Affordable Legal Help

Posted on 14 Dec 2019

When it comes to legal issues, most people view them in the same light as death and taxes: an unpleasant and costly event which is to be avoided if at all possible. However, there are ways to alleviate the pain and the cost so you may deal efficiently with some those difficult issues in your life.

We all are very likely to be confronted with a legal issue in our lives: a dispute with our landlord or neighbor, a breakup with our spouse, a disagreement over a plumber’s bill. Statistics show we are most likely to either ignore the problem, or try to resolve it by ourselves. It seems a reasonable choice since there is no cost, at least up-front. But what of the cost of results that are less than satisfactory? It is not hard to imagine that with at least a little help, a satisfactory solution is possible. The question is, what kind of help is available?

What help is out there?

The main categories are assisted self-help resources, and limited legal representation. The assisted self-help resources include the do-it-yourself website like Michigan Legal Help, and dispute resolution website Michigan Resolve.

Michigan Legal Help is has forms, checklists, time lines, and How-Tos which may be individualized to your specific county if you create an account with the website. It is run by a non-profit organization sponsored by the Michigan Court system. The website is available in English or Spanish. The self-help legal topics are extensive. You can fill out and print the forms and other documents you will need. Use of the website has no cost to the user, though it requires a device with internet access and a printer for documents. What the website does not provide is legal advice, and someone to appear with you in Court.

Another online resource is Michigan Resolve. This is resource is also sponsored by the Michigan Courts. In it’s basic form it is a way for you to try to talk things over with the other side in a legal dispute in an effort to come to a solution, enlist a go-between to help find a solution, and to turn that solution into a legally binding result. The go-between is someone who is trained to help the parties involved talk things out, and reach a solution. It does not matter whether a Court case has been filed or not. This service has no cost to the user, and will remain so in the future. However, this is currently only available in a limited number of counties in Michigan (see website for map), and usable only for landlord/tenant disputes, claims for money less than $25,000.00, contract disputes, and neighborhood disputes.

Limited legal representation comes in the form of lawyers and legal organizations who work for little or no fee, and agreements you can make with any Michigan lawyer to limit the work he does for you, and thus the final cost of the legal action.

You may be familiar with the term “pro bono”. This is the short form of the Latin phrase “pro bono publica”, or “for the public good”. The idea is that is good for society for professionals to sometimes offer their services free of charge. The State Bar of Michigan is fully on board with this idea, and promotes it with several programs, all intended to help people find either free, or reduced legal representation. See the links at the end for more information. Of course, you may be lucky enough to know or be related to a lawyer who is willing to work for free or at a reduced rate. However, if you don’t know or are related to such a lawyer, they can often be difficult to find, or not willing to take on a case that will require a lot of work. Keep in mind that if a lawyer agrees to represent you without any conditions, he is ethically bound to do all the work required until the issue is resolved, the client fires him, or a court gives him permission to withdraw his representation.

One way to limit how much work a lawyer does for you, and consequently how much you are billed for his services, is the new rules regarding limited representation that govern lawyer’s behavior. Michigan enacted new rules for lawyers which allow a client and lawyer to enter into an agreement which defines just how much and what type of work the lawyer will do for you. The agreement, like any contract, can have any limitation that is legal under the law. The drawback here is that it is difficult for a client on any given issue to know exactly what they will able to do themselves, and what is better left to the lawyer. Fortunately, like any contract, the agreement may be modified as time goes on.

Finally, there are non-profit legal aid organizations and “clinics” based in Michigan’s major cities such as Detroit, Lansing, Flint and Grand Rapids as well as most Michigan law schools. The legal aid organizations are non-profits which have lawyers working for them who can represent a client like any other lawyer with no cost to the client. They are typically supported by private donations. The law school clinics are staffed by law school students who may act as a lawyer for a client under supervision of a lawyer at no cost to the client. The clinics are typically funded by the law school, private donations, or both. The drawbacks to both of these groups is the fact their resources are severely limited, so they must limit the clients they take on by only certain legal issues, and only the clients with the greatest need. See law school websites for a list of their clinics, or do an online search for “legal services near me” for more information.

Final word?

So if you have a legal issue, don’t ignore it or go it alone. There is help out there you can afford. This author enjoys helping people who need it the most. If pro bono or reduced rate work is not feasible, then we can explore whatever options there are out there for you. If the legal budget is small, call Paul!

Links

Michigan Legal Help

https://michiganlegalhelp.org/

Michigan Resolve

https://courts.michigan.gov/Administration/SCAO/OfficesPrograms/ODR/Documents/contact/index.html

Michigan State Bar Access to Justice Initiatives

https://www.michbar.org/programs/justiceinitiatives

State Bar of Michigan Legal Aid Search Engine

https://www.michbar.org/public_resources/legalaid

Detroit Free Legal Aid Clinic

https://www.detroitflac.com/Free-Legal-Aid-Clinic-Inc-Homepage

Wayne State University Law School Clinics