Oct. 19, 2011 – Before 2011, a reader skimming The Wisconsin Rules of Evidence: A Courtroom Handbook would have come across few references to 1993’s Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals, the U.S. Supreme Court decision holding that expert testimony must be “reliable” to be admissible. In fact, before 2011, the Evidence Handbook’s “Expert Opinions” chapter, stated, correctly, that Daubert’s reliability standard was “not applicable in Wisconsin.”
On Feb. 1, 2011, the Wisconsin Rules of Evidence were changed. Now, so has the Evidence Handbook.
The newly issued 2011 supplement to the Evidence Handbook, published by State Bar of Wisconsin PINNACLE™, incorporates amendments to the Wisconsin Rules of Evidence through 2011 Wisconsin Act 44, including the legislation that adopted the Daubert standard in Wisconsin. Also, as part of the update to the Evidence Handbook, the authors – the Hon. Thomas H. Barland (reserve judge) of Eau Claire and Attorney Michael J. Brose of New Richmond – have removed previously annotated cases that that relied on the pre-amended rules on expert testimony. In addition, the authors have included new explanatory Authors’ Notes to the book’s chapters on opinion testimony by expert witnesses and lay witnesses. The latest Evidence Handbook supplement also includes concise annotations of recent cases that the book’s authors have identified as the most significant evidence-related cases decided since publication of the 2010 supplement to the book.
The Evidence Handbook, available in both print and online via Books UnBound™, is an on-the-spot reference to the Wisconsin Rules of Evidence, designed for trial use. The book’s topical guide, a unique feature placed in the center of the print book, clearly identifies the chapters in which readers can locate specific rules. An index, a table of cases, and top tabs with topical headings help attorneys quickly locate applicable evidentiary rules and cases. The Evidence Handbook covers every section of the Wisconsin Rules of Evidence, providing the full text of each, along with the complete corresponding Judicial Council Committee Notes. Succinct, author-drafted case annotations accompany the relevant rules.
The Evidence Handbook is available in print for $155, plus tax and shipping. Subscribers to the State Bar’s automatic supplementation service will receive future updates at 10 percent off the update price. Annual subscriptions to Books UnBound start at $129 per title and $649 for the full library (single-user prices; call for firm pricing). Subscribers to the full Books UnBound library will automatically receive this update. Order online or for more information, call the State Bar at (800) 728-7788 or (608) 257-3838.
