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    Wisconsin Lawyer
    October 01, 2002

    Practice Tips: A Guide to Wisconsin Legal Information Sources

    Why spend your precious time tracking down legal information when you can use this guide? This compilation points you to sources of authoritative, reliable legal information specifically for Wisconsin lawyers.

    Bonnie Shucha

    Bonnie ShuchaBonnie Shucha is the reference and electronic services librarian at the U.W. Law Library. She also serves as vice president/president-elect of the Law Librarians Association of Wisconsin. She may be contacted at bjshucha@wisc.edu.

    Caselaw

    Access

    Resource Name
    / Address

    Contents

    Dates of Coverage

    More Information

    Free from anywhere

    WisBar Legal Resources www.wisbar.org/legalres/ Available through the State Bar of Wisconsin

    Wisconsin

    1995 - to date

    Keyword search or browse by docket number, party name, date & public domain citation

    Free from anywhere

    American Law Sources On-line (ALSO!) www.lawsource.com/also/

    All federal, all states

    Varies (most mid 1990s - to date)

    Contains links to resources from other providers

    Free from anywhere

    lexisOne www.lexisone.com

    All federal, all states

    1996 - to date

    Find by citation or keyword search

    Free at Wis. State Law Lib., Dane Co. Law Lib. & Milw. Legal Resource Center

    LexisNexis Document Service Available only on WSLL, DCLL & MLRC workstations

    All federal, all states

    Comprehensive

    Retrieve by citation only

    Free at Wis. State Law Lib. or by paid subscription

    Loislaw.com Available on WSLL workstations or www.loislaw.com

    All federal, all states

    Varies (most 1950s - to date)

    Coverage good, fairly economical

    Free at many law libraries

    Print case law reporters Available at your local law library

    Varies by library

    Varies by library

    Available at no charge. May deliver documents to you for a fee

    By paid subscription

    LexisNexis www.lexis.com or LexisNexis MVP for Small Firms www.lexisnexis.com/ vp/smallfirms/

    Choose package based on your needs

    Comprehensive

    Coverage and cost varies by package

    By paid subscription

    Quicklaw America www.laws.com

    All federal, all states, some international

    Varies (most 1950s - to date)

    Coverage good, fairly economical

    By paid subscription

    VersusLaw www.versuslaw.com

    All federal, all states

    Varies (most 1930s - to date)

    Coverage good, very economical

    By paid subscription

    Westlaw or WestlawPRO www.westlaw.com/ SubOptions/

    Choose package based on your needs

    Comprehensive

    Coverage and cost varies by package

    By credit card

    LexisNexis by Credit Card www.lexisone.com/ specialoffer/

    All federal, all states

    Comprehensive

    Retrieve by citation or keyword search. Search is FREE. Pay only for documents viewed ($9/doc)

    By credit card

    WestDoc www.westdoc.com

    All federal, all states

    Comprehensive

    Retrieve by citation only ($10/doc)

    Citators

    (For a comparison of electronic citation services, see Matthew Williamson's "Citation Showdown," Law Office Computing, October/November 2000.)

    Access

    Resource Name
    / Address

    Contents

    Dates of Coverage

    More Information

    Free at Wis. State Law Lib., Dane Co. Law Lib. & Milw. Legal Resource Center

    Shepards (Electronic) Available only on WSLL, DCLL & MLRC workstations

    All federal, all states

    Comprehensive

    Very reliable (Fax/email/mail delivery available for $5/citation from WSLL)

    Free at many law libraries

    Shepards (Print) Available at your local law library

    Varies by library

    Varies by library (may not be as current as electronic edition)

    Available at no charge. May deliver documents to you for a fee

    By paid subscription

    GlobalCite via Loislaw.com www.loislaw.com

    All federal, all states

    Only covers cases available on Loislaw.com

    Free with Loislaw.com subscription, but results may not be as compre- hensive as Shepards or KeyCite

    By paid subscription

    KeyCite via Westlaw & WestlawPRO www.westlaw.com/ SubOptions/

    All federal, all states

    Comprehensive

    Very reliable. Price is $4.25/citation

    By paid subscription

    Shepards via LexisNexis www.lexis.com & LexisNexis MVP www.lexisnexis.com/mvp/smallfirms/

    All federal, all states

    Comprehensive

    Very reliable. Price may vary by subscription plan

    By credit card

    Shepards via LexisNexis by Credit Card www.lexisone.com/specialoffer/

    All federal, all states

    Comprehensive

    Very reliable. Price is $4.25/citation

    Legislation

    Access

    Resource Name / Address

    Contents

    Dates of Coverage

    More Information

    Free from anywhere

    Revisor of Statutes Bureau www.legis.state.wi.us/rsb/

    Wisconsin acts, statutes & constitution

    1995/1996 - to date

    Keyword search or browse index or table of contents

    Free from anywhere

    Wisconsin State Legislature www.legis.state.wi.us/ billtext.html

    Wisconsin bills, bill histories, acts & proposals

    1995/1996 - to date

    Browse by number (1995/1996 - to date) or keyword search (current session only)

    Free from anywhere

    American Law Sources On-line (ALSO!) www.lawsource.com/also/

    Federal / state acts & statutes

    Current

    Contains links to resources from other providers

    Free from anywhere

    GPO Access www.access. gpo.gov/su_docs/legislative.html

    Federal bills, acts, US Code, etc.

    Varies (most mid 1990s - to date)

    Very reliable. Older versions of US Code available

    Free from anywhere

    Thomas thomas.loc.gov

    Federal bills, acts, Cong. Record, etc.

    Varies (earliest from 93rd Congress, 1973)

    Very reliable

    Free at MU & UW law libraries

    Congressional Universe Available only on MU & UW law workstations

    Federal bills, acts, US Code, etc.

    Varies (most 1990s - to date)

    Highly recommended. Very reliable and complete

    Free at Wis. State Law Lib.

    LexisNexis Document Service Available only on WSLL workstations

    Federal / state acts & statutes

    Current & some prior

    Retrieve by citation only

    Free at Wis. State Law Lib. or by paid subscription

    Loislaw.com Available on WSLL workstations or www.loislaw.com

    Federal / state acts & statutes

    Current

    Coverage good, fairly economical

    Free at many law libraries

    Print legislation & legislative history resources Available at your local law library

    Varies by library

    Varies by library

    Available at no charge. May deliver documents to you for a fee

    By paid subscription

    LexisNexis www.lexis.com or LexisNexis MVP for Small Firms www.lexisnexis.com/mvp/ smallfirms/

    Choose package based on your needs

    Varies

    Coverage and cost varies by package

    By paid subscription

    Quicklaw America www.laws.com

    Federal acts & US Code

    Current

    Coverage good, fairly economical

    By paid subscription

    Westlaw or WestlawPRO www.westlaw.com/ SubOptions/

    Choose package based on your needs

    Varies

    Coverage and cost varies by package

    By credit card

    LexisNexis by Credit Card www.lexisone.com/ specialoffer/

    Federal / state acts, statutes, bills, etc.

    Varies

    Retrieve by citation or keyword search. Search is FREE. Pay only for documents viewed ($9/doc)

    By credit card

    WestDoc creditcard.westlaw.com

    Federal / state acts, statutes, bills, etc.

    Varies

    Retrieve by citation only ($10/doc)

    Regulations

    Access

    Resource Name / Address

    Contents

    Dates of Coverage

    More Information

    Free from anywhere

    Revisor of Statutes Bureau www.legis.state.wi.us/ rsb/code/

    Wis. Admin. Code & Register

    Code: Current Register: 1996 - to date

    Keyword search or browse by chapter, date & table of contents

    Free from anywhere

    American Law Sources On-line (ALSO!) www.lawsource.com/also/

    Federal / state admin. codes & regulations

    Current

    Contains links to resources from other providers

    Free from anywhere

    GPO Access www.access.gpo.gov/ su_docs/executive.html

    CFR, Federal Register, etc.

    CFR: 1996 - to date Fed Reg: 1994 - to date

    Very reliable

    Free at Wis. State Law Lib.

    LexisNexis Document Service Available only on WSLL workstations

    Federal / state admin. codes & regulations

    Varies

    Retrieve by citation only

    Free at Wis. State Law Lib. or by paid subscription

    Loislaw.com Available on WSLL workstations or www.loislaw.com

    Federal / state admin. codes & regulations

    Current

    Coverage good, fairly economical

    Free at many law libraries

    Print regulations Available at your local law library

    Varies by library

    Varies by library

    Available at no charge. May deliver documents to you for a fee

    By paid subscription

    LexisNexis www.lexis.com or LexisNexis MVP for Small Firms www. lexisnexis.com/mvp/smallfirms/

    Choose package based on your needs

    Varies

    Coverage and cost varies by package

    By paid subscription

    Quicklaw America www.laws.com

    CFR

    Current

    Fairly economical

    By paid subscription

    Westlaw or WestlawPRO www.westlaw.com/ SubOptions/

    Choose package based on your needs

    Varies

    Coverage and cost varies by package

    By credit card

    LexisNexis by Credit Card www.lexisone.com/ specialoffer/

    Federal / state admin. codes & regulations

    Varies

    Retrieve by citation or keyword search. Search is FREE. Pay only for documents viewed ($9/doc)

    By credit card

    WestDoc creditcard.westlaw.com

    Federal / state admin. codes & regulations

    Varies

    Retrieve by citation only ($10/doc)

    Law Review and Legal Journal Articles

    Access

    Resource Name/Address

    Contents*

    Dates of Coverage

    More Information

    Free from anywhere

    Wisconsin Lawyer Online www.wisbar.org/wislawmag

    Full-text

    1997- to date

    Wisconsin Lawyer contents

    Free from anywhere with Wis. State Law Library card

    Legal Resource Index wsll.state.wi.us/searchtips.html Contact Wis. State Law Library to request access, (800) 322-9755 or wsll.ref@courts.state.wi.us

    Index only

    1980 - to date

    Coverage excellent

    Free from anywhere in Wis.

    BadgerLink (not law specific)

    Full-text

    1980s - to date

    Coverage of legal materials is limited

    Free from anywhere

    American Law Sources On-line (ALSO!) www. lawsource.com

    Full-text

    Varies (most mid 1990s - to date)

    Coverage limited. Contains links to resources from other providers

    Free from anywhere

    Legal Scholarship Network www.ssrn.com/lsn/

    Abstracts,some full-text

    1990s - to date

    Coverage limited

    Free from anywhere

    University Law Review Project www.lawreview.org

    Full-text

    1990's - to date

    Coverage limited, Keyword search all journals or browse by title

    Free from anywhere

    Hein Online Available only on MU & UW law workstations

    Full-text

    1990s - to date

    Coverage limited. Keyword search all journals or browse by title

    Free at MU & UW law libraries

    LegalTrac Available only on MU law workstations

    Full-text

    Varies (emphasis on older volumes)

    Coverage of older legal journals excellent

    Free at MU Law Library

    Index to Legal Periodicals and Books Available only on UW law workstations

    Index only

    1980 - to date

    Coverage excellent

    Free at UW Law Library

    Print articles Available at your local law library

    Index only

    1981 - to date

    Coverage excellent

    Free at many law libraries

    LexisNexis www.lexis.com

    Varies by library

    Varies by library

    Available at no charge. May deliver documents to you for a fee

    By paid subscription

    Westlaw www.westlaw.com

    Full-text

    Varies (most mid 1980s - to date)

    Coverage excellent. Cost varies by package

    By paid subscription

    LexisNexis by Credit Card www.lexisone.com

    Full-text

    Varies (most mid 1980s - to date)

    Coverage excellent. Cost varies by package

    By credit card

    WestDoc creditcard.westlaw.com

    Full-text

    Varies (most mid 1980s - to date)

    Retrieve by citation or keyword search. Search is FREE. Pay only for documents viewed ($9/doc)

    * Indexes only contain citations, not the full text of articles. To obtain the full text of an article, copy it at or request it from a law library or use LexisNexis or Westlaw's credit card delivery service.

    Books, Treatises, WI State Bar CLE Publications, Government Documents, and More

    Access

    Resource Name and Address

    Additional Information

    Free from anywhere

    State Bar of Wisconsin
    5302 Eastpark Blvd.,
    Madison, WI 53718-2101;
    P.O. Box 7158,
    Madison WI 53707-7158 www.wisbar.org/bar/index.html#pub

    In addition to its full catalog of CLE Books, the State Bar of Wisconsin publishes a comprehensive library of legal publications for lawyers and a variety of consumer law publications for use by the public and by lawyers and educators in law-related education activities.

    Free at Dane County Law Library

    Dane County Law Library
    210 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd, Room 315
    Madison, WI 53703
    Phone: 1-608-266-6316
    wsll.state.wi.us/dcll.html
    Operated by the Wisconsin State Law Library

    Wisconsin attorneys may check out books (and other materials) from the WSLL, DCLL, & MLRC at no charge (registration required). Some books may also be delivered to you for a fee (see delivery options).

    Search the library catalog for availability (wsll.state.wi.us).

    Free at Marquette Law Library (Check out materials for a fee)

    Marquette University Law Library
    1103 W. Wisconsin Avenue
    Milwaukee, WI 53201
    Phone: 1-414-288-7092
    www.marquette.edu/law/library/

    For an annual fee MU Law alumni ($35) or non alumni ($50) Bar members, paralegals and law librarians employed in law firms may check out books (and other materials) from Marquette Law Library.

    Search the Marqcat Library Catalog for availability (libus.csd.mu.edu).

    Free at Milwaukee Legal Resource Center

    Milwaukee Legal Resource Center
    (in the Milw. Co. Courthouse)
    901 N. 9th Street, Room 307A
    Milwaukee, WI 53233
    Phone: 1-414-278-4900
    wsll.state.wi.us/mlrc.html
    Operated by the Wisconsin State Law Library

    Wisconsin attorneys may check out books (and other materials) from the WSLL, DCLL, & MLRC at no charge (registration required). Some books may also be delivered to you for a fee (see delivery options).

    Search the library catalog for availability (wsll.state.wi.us).

    Free at UW Law Library

    University of WI Law Library
    975 Bascom Mal
    Madison, WI 53706
    Circulation: 1-608-262-1128
    Reference: 1-608-262-3394
    library.law.wisc.edu

    Anyone may check out books (and other materials) from the UW Law Library at no charge (registration required). Some books may also be delivered to you for a fee (see delivery options).

    Search the MadCat Library Catalog for availability (madcat.library.wisc.edu).

    Free at WI LRB Library

    Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau Library
    100 North Hamilton Street
    Madison, WI 53703-2307
    Circulation: 1-608-266-7040
    Reference: 1-608-266-0342
    www.legis.state.wi.us/lrb/Library/

    Although much of the collection must be used in the library, some materials do circulate. Anyone may check out circulating items from the WI LRB Library at no charge (registration required). Some documents may also be delivered to you for a fee (see delivery options).

    Search the LRBCAT Library Catalog for availability (www.legis.state.wi.us/cgi-bin/webcatredirect.asp)

    Free at WI State Law Library

    Wisconsin State Law Library
    120 Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, 2nd fl
    Madison WI 53703
    Phone: 1-800-322-9755
    wsll.state.wi.us

    Wisconsin attorneys may check out books (and other materials) from the WSLL, DCLL, & MLRC at no charge (registration required). Some books may also be delivered to you for a fee (see delivery options).

    Search the library catalog for availability (wsll.state.wi.us).

    Free at UW Law Library

    IndexMaster
    Available only on UW Law workstations

    Index to selected legal texts, including treatises and hornbooks. View the index, table of contents, or abstract.

    Free at UW Law Library

    Index to Legal Periodicals & Books
    Available only on UW Law workstations

    Index to selected legal texts, including treatises and hornbooks

    Legal Resources Available for Delivery via Fax, Mail, or Email from Wisconsin Libraries

    Name and Contact Information

    Coverage

    Pricing Information

    Marquette University
    Law Library
    1-414-288-7092

    Cases, legislation, regulations, journal articles, etc.

    Articles, etc.: Prices range from $10/document + $.30-$1.00/page
    Books, etc.: Not available for delivery
    For more information call 1-414-288-7092

    UW Law Library Outlaw Document Delivery Service
    1-608-262-3394 or
    library.law.wisc.edu/services/
    docdelivery/outlaw/

    Cases, legislation, regulations, journal articles, books, etc.

    Articles, etc.: Prices range from $8-$25/document + $.20-$.50/page
    Books, etc.: Prices range from $8-$25/volume + return shipping
    For more information see fee schedule at library.law.wisc.edu/services/ docdelivery/outlaw/fee.htm

    Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau Library
    1-608-266-7040

    Wisconsin legislative & government documents

    Fax/Mail: 10 pages or less free; longer documents $10/hour +$.10/page
    Duplicate Microfiche (drafting records): $3 + $1/fiche

    Wisconsin State Law Library
    1-800-322-9755 or wsll.ref@courts.state.wi.us

    Cases, legislation, regulations, journal articles, books, etc.

    Articles, etc. - Fax/Email: $.75/page ($3 minimum); Mail: $.60/page ($3 min.)
    Books, etc. (WI Licensed Attorneys only): $10/volume + return shipping

    For more information see fee schedule for articles at wsll.state.wi.us/fees.html and for books at wsll.state.wi.us/circbymail.html

    Your Local Public Library
    Contact a public library to request materials from other libraries, including law libraries. This is often a free service.

    Varies

    Usually free, although delivery may take longer than requesting directly from one of the services listed above.

    Madison Public Library www.scls.lib.wi.us/madison/
    Milwaukee Public Library www.mpl.org/

    Legal Resources Available Electronically by Credit Card

    Name and Contact Information

    Coverage

    Pricing Information

    LexisNexis by Credit Card
    www.lexisone.com/specialoffer/

    Cases, legislation, regulations, Shepards, journal articles, news, company information, public records

    Prices range from $1-$12/document - Most legal documents are $9; Shepards is $4.25 (Retrieve by citation or keyword search. Search is FREE. Pay only for documents viewed)

    WestDoc
    creditcard.westlaw.com

    Cases, legislation, regulations, journal articles

    $10/document (Retrieve by citation only; no keyword searching available)

    Legal Resources Available Electronically by Paid Subscription

    (For a comparison of cost-effective electronic legal subscription services, see "Survey of Online Legal Information Alternatives for Small Law Firms and Public Law Libraries" LLRX.com (November 1, 2001) -and- "When Less is Enough: The Advantages of Low-Cost Legal Research Services" Legal Information Alert (September 2001) )

    Name and Contact Information

    Coverage

    Pricing Information**

    LexisNexis
    In US: 1-800-227-4908 -or- www.lexis.com
    Outside US:
    international.salesleads@lexis-nexis.com

    Cases, legislation, regulations, Shepards, journal articles, etc.

    Varies by Firm/Organization
    Please contact representative for details

    LexisNexis MVP for Small Firms
    1-800-356-6548 -or-
    www.lexisnexis.com/mvp/smallfirms/

    Cases, legislation, regulations, Shepards, some journals; Choose package based on your needs

    Prices for unlimited State + Shepards libraries range from approx. $100 to $200/month; Contact vendor for Federal libraries pricing information

    Loislaw.com
    1-800-364-2512 -or- info@loislaw.com

    Cases, legislation, regulations; Choose package based on your needs

    Packages range from $90/month unlimited for one state to $250/month for all state and federal unlimited
    (Free for 6 months after law school graduation; ½ price for additional year)

    Quicklaw America
    www.laws.com -or-
    1-800-387-0899

    Cases, legislation, regulations

    Transactional: $5/search -or- Unlimited: $70/month
    (14 day free trial available)

    VersusLaw
    www.versuslaw.com -or-
    1-425-250-0142

    Cases

    Unlimited (no subscription required): $19.95/day (any # of users) -or-
    Unlimited (by subscription): $8.95 to $34.95/month/attorney

    Westlaw
    In U.S. 1-800-WESTLAW
    Outside U.S. 651-848-2335 (Jeff Sobel) -or- jeff.sobel@westgroup.com

    Cases, legislation, regulations, KeyCite, journal articles, etc.

    Varies by Firm / Organization (prices = retail, but most firms pay less)
    Hourly: $4.50-$8.75/minute -or- Transactional: $15-$75/search
    Printing: $5.50 per document; KeyCite free
    (14 day free trial available - for more information see www.westlaw.com/NewUser/trial.wl)

    WestlawPRO
    www.westlaw.com/
    SubOptions/WestlawPRO/

    Cases, legislation, regulations, KeyCite, some journals; Choose package based on your needs

    Prices for unlimited State libraries begin at approx. $200/month; Contact vendor for Federal libraries pricing information


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