Welcome law students, as the spring semester begins, the Law Library is here to help you with your research.  For reference help, you can contact a librarian three ways:

For quick reference questions, ask to see a librarian at the Circulation Desk located on the fifth floor of the Law Library. For research strategy sessions, set up an appointment by using either the Chat or Email Services.

For detailed information on library services for Law Students, see the For Students link located under the "Services" tab at the top of the Law Library Home Page. 

Seat Reservations

Due to Covid19 safety restrictions, you must reserve a seat in the library, fortunately, it is easy to reserve a seat online: Seat Reservations

Study Rooms 

Our Study Room Reservation Service has also changed. To reserve a room, please follow the instructions in this link.

A quick tip to jump-start your research

You can search for hornbooks, legal forms, & casebooks in the Library Catalog. We also have a print collection of the Wisconsin Bar Practice books behind the Circulation Desk, ask for them by name, call number or topic. If you prefer the online version of the Wisconsin Bar Practice books, the Wisconsin Bar allows students free access. You can sign up for a student account here.

If you are looking for background information and resources on a legal topic, a good starting place is to check out our Library Research Guides. These guides are useful when you want to quickly locate treatises, books, databases and other material by legal topic. You can search for hornbooks, legal forms, & casebooks in the Library Catalog. We have the collection of the Wisconsin Bar Practice books behind the Circulation Desk, ask for a book by name, call number or topic.  

What is a legal treatise? 

A treatise is a book or multi-volume sets on legal topics written by experts in the field that legal professionals use to find legal analysis of case law, statutes, agency decisions, rules and regulations on specific areas of law. 

Examples include: 

  1. Weinstein's Federal Evidence : Commentary on Rules of Evidence for the United States Courts
  2. Collier on Bankruptcy
  3. Chisum on Patents : a Treatise on the Law of Patentability, Validity, and Infringement
  4. Federal practice and procedure

Please note that many traditional print treatises are now available online and no longer updated in print, if you need help finding a treatise online, please contact a law librarian. 

More Handy Resources for Law Students

Submitted by Jenny Zook, Reference Librarian on May 12, 2021

This article appears in the categories: Law Library

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