Year: 2008

Revolving Books Stacks as 19th Century's "Library of the Future"?

Here’s another intriguing image from the Wisconsin Historical Society Image archive. This sketch of a revolving book stack circa 1900 is absolutely mind boggling. The caption reads: “Sketch of two huge round revolving book stacks with an elevator. This was apparently a ‘library of the future’ idea and was probably never actually built.” Check out …

Medical Tourism Meets Health Law: Wisconsin International Law Journal Symposium

The 2007-2008 Wisconsin International Law Journal’s Symposium entitled “Medical Tourism Meets Health Law: US-EU Dialogue” will be held at the University of Wisconsin on Friday, March 7, 2008 in the Health Sciences Learning Center. For more information, visit the symposium Web site. To register, e-mail WILJSymposium@gmail.com by February 29, 2008. The event is free and …

Docstoc Shares Legal Documents, But Are They Reliable?

Denise Howell over at Lawgarithims has good things to stay about Docstoc, a “user generated community where you can find and share professional documents.” There are tons of sample legal and business forms to be had, not to mention law school outlines and bar exam resources. Seems a lot like Scribd but with more legal …

Recycled PACER Documents Available at No Cost

Thanks to Legal Dockets Online for alerting me to the PACER recycling center, run by the folks at Public.Resource.org. Basically, this gathers “recycled” court filings donated by people who have paid to access them via PACER, then offers them free on the Internet. According to the FAQ, here’s how it works: Just upload all your …

Ice Quake Shakes UW Madison Campus

So there I am on my lunch break reading a book, when I feel the ground tremble beneath me. At the time, I assumed that someone had dropped something heavy in the mail room next door, but later I learned the true cause: an ice quake emanating from Lake Mendota which geologists measured as 0.2 …

PreCYdent, New Public-Domain Law Search Engine, Features Sophisticated Search Engine & Social Networking Tools

There is a new public-domain law search engine on the block and it’s a dandy. Content Like parallel projects, Public.Resource.Org and AltLaw, newcomer PreCYdent aims to compile public-domain cases and statutes for free availability on the Web. “We believe judicial opinions and statutes must be in the public domain, in practice as well as in …

The New Federal Rules of Civil Procedure

On December 1, 2007, a revised and restyled Federal Rules of Civil Procedure (F.R.C.P.) became effective. The Style Project, as it is called, rewrote the rules using “plain language” with the purpose of making them easier to understand. This project, begun in 1992, resulted in the most extensive revision of the rules since their establishment …

Atlantic Monthly Goes Free, But WSJ Doesn't

Despite speculation to the contrary, The Wall Street Journal will keep a significant portion of its content behind its paid-subscription wall. The Atlantic Monthly, however, has recently dropped its subscriber registration requirement, making the site free to all visitors. Back issues are available from 1995 to the present. Note that the search box, oddly enough, …

Free Overnight Parking in Madison Ramps During Snow Emergencies

From a City of Madison News Release: Beginning Monday, January 28, 2008, the Parking Utility will not charge for parking in cashiered sections of city garages between 9 p.m. and 7 a.m. on declared snow emergency days. Parkers will need to pay for parking before 9 p.m. or after 7 a.m. on those days. These …

Diploma Privilege Lawsuit Reinstated

A lawsuit questioning Wisconsin’s diploma privilege was reinstated on Tuesday by the Seventh Circuit, reports JS Online. From the article: U.S. District Judge John Shabaz dismissed the lawsuit last year. The rule exempting University of Wisconsin and Marquette University law graduates from taking the exam does not violate the Commerce Clause of the U.S. Constitution, …