Wisconsin Criminal Defense Forms

Discovery Demand:  Sec. 971.23, Stats., provides that, if the defendant serves upon the district attorney a demand for discovery in a criminal case, the district attorney must make available, among other things, witness statements, expert witness reports, and physical evidence.

Motions in Limine: Motions in limine are filed in criminal cases shortly before trial, and are used to address procedural and evidentiary issues.  This is a set of common motions in limine.

Subpoena:  A subpoena is a formal command from the court that a person appear to give testimony in a criminal case.  The subpoena must be served upon the witness.  If he or she fails to appear, the court will issue a bench warrant for the arrest of the non-compliant witness.  This is because a criminal defendant has a constitutional right to compulsory attendance of witnesses.

Guilty Plea Questionnaire:  Prior to the entry of a guilty plea in a Wisconsin criminal case, the law requires that the criminal defense lawyer complete a guilty plea questionnaire with the defendant.  The purpose of the form is to inform the defendant of his rights.

Plea Questionnaire (juvenile cases):  This is similar to the guilty plea questionnaire for adult cases except that it is modified for use in Children's Court.

Notice of Intent to Pursue Postconviction Relief: This is the form that must be filed in Wisconsin criminal cases to begin the appeal process.  The notice must be filed within twenty days of sentencing.

Notice of Appeal: This is the document that is filed in the circuit court to cause the file to be transferred to the Wisconsin Court of Appeals.

Wisconsin Criminal Appeals Handbook:  This handbook, authored by attorney Jeffrey W. Jensen, outlines the procedure for a criminal appeal in Wisconsin.

Federal Criminal Defense Forms

Pattern Jury Instructions: This is a book of federal pattern jury instructions for nearly all federal criminal charges.

United States Sentencing Guidelines:  These guidelines, once mandatory, are now advisory to federal judges in passing sentence.  This book contains all of the federal sentencing guidelines.