WLJ Bev Butula News

Legal Research Skills

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 09:10:20 CST

I recently read an interesting article by Sarah Valentine entitled, “Legal Research as a Fundamental Skill: A Lifeboat for Students and Law Schools.” It reminded me of several things I believe most of us know, but fail to implement when conducting research.

Marquette Law Review from the Beginning

Mon, 01 Feb 2010 13:54:20 CST

The Marquette Law Review, in full text, is available online from its inception in 1916. The researcher is able to browse by volume or conduct a keyword search. There is a nice summary of the database available on the Marquette Faculty Blog.

Famous FBI Cases

Mon, 25 Jan 2010 09:43:02 CST

The Federal Bureau of Investigation has an interesting webpage that discusses several famous cases.

Intellectual Property Statistics

Mon, 18 Jan 2010 08:54:51 CST

The World Intellectual Property Organization is an agency of the United Nations. Per their website, it is “dedicated to developing a balanced and accessible international intellectual property (IP) system, which rewards creativity, stimulates innovation and contributes to economic development while safeguarding the public interest.”

50 States (Plus) of Administrative Codes and Registers

Mon, 11 Jan 2010 10:42:19 CST

Ever find yourself looking for the administrative code or register for another state? The National Association of Secretaries of State, Administrative Codes and Registers section maintains a nice listing.

Making of America

Mon, 04 Jan 2010 09:37:50 CST

Making of America is a digital library of historical materials collaboratively developed by the University of Michigan and Cornell University.

Tax Research and Data

Mon, 21 Dec 2009 09:09:45 CST

As the end of the year approaches, many of us think about taxes. The Tax Foundation offers a variety of information on many areas of taxation. The Tax Foundation is a nonpartisan educational organization and research group. Their website provides a variety of reports and data.

Antitrust Information

Mon, 07 Dec 2009 11:00:03 CST

The Resource page of American Antitrust Institute’s website provides researchers antitrust information. Some is quite basic, while other material is written for the seasoned researcher.

Case Law Available via Google Scholar

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 10:17:58 CST

Google has put out a formal announcement regarding their new feature --- the ability to use Google Scholar to locate Federal and State case law (and patents too). This is another option for researching cases online. There are several good blog posts today on the topic. For additional information, check out any (or all) of the following:

E-books on your PC?

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 11:43:12 CST

We have all heard about the various portable e-readers available. A few examples include the Sony Reader, the Barnes & Noble Nook, and the Amazon Kindle. (I personally own a Kindle). There are also electronic reader apps that can be downloaded to an iPhone, iTouch, or Blackberry. However, did you know that there are also e-readers for your PC?

Property Soil Data

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 11:16:44 CST

Need to know soil information on a particular piece of property? The Wisconsin Soils Program from the National Resources Conservation Service can offer several options. Following the link entitled “Soil Survey Information and Products” presents the researcher with several interactive tools.

Dictionary of Occupational Titles?

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 09:46:06 CST

Looking for the Dictionary of Occupational Titles? The Department of Labor replaced the Dictionary of Occupational Titles with O*Net.

Company Research

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 09:49:27 CST

When conducting company research, one site to consider as a starting point is CorporationWiki.

National Institute of Justice

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 09:23:54 CDT

The National Institute of Justice “is the research, development and evaluation agency of the U.S. Department of Justice and is dedicated to researching crime control and justice issues.” The website offers a variety of information worth investigating.

Librarian Favorites

Mon, 28 Sep 2009 13:47:05 CDT

The other week, I polled Milwaukee area law librarians asking them what are some of their favorite non-legal websites.

Tracking Health Legislation

Mon, 21 Sep 2009 09:15:15 CDT

I have written about the National Conference of State Legislatures in the past. However, I wanted to mention that they have a great database for tracking health care legislation.

Wisconsin History

Mon, 14 Sep 2009 08:53:54 CDT

The Wisconsin Historical Society has numerous valuable resources. It is a gold mine for doing research on any number of Wisconsin issues.

National Labor Relations Board

Mon, 07 Sep 2009 09:14:25 CDT

The NLRB website offers an extensive amount of information. An analysis of all the various features would result in a lengthy article. For this blog post, I’ll just mention a few. Many people are familiar with the Board Decisions. The complete set of bound volumes is online, back to volume 1 (1936). ALJ decisions are also found under this section.

Assure, Ensure, or Insure ? Grammar hints

Mon, 31 Aug 2009 12:58:52 CDT

I am often asked what sites I would recommend for online grammar guides.

Living Wage Calculator

Mon, 24 Aug 2009 09:35:46 CDT

Pennsylvania State University maintains an interesting site called the Living Wage Calculator. It was developed to “estimate the cost of living in your community or region. The calculator lists typical expenses, the living wage and typical wages for the selected location.” The main page and the “about” section outline the history and source data.

Come Fly with Me!

Mon, 17 Aug 2009 09:11:10 CDT

Trying to find out if an individual possesses a pilot’s license/certification? As an alternative to the FAA site, try Landings.com.

Tax Court Centralized

Mon, 10 Aug 2009 08:28:00 CDT

The U.S. Tax Court website provides a variety of resources. For those new to Tax Court, the site has a great introduction video that outlines the process. A useful tool for practitioners is the online version of the “Rules of Practice and Procedure.”

Historical Blue Books

Mon, 03 Aug 2009 10:53:34 CDT

I often think people forget the valuable information that can be found in the Wisconsin Blue Book. The various “profiles” beginning each section provide a nice overview or historical perspective. The Special Articles are often packed with useful data. The editors and contributors over the years have done an amazing job.

Federal Citizen Information Center

Mon, 27 Jul 2009 08:56:02 CDT

Remember those public service announcements informing us about various government publications available from an address in Pueblo, Colorado? Well, those documents are available online (or available to order online) through the Federal Citizen Information Center.

Wisconsin Farmers Markets ? Fun and Food

Mon, 20 Jul 2009 08:59:48 CDT

I realize the purpose of my blog is to highlight quality websites that can assist legal professionals. Well, this post probably won’t have a work application. I hope, however, it will still be helpful.