Jay E. Grenig and Daniel D. Blinka, Wisconsin Civil Rules Handbook, West (2020/2021)
Law Library Reserve Collection: KFW2480 .W57 v.3B Also available on WESTLAW (password required)
For all of you law students taking Civil Procedure this semester or next, you should know about Wisconsin Civil Rules Handbook by West. While Civ. Pro. I and II concentrate on federal rules, the same concepts governing adjudication of civil cases apply at the state level as well, and the Wisconsin Civil Rules Handbook gives you the information you need. Besides being in print, this title is also available on WESTLAW (search and select Content Pages: Civil Rules Handbook--Wisconsin Practice Series).
Like many other Rules practice titles, the Handbook's chapters are arranged by statutue section. In Wisconsin, chapters 801-807 deal with civil procedure: commencement of the action and venue (801), pleadings, motions and pretrial practice (802), parties (803), depositions and discovery (804), trials (805), judgments (806) and miscellaneous provisions (807).
The Handbook's remaining chapters align with Wisconsin's rules of evidence chapters 901-911: general provisions (901), judicial notice (902), presumptions (903), relevancy and its limits (904), privileges (905), witnesses (906), opinions and expert testimony (907), hearsay (908), authentication and identification (909), contents of writings, recordings and photographs (910), and miscellaneous rules (911).
Appendices include: A) Impeachment Checklist, B) Trial Lawyer's Guide to Objections to the Form of Questions, and C) Timetable Under Wisconsin Rules of Civil Procedure.
Other features include concise commentay with expert analysis, citations to relevant cases, cross-references to other authorities, checklists, practice tips, and cautions to help avoid common mistakes.
The Preface indicates the 2020/2021 edition includes new material on the following:
- Requirements for format and contents of filings (see section 801.18:7)
- Raising affirmative defenses (see section 802.02:5)
- Judgment on the pleadings (see section 802.06:16)
- Protective orders and the apex doctrine (see section 804.01:2.50)
The Wisconsin Civil Rules Handbook is just one of the many volumes that comprise the Wisconsin Practice series. Methods of practice, civil discovery, criminal practice and procedure, trial handbook for Wisconsin lawyers, elements of an action, workers' compensation, and elder law are some of the other topics coveried in the Wisconsin Practice series by West.
Submitted by Eric Taylor, Evening Reference Librarian on October 26, 2020
This article appears in the categories: Law Library
