in Japanese cultural and May 19 or 20th and concludes the last week of June, 2008. It covers parts of our intersession and summer "semester". Class time will be composed of lectures on, and discussion of, the cultures of Japan and the United States as well as negotiation aims and techniques, followed by real face to face negotiations with positive critique and questions and comments after.

The negotiations will be both between Wisconsin teams and Nagoya teams as well as teams made up of Wisconsin and Nagoya students. The bookends of the course will be travel and face to face meetings in Nagoya, Japan and Madison, Wisconsin with further cultural exchange and live negotiations. We will travel to Japan in time to have joint classes with the Nagoya students beginning May 22nd. The Nagoya student will travel to Madison June 23rd through 28th for the last week of class. Negotiations between these visits will be through video conferencing.

We will travel to Japan at the beginning of the course. Our 8 to 10 students will be selected by the instructor and the East Asian Legal Studies Center. The selected students will receive a stipend that will cover the majority of airfare and housing expenses. We hope to take time for cultural experiences and side trips while we are in Japan. Individuals/groups may have time before and after for additional travel in Asia on their own.

Students who are interested in being considered should provide by or before the deadline these three 'application pieces:'

* a current resume,
* a cover letter, and
* an unofficial transcript of their Law School grades (available by
making a request through MyWisc website -- in other words, an
'official unofficial' transcript).
* These should be sent as attachments to the East Asian Legal
Studies Center in care of skatcher@wisc.edu. The cover letter
should be addressed to Professor Steingass.
* The deadline for receiving the application materials is April 9,
2008. Professor Steingass will have interviews as needed and will
try to make decisions by April 16, 2008.
* If you have questions, please contact skatcher@wisc.edu.

Candidates should have a basic familiarity and interest in: contracts, finance, corporate law. No Vietnamese language skills required.

Interns gain international legal experience, experience first hand the second fastest growing economy in Asia, and work in areas such as contract litigation, securities, corporate and finance law, and international investment.

There were 2 JD students last summer and 1 JD student from this past fall who went on the internship. The experience seems to have been a very positive one! If you want to contact one of the previous students for more information, write skatcher@wisc.edu and ask for the contact information.

To apply, submit your resume, a cover letter, and a transcript (unofficial, requested by email through "MyWisc") as soon as possible by attachment to Susan Katcher, Associate Director of the Center, skatcher@wisc.edu . Alternatively, drop the application materials off at the East Asian Legal Studies Center's office, room 4312, or in i