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Here is the latest faculty scholarship appearing in the University of Wisconsin Law School Legal Studies Research Papers series found on SSRN.

  • “America’s Constitutional Contradictions” 71 American University Law Review Forum 1 (2021) by FRANCISKA COLEMAN, UW Law School
    In this Response, Coleman suggests that America’s amoral Constitution is not a free-standing original choice but rather is the product of the nation’s inability to resolve its substantive and procedural self-contradictions: the contradiction between the moral values of the

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Thinking of filing a public records request but aren’t sure where to start? Wisconsin Watch has compiled a helpful primer.  Here’s a selection:
First, determine what you want to know and who has that record. The person in charge of keeping and managing these documents at an agency or department is known as the “custodian” of public records. It doesn’t hurt to call the agency to find out who that custodian is.

In crafting your request, it may…
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Just released, Legal Realism to Law in Action documents the University of Wisconsin Law School’s distinctive approach to teaching and research.  The book, edited by William H. Clune, Voss-Bascom Professor of Law Emeritus, is a collection of papers and interviews describing the innovative law school courses developed by UW Law School faculty from 1950 to 1970.  These courses, which forged a path from legal realism to law and social science, took a “law in action” approach to the…
Continue Reading New Book Recounts Distinctive Approach to Teaching & Research at UW Law School

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In a recent American Bar Association poll, the top reason given by prospective students for attending law school was to pursue “a career in politics, government, or public service.” Also in the top four reasons for attending law school included “an opportunity to be helpful” and a desire to “advocate for social change.”

It is encouraging that so many people go to law school looking to have a positive impact on their community. Given the students’ motivations and…
Continue Reading Making a Change, One Intern at a Time

An excellent new article by Karen L. Wallace & Rebecca Lutkenhaus, Professors of Law Librarianship at Drake University Law School takes a deep dive into the practice and implications of ranking law faculty scholarly impact.  In their article, “Measuring Scholarly Impact in Law,” forthcoming in the Widener Law Review, the authors argue that “although the U.S. News [scholarly impact ranking] proposal died, legal bibliometric studies will persist and the academy should develop standards for the responsible creation and use…
Continue Reading New Work Recommends Standards for Law Scholarly Impact Analyses

Contrary to assertions that senior faculty tend to be less productive, Inside Higher Ed reports that a new study of academic productivity says that older professors publish as much as their younger colleagues.
These senior scholars do tend to publish fewer conference papers than younger colleagues but keep pace with them in terms of published articles, the paper says. Crucially, senior professors publish more chapters and books than their younger counterparts, reflecting the valuable synthesis of knowledge and insight…
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Jan. 28, 2021 – The Wisconsin Supreme Court has extended an order, requested by the State Bar of Wisconsin, that allows attorneys to obtain up to 30 continuing legal education (CLE) credits “on-demand” through Jan. 31, 2022, providing more stay-at-home CLE options amidst the continuing COVID-19 pandemic.

Under CLE rules, lawyers must obtain a minimum of 30 hours of approved CLE during each two-year reporting period. A maximum of 15 CLE credits may be earned through a “repeated on-demand…
Continue Reading Supreme Court Extends Order Allowing Attorneys to Obtain 30 CLE Credits On-Demand through 2021