Wisconsin State Law Library

Cross border family issues can be a complex mix of treaties, uniform acts, case law, and local laws. The International family law desk book, by attorney Ann Laquer Estin, discusses transnational litigation, marriage, divorce, parental rights, custody, child support, adoption, and child welfare.

Each chapter provides an overview of the subject area and relevant laws and treaties, with a focus on transnational family issues in the United States. Highlights include:

• International judicial assistance, service of process, and discovery
• Enforcing judgments
• Marital consent and prohibitions
• Parallel divorce proceedings
• Marital agreements and financial or property orders
• Child custody and access rights
• Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act (UCCJEA)
• International child abduction
• Uniform Interstate Family Support Act (UIFSA)
• Adoption procedures from Hague Convention countries and non-Convention countries
• Children's immigration issues

The International family law desk book is available for checkout from the Wisconsin State Law Library.

The State Law Library, and Milwaukee and Dane County Law Libraries will be closed on Monday, January 2nd for a state holiday. We will respond to questions and requests on Tuesday, January 3rd.

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.

The State Law Library, and Milwaukee and Dane County Law Libraries will be closed on Monday, December 26th for a state holiday. We will respond to questions and requests on Tuesday, December 27th.

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.

The Wisconsin State Law Library provides public access to the WI Supreme Court and Court of Appeals briefs and appendices. Our Finding Wisconsin Appellate Briefs tutorial has been updated with new website examples for 2016.


Learn more about researching appellate briefs on our Finding Wisconsin Appellate Briefs tutorial page and get a quick overview of where to find briefs online and in print on our Wisconsin Briefs page.

Enjoy seasonal decorations at the State Law Library this winter! Our library's reading room and public service desks are festooned with evergreen and light. Be sure to stop by to drop off your donation to our winter sock drive. This year we are accepting sock donations to benefit the Community Action Coalition (CAC). Items of all sizes for adults and children are welcome through January 15, 2017. All donations will be taken to CAC for distribution to people in our community.

The Department of Administration's Document Sales & Distribution Unit recently posted purchasing information for the new 2015-2016 Wisconsin Statutes. The prices are:

The US Government Printing Office is offering three free webinars next week featuring presenters from the GPO and other Federal agencies. Here's the schedule:

• Introducing the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Databases, Tables, & Calculators Search Tool, December 13, 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. (Eastern)
• Mapping Census Data: Unleash your Sociodemographic Knowledge through the Power of GIS December 14, 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. (Eastern)
• Measuring America Series: Accessing Family Living Arrangements Statistics, December 15, 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. (Eastern)

A press release issued by the US GPO announces that online versions of the Congressional Record Bound Edition from 1980-2001 are now available on the GovInfo.gov website. 

• Congressional Record (Bound), 1981 to 2001
• Congressional Record (Daily), 1994 to Present
• Congressional Record Index (Daily), 1983 to Present (Coming Soon)

The December issue of WSLL @ Your Service is now online. As always, your comments are welcome. Please direct them to the editor, Kristina Martinez.

In this issue:

What's New

Please join us for our annual Holiday Open House on December 13th from 3:00-4:30 p.m. in the reading room of the David T. Prosser Jr. State Law Library. All three libraries will be closed on December 26 and January 2 for state holidays. Read more

This Just In

Collaborative Law: Achieving Effective Resolution in Divorce without Litigation and Proskauer on Privacy: A Guide to Privacy and Data Security Law in the Information Age are our two featured titles this month. As always, don't miss our new book list. Read more

Tech Tip

SandwichPDF is a free cloud-based program that can OCR a PDF document. OCR (optical character recognition) makes a PDF searchable. Read more

WSLL Recommends

Wisconsin Statute 106.52 (1) (fm) defines "service animal" but there is still some confusion as to what rights emotional support or assistance animal owners have. This guide includes links to laws and research materials. Read more

Odds 'n' Endings

Since 2002 the Wisconsin State Law Library has compiled a list of online ordinance links on its website. We are now have 984 municipalities and counties represented on our Ordinances page. Read more