Wisconsin State Law Library

The Milwaukee Legal Resource Center (MLRC) will be closed on Tuesday, January 28th due to severe weather. MLRC will reopen along with the Milwaukee Courthouse on Wednesday, January 29th.

If you need assistance while the MLRC is closed, please contact the Wisconsin State Law Library reference desk at 608-267-9696 or Ask a Librarian online.

The library subscribes to BNA/Bloomberg's Corporate Practice Series portfolios which includes 65 individual titles. The compact design of these topical guides are perfect for the busy legal professional. Each portfolio breaks down a basic area of corporate law like securities, antitrust law, environmental law, trade regulation, intellectual property, financial reporting, and many more.

The portfolios include checklists, forms, regulatory filings, agreements, and relevant statutes to make the practitioner's job easier.

How do you find a portfolio on your topic?

You can keyword search the library's catalog.

Or if you're in the library, you can use the detailed index, the classification guide, or page through the newsletter BNA's corporate counsel weekly for current developments.

To highlight the range of topics, we've listed some the most heavily used titles below:

• Regulation of corporate political activity, no.16-6th
• Attorney-client privilege and work-product doctrine: corporate applications no.22-4th
• The environmental impact statement process, no.27-2nd
• Trade associations and the antitrust laws, no.32-3rd
• Trade secrets: protection and remedies, no. 43-3rd
• Choice of entity: legal considerations of selection, no.50-4th
• ESOPS in corporate transactions, no.62-3rd
• Stock options and other equity-based compensation arrangements, no. 75
• Records retention for enterprise knowledge management, no.86

Check out these compact detailed guides for your practice needs.

Two new classes are now open for registration at the Wisconsin State Law Library. Sign up for these early spring classes and be on the lookout as we continue to add more classes for 2014.

WestlawNext at the Wisconsin State Law Library
Tuesday, February 11, 1 - 2 p.m.
Location: Wisconsin State Law Library training room

Come see the latest legal research offering at the Wisconsin State Law Library -- WestlawNext! WestlawNext is more than just a "new look" for Westlaw; it employes a new search method based on concepts and issues, not just keywords. The look and feel of the new interface makes it more user friendly and the WestlawNext global search helps uncover sources which are often overlooked or forgotten. This class will teach you how to use the multi-functional search box to find a document and to research an issue. You will learn how to use the new results display and how to sort and filter search results. This class will also show how to verify research using KeyCite, as well as expand research using the new document toolbar and other resources.
Fee $35.00. 1 CLE credit applied for. Registration is limited to 8. Register Online | Print Registration Form.

Free Case Law on the Internet
Wednesday, February 26, 10 - 11 a.m.
Location: Wisconsin State Law Library training room

Google Scholar, Hathi Trust, Findlaw, Justia - the list goes on and on. There are numerous sources of free case law on the Internet but no single source can meet all your needs. Knowing where to find what you're looking for can save hours of research time. This one-hour class will highlight several free online case law sites, focusing on content (scope) and searching techniques.
Fee $35.00. 1 CLE credit applied for. Registration is limited to 8. Register Online | Print Registration Form

The Wisconsin State Law Library, Milwaukee Legal Resource Center, and Dane County Legal Resource Center will be closed on Monday, January 20th for the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday.

To submit a question to the Wisconsin State Law Library while we are closed, you may call us at 608-267-9696 or Ask a Librarian online.

We will respond to questions and requests on Tuesday, January 21st.

During Tax Identity Theft Awareness Week the Federal Trade Commission wants you to know what to do if you suspect that you are a victim of tax identity theft or if you think your social security number has been stolen. Follow these steps if you suspect you are a victim of identity theft or you get a letter from the IRS denying your refund or suggesting that you failed to report income from an unknown employer.

Respond to all mail from the IRS immediately. Call the IRS Identity Theft Protection Specialized Unit at 1-800-908-4490. Report the fraud and ask for the IRS ID Theft Affidavit Form 14039. If you are a tax identity theft victim, the IRS may give you a personal PIN number to verify your identity and protect your file going forward. 

The Wisconsin Department of Revenue (DOR) has a page on identity theft to help you take steps towards reporting theft and preventing fraud. This year the DOR has implemented a new identity verification tool to check some taxpayers' identity before they can receive a state tax refund. Their identity verification program checks a taxpayer's identity by asking them to take an online quiz or send in documents to prove their identity.

Original photo by by Orion200 (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0], via Wikimedia Commons

Be wary of emails you get asking for personal information. Tax identity thieves may send phony "phishing" emails that appear to be from the IRS. These emails will ask you to call a phone number or click a link to enter your personal information.

Don't do it! The IRS doesn't email or text people to get personal information - they send information by mail instead.

As when dealing with any suspect online or offline communication, contact the IRS directly to find out if the request is legitimate. The IRS offers live phone assistance as well as regional centers that provide face to face service.

Original photo by by pinguino k [CC-BY-2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

The Federal Trade Commission has a few quick tips to preventing tax identity theft:

• Always protect your Social Security number or Medicare card number: don't give it out unless you have to, and always ask why it's needed, how it's going to be used, and how it will be stored. For information on your social security number and privacy, see our Social Security legal topic page and scroll towards the bottom of the page.
• Shred old taxes returns you're no longer required to keep, as well as draft returns, extra copies, and calculation sheets. See this IRS page on How long to keep records for more information.
• Ask for recommendations and research tax preparers before you turn your personal information over to them.

Original photo by By slava [CC-BY-2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has declared this week Tax Identity Theft Awareness Week. According to their press release, 43% of their identity theft complaints in 2012 were tax ID thefts. Compare that to just over 24% in 2011 and it's apparent why the FTC has declared Tax ID theft a growing problem.



Go to the FTC Tax Identity Theft Awareness Week page for FAQs, webinars in English and Spanish, educational materials, a Twitter live chat, and more.

Here's the tax tip for the day:

Tax season is almost here, and identity thieves are already scheming to get a tax refund. To help educate you about tax identity theft, we're taking part in Tax Identity Theft Awareness Week. This week we'll post tips to help you lessen the chance you'll be a victim and learn what to do if you are. The first tip? File early in the tax season — if you can — to get your refund before identity thieves do. When you file, make sure you use a secure internet connection or mail your tax return directly from the post office to make it more difficult for thieves to get their hands on your personal information. 

Access to library databases, like HeinOnline and LegalTrac, may be unavailable for short periods of time due to system maintenance. This may also affect library account access as well.

If you have any questions or experience issues accessing our catalog or databases, please contact us via our Ask a Librarian service or call us at 800-322-9755. A librarian can assist you with renewing library materials or searching databases.

Happy New Year! The January issue of WSLL @ Your Service is now online. We include tips on diagnosing problems with accessing websites and how to find older statutes and acts online.

• What's New: Upcoming classes in Milwaukee; Libraries closed for Martin Luther King, Jr. state holiday; Staff news
• What's New in WSLL Current Periodicals
• This Just in...: New & updated library materials; Monthly list of new titles
• Tech Tip in Brief: I can't get in - a tool to diagnose website problems
• WSLL Recommends: Legal Opinion Letters
• Odds 'n' Endings: Find (even) older Wisconsin acts & statutes online

Many blogs do an end-of-year post of top articles. To add a fun twist, we have rewritten the headlines of these Library Highlights posts to maximally sensationalize them. Enjoy our look back on 2013. We wish you the best in 2014!

• 4 awesome ways to track legislation
• Dig this! Mining research info you can't live without
• This is the most important poem you'll read all day
• Nutshell legal research series FTW
• Everyone needs these 6 answers to vital records questions
• New guide on mental health disorders will shock you
• 3 mind-blowing tutorials that will change your life
• You won't believe how much of the Administrative Code is online!
• You can't live without this smartphone app
• This one weird legislative resource is the best thing you'll use all year
• 5 facts about Wisconsin notaries that everybody should know