Governor Walker Signs Civil Justice Reforms into Law

Building off of the historic reforms signed into law in 2011-12, Gov. Scott Walker on Friday, December 13 signed three more important civil justice reforms into law. Transparency in Private Attorney Contracting: Authored by Rep. Mike Kuglitsch (R-New Berlin) and Sen. Glenn Grothman (R-West Bend), Act 105 reins in excessive attorneys’ fees by setting tiers […]

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U.S. Chamber Applauds Signing of Nation’s Strongest Outside Counsel Sunshine Law

Lisa A. Rickard, president of the U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform (ILR), issued the following statement applauding Governor Scott Walker for signing into law the Transparency in Private Attorney Contracting Act (AB 27). The law promotes transparency and limits contingency fees when the State of Wisconsin hire outside private plaintiffs’ lawyers.   “Governor Walker […]

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Fall 2013 Issue of “The Third Branch” Now Available

The Fall 2013 edition of The Third Branch, a quarterly publication of the Director of State Courts Office, is now available. One of many topics covered in this issue is the 35th anniversary of the creation of the Wisconsin Court of Appeals.

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Daubert Still the Law Despite Court’s Ruling

On January 27, 2011, Gov. Walker signed into law 2011 Wisconsin Act 2, which contained numerous civil liability reforms supported by the Wisconsin Civil Justice Council. One of the most important pieces of this legislation was the adoption of the Daubert standards for the admission of expert opinion evidence, bringing Wisconsin in line with the […]

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Last Floor Sessions of 2013

The Senate and Assembly have adjourned their last regular sessions for 2013. Both houses had busy agendas as they moved to get bills passed before the end of the calendar year. Elections and Politics The most contentious issues involved elections – from voting to recalls and redistricting. Party line votes and long debates were abundant. […]

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Wisconsin Civil Justice Council and Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce Receive ILR’s Outstanding Organization Award

The Wisconsin Civil Justice Council (WCJC) and Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce (WMC) were awarded the Outstanding Organization Award at the U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform’s (ILR) 14th Annual Legal Reform Summit for their contributions to making Wisconsin’s civil justice system simpler, fairer, and faster for everyone. Members of WCJC and WMC traveled to the […]

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Vote Pending on Personal Injury Trust Bill

The Senate Judiciary and Labor Committee has scheduled an executive session on Wednesday, October 9 to vote on AB 19/SB 13, Personal Injury Trust Claims Transparency. The legislation will prevent double-dipping in personal injury cases that also involve potential compensation from trust funds created under the federal bankruptcy law. The most common types of lawsuits […]

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TiPAC Headed to Governor for Approval

On Tuesday, Oct. 8, the Wisconsin Senate passed AB 27,  Transparency in Private Attorney Contracting (TIPAC), on a bipartisan vote, 23-10 (five Democrats joined all 18 Republicans). This legislation provides greater transparency and oversight when the State of Wisconsin hires private plaintiff attorneys on a contingency fee basis. The bill also imposes caps on attorney’s […]

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Senate Passes Bi-Partisan Lemon Law Reform Bill

The Wisconsin Senate voted 32-1 to enact changes to Wisconsin’s Lemon Law. AB 200 makes several significant changes to Wisconsin’s law, as outlined in this memo from the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers and other supporters, but paramount is the elimination of the punitive double damages mandate. Wisconsin is universally known among automobile, motorcycle, truck, and […]

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Senate Committee Considers Changes to Wisconsin’s Lemon Law

The Wisconsin Senate Committee on Transportation, Public Safety, and Veterans and Military Affairs will today vote on long-needed changes to Wisconsin’s Lemon Law. Wisconsin is universally known among automobile, motorcycle, truck, and recreational vehicle manufacturers as having the worst lemon law in the country. The law places unreasonable and unworkable requirements on vehicle manufacturers that […]

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