Library Highlights

March 26, 2018

National Library Week 2018

The Wisconsin State Law Library invites you to celebrate National Library Week with us from April 9-13.

Open House

Join us at our open house on April 10th. Enjoy refreshments, get a personalized READ bookmark, and take a tour of historical art in our library at 1 and 2 p.m. We're looking forward to seeing you!

Tuesday, April 10 from 1 - 3 p.m.

Art tours at 1 p.m. and 2 p.m.

Reading Room

David T. Prosser Jr. Library

120 Martin Luther King Jr Blvd

Art Tours

Tours are offered Tuesday, April 10 through Thursday, April 12 at 1 p.m. Each tour will stop at several pieces of art and photography throughout the library and discuss the historical significance of the pieces.

CLE Classes

Two free CLE-credit classes are offered during the week. Register ahead of time to reserve your spot.

Wisconsin Court System Website
Tuesday, April 10, Noon - 1 p.m.
Location: David T. Prosser Jr. Library training room

Navigate the Court System's website and find the information you need. Learn how to access Circuit Court records, find mandatory forms, search Supreme Court and Court of Appeals opinions, and check appellate case status. Explore additional resources such as the Self Help Center and court administrative office pages.
FREE. 1 CLE credit. Registration is limited to 8. Register Online | Print Registration Form

Introduction to Lexis Advance
Wednesday, April 11, Noon - 1 p.m.
Location: David T. Prosser Jr. Library training room

Get to Know the Lexis Advance platform; formulate search queries; find primary and secondary sources; Shepardize; review delivery options and more.
FREE. 1 CLE credit. Registration is limited to 8. Register Online | Print Registration Form

We look forward to seeing you soon!

March 19, 2018

New Building Procedures Affect State Law Library Users

Beginning today, the Risser Justice Center has a new procedure which will affect users who need to travel to the second floor using the elevator.

Visitors to the David T. Prosser Jr. State Law Library who wish to use the elevator will ask at the security guard's desk in the downstairs lobby to be escorted up to the second floor. Users who need to travel back to the first floor can ask at the Library's Circulation Desk for the elevator to be called.

Visitors can use the stairway leading up to the main library entrance without an escort.

Please let us know if you have questions or comments about this procedure.

March 8, 2018

Protect Yourself Against Identity Theft

Consumer agency websites are great places to start when you're trying to defend yourself against theft, or you need to learn more about steps to take once your identity has been stolen. Here are some essential resources:

Identity Theft.gov
The Federal Trade Commission's one stop website for reporting and recovering from identity theft. This website creates recovery checklists and also provides form letters which may be used to communicate with businesses.

Wisconsin Bureau of Consumer Protection
Works with Wisconsin residents to educate and help recover from identity theft. This agency operates a consumer hotline which can be reached at DATCPHotline@Wisconsin.gov or 800-422-7128. Several resources for businesses and consumers can be downloaded from this website.

Consumer Protection Law in a Nutshell
This nutshell guide covers credit card fraud and identity theft, as well as other consumer issues that you or a client may face. Check this book out.

Effectively Represent Your Client Before the IRS
In recent years the IRS has rejected or suspended millions of dollars worth of tax returns that were suspected to be fraudulent. Learn more about working with the IRS with this book's chapter on resolving identity theft. Check this book out.

Identity Theft Legal Topic
Our Identity Theft legal topic page links to these resources and more and helps you to locate relevant agencies and guides, as well as laws which protect victims of identity theft.

Identity theft isn't something you plan to happen to you, but there is a lot you can do to prevent or minimize your risk. Whether you're setting up preventative measures or recovering from identity theft, it's always a good idea to brush up on the basic threats and strategies to overcome them.

March 7, 2018

Landlord Tenant Law

We frequently get questions about landlord / tenant law. The main resources on our website are legal topics pages on Landlord/Tenant law and Small Claims. Our legal topics pages provide links to resources and forms that may help answer basic questions about the law.

Here are some common types of questions and the websites we often use to answer them.

Eviction

Many people have questions about eviction procedures, or understanding the different types of notices.

An eviction notice chart from the Milwaukee Justice Center provides a clean and easy-to-read format for understanding what type of notice must be given for each type of lease, and violation.

We also often refer users to the Tenant Resource Center's eviction page. It can be a bit difficult to read because of the way it color codes its guide based off of recent law changes. However, it discusses some aspects of eviction in detail and links to the Wisconsin Statutes and Administrative Code in each section. Information about the different types of notices begins about a quarter of the way down the page under "Types of Notices." This page also discusses how the landlord may deliver notices and how tenants may respond to the notice.

Forms

We resell residential lease and eviction notice forms that are created by the Wisconsin Legal Blank company. Users can purchase copies from us (see: Forms for sale) but these forms can also be bought online from Wisconsin Legal Blank. Sometimes forms like residential leases or eviction notice forms can also be bought from your local office supply store.

Milwaukee County has 5, 14, and 28 day eviction notices for their residents on their website.

Complaints

Different agencies may be involved depending on the type of complaint. For general consumer complaints, contact the WI Bureau of Consumer Protection to file a Landlord/Tenant Complaint.

Fair Housing (housing discrimination) complaints are handled by the WI Equal Rights Division, or by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) on the federal level. See HUD's page on fair housing for more information on their complaint procedure.

Wisconsin State Law Library