Vol. 76, No. 5, May
2003
OLR Oversight Board seeks member feedback on
district committees
The Wisconsin Supreme Court Board of Administrative Oversight (BAO)
invites the legal community to its June 6 meeting in Madison, for
feedback on the Office of Lawyer Regulation's district committees.
Supreme Court Order No. 99-03, dated Sept. 25, 2000, amending
Chapters 12, 21, and 22 mandates that the BAO review the function and
operation of the district committees and file a written report with the
court. The report will recommend whether to retain the district
committees and amendments, if any, to improve their operation.
The BAO will meet at 9 a.m. on June 6, at the American Family
National Headquarters, American Parkway, Room A2141, Madison. Submit
written comments to the Board of Administrative Oversight, c/o Director,
Office of Lawyer Regulation, 110 E. Main St., Suite 315, Madison, WI
53703.
Interested in Wisconsin's legal history?
Celebrating Wisconsin's Rich Legal History, a new feature on WisBar,
commemorates the important role the legal profession, the organized Bar,
and Wisconsin courts have played in the state's development. Peruse a
collection of legal history-related materials written over time, plus
new materials prepared in celebration of the State Bar's 125th and the
Wisconsin Supreme Court's 150th anniversaries in 2003. Topics span civil
rights, biographies of Wisconsin judges and lawyers, the development of
the state's constitution, and other significant court cases and
legislation that shaped Wisconsin's legal history.
Madison attorney and legal historian Joseph A. Ranney has worked to
revive an interest in Wisconsin's legal history, authoring many of the
articles in the collection. Ranney, a member of the Wisconsin Legal
History Committee, cochaired by Chief Justice Shirley S. Abrahamson and
State Bar President Pat Ballman, was recognized at the Annual Convention
in Milwaukee this month when he received the President's Award for
contributions to Wisconsin's legal history.
Visit www.wisbar.org/bar/history today to
learn more about yesterday.
CCAP has a new look and location
In February, the state court-sponsored online Consolidated Court
Automation Program (CCAP) computer system changed the way it looks and
its url address. The Wisconsin Circuit Court Access (WCCA) system, now
located at http://wcca.wicourts.gov/,
presents the information in a new easy-to-use format that allows users
to access Wisconsin Circuit Court records via Simple Case Search.
WCCA lists criminal, citation, small claims, and civil case filings
and dispositions, and allows users to check schedules of pending court
cases and perform background checks. The WCCA site was created in 1999
to efficiently deliver information to police, attorneys, and others
needing access to court records. Since going online in April 1999, the
site processes more than 511,000 million individual queries per day.
Governor seeks applicants for Wisconsin Court
of Appeals judge
Gov. Doyle is seeking applicants for appointment as judge on the
Wisconsin Court of Appeals in District IV. The new appointment will fill
the vacancy created by Patience D. Roggensack's election to the
Wisconsin Supreme Court. The new judge will begin serving upon
appointment. The term expires July 2005.
Applicants must be a State Bar member in good standing and must
reside in District IV of the Court of Appeals at the time the
appointment becomes effective. District IV includes Adams, Clark,
Columbia, Crawford, Dane, Dodge, Grant, Green, Iowa, Jackson, Jefferson,
Juneau, La Crosse, Lafayette, Marquette, Monroe, Portage, Richland,
Rock, Sauk, Vernon, Waupaca, Waushara, and Wood counties.
Interested parties may obtain an application from Alyssa Whitney at
(608) 266-1212. Applications are due June 2.
Guardian ad litem training deadline
approaching; June seminars available in statewide locations
Effective July 1, 2003, to be eligible to accept a guardian ad litem
(GAL) appointment in actions affecting the family, attorneys must have
at least three hours of family court training, or request the court find
that they are otherwise qualified to accept the GAL appointment.
Attend one or two days of the State Bar CLE Seminars' video replay of
its GAL Training 2003: Child Custody and Family
Law program to fulfill the new SCR 35.015 requirements, as
amended in 2001. The Basic Course, June 3, prepares
attorneys to take on a GAL appointment or helps existing GALs with
limited experience better understand their role. The Advanced
Course, June 4, addresses specific areas GALs encounter and
helps to increase the skills of experienced GALs whose practices require
a thorough understanding of the myriad issues that arise in cases
involving a minor
Both programs are offered at statewide locations. The Basic program,
8 a.m. - 4 p.m., is approved for up to 7.0 CLE/GAL credits. The Advanced
program,
8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m., is approved for up to 7.5 CLE/GAL credits. Both
programs are approved for 1.0 EPR credit and will be submitted for
Minnesota CLE credits. Tuition is $360 for both days and $199 for day
one or day two. To register, contact the State Bar at (800) 728-7788,
(608) 257-3838.
Wisconsin court briefs available on the
Web
Visit www.wisbar.org
Scanned images of selected Wisconsin Supreme Court and Court of
Appeals briefs now are available on the Internet. The Wisconsin Briefs
collection contains briefs for all Wisconsin Supreme Court and published
Court of Appeals cases and all unpublished Court of Appeals cases
beginning with 173 Wis. 2d (Nov. 1992).
The Wisconsin Briefs collection was developed by the Wisconsin State
Law Library and the U.W. Law Library.
For assistance with searching or viewing the briefs, contact the U.W.
Law Library at (608) 262-3394 or asklawref@law.wisc.edu. For
questions on the contents of the Wisconsin Briefs collection or for
assistance locating older briefs, contact the Wisconsin State Law
Library at (800) 322-9755 or wsll.ref@courts.state.wi.us.
Wisconsin
Lawyer