The Nature of Legal Aid
Legal aid is a service provided to those who require legal assistance but cannot afford it. These services may include representation in cases such as landlord-tenant disputes, bankruptcy, domestic violence, child custody, consumer rights, legal guardianships, and seizing fair payment from corporations or individuals who violated the law. Legal aid services also help prevent homelessness through eviction defense, family law services that help keep families together, and other highly valuable social services. With legal aid , attorneys donate time in addition to financial support in order to make these services available for those in need.
Legal aid serves people of all backgrounds, ethnicities, ages, genders, and orientations. Those who are employed with a modest income, those receiving services through government programs, and those experiencing a temporary crisis are all eligible for legal aid. Legal aid is available for those who do not qualify for assistance from other organizations.
Legal Aid Resources Available in Flint, Michigan
For Flint residents seeking legal assistance, a number of options offered through legal aid organizations can match you with an attorney. Legal Service of Eastern Michigan is an organization dedicated to improving lives by providing meaningful and innovative legal services to low-income individuals and families throughout Eastern Michigan. The organization will also offer a "Walk in Day" on July 14 and August 4 where attendees can meet with an attorney. Service is granted on a first-come, first-serve basis. "I would say Legal Aid can provide you advice, some people bring in legal documents because we represent people for housing cases and they bring in the eviction notice. So, people come here for advice, they could be in mediation, sometimes in negotiations," said attorney Michael Manley of Legal Aid of Eastern Michigan. "They’ll call us and we will connect them to that attorney or they get referred to us from the court. It just really depend on the case." Attorneys are available for appointments and also to take calls regarding advice. More information is available at lateasternmichigan.org. In addition to Legal Aid of Eastern Michigan, another important resource in Flint is Legal Services of South Central Michigan (LSA). LSA provides free civil legal services to low-income individuals in the greater Southwestern Michigan region. Their offices are dedicated to treating clients with respect and understanding. Michigan’s civil legal services programs work together to help serve eligible people in Michigan’s 83 counties. The Michigan Legal Help website provides useful resources and information on how to get help. More information about LSA can be found at lsscm.org.
Who Can Access Legal Aid in Flint, MI
Legal aid is not available to everyone. Generally speaking, you must be in need of assistance and have a low income to qualify. Legal aid groups all have their own set of criteria for determining who is eligible for service. The purpose they serve each varies, so some groups may have looser or stricter standards than others.
The Michigan Legal Help website offers a guide to help you decide if you are eligible to receive legal aid in Flint, MI, where the federal poverty level is $25,100 for a family of four. Levels are slightly higher for a family of 5-6 to account for the needs of larger families. If you are below your area’s federal poverty level, you qualify for free legal services. Even some people who are slightly over the limit are eligible for low-cost legal assistance.
Several factors determine eligibility for legal aid in Flint, MI, including:
Your assets are also taken into consideration. In general, you qualify if you’re considered low-income and have limited assets.
If you don’t meet the criteria for getting free legal aid in Flint, know that there are other options for you. The Michigan Bar Association has a free lawyer referral service that can match you with at least one local attorney. You could also talk to your state bar association to see if you qualify for a reduced fee legal counsel program. Many lawyers offer low-cost or pro bono services for clients with limited income or assets.
There are several ways legal aid in Flint, MI, can help you resolve your legal issues.
How to Obtain Legal Aid
Applying for legal aid can be a bit of a labyrinth, and you will undoubtedly have questions. The attorneys at the Legal Services of Eastern Michigan in Flint have established a few guidelines to help you.
- You must fill out an application form, either in person at a legal aid office or online. The legal aid offices are found throughout Michigan, but trying to make an appointment with the local office is always a good place to start.
- If you’re going in person, expect to bring identification with you, such as a driver’s license, state ID, or any identification that you have with your name and current address upon it.
- At the legal aid office, you’re partnered with a legal aid attorney who will help you determine your potential eligibility. Fees are often based on your income level and circumstances.
- If you’re eligible, the attorney will determine if you have a case that legal aid can accept. Sometimes a legal aid attorney will refer you to a pro bono volunteer if the case isn’t within the scope of the legal aid practice.
- If the case can be taken, you will be given information about the case, the time frame, and any other requirements. You are then the legal aid client and the attorney will represent you for the case.
You can also get help online through the Justice in Michigan website, which provides guidance for those who need legal assistance regarding government benefits.
Legal Matters Commonly Managed by Legal Aid
A wide variety of legal problems can be handled by legal aid services in Flint, MI. Some of the most common areas of law in which legal aid advocates can provide assistance include family law, housing issues, consumer protection and bankruptcy.
Family law encompasses many different challenges. For example:
Legal aid advocates are often very experienced in handling family law cases. Some of them have worked for local courts in the past, while others specialize in the area of family law.
Another area of legal concern that frequently requires the assistance of an attorney is housing law. Housing issues vary, but they often include:
Many housing law matters involve tenants and landlords. For example, if a landlord is attempting to evict a tenant, the tenant must go to court to defend his or her rights . Retaining a lawyer to represent the tenant is crucial because the process involves numerous forms, important deadlines and potentially complicated legal concepts.
Consumer law also makes up a large chunk of legal aid work. Assistance is often needed for:
Bankruptcy and foreclosure are not typically seen as consumer issues, but legal aid advocates can often assist consumers with both. Filing for bankruptcy is a complex legal matter that debtors can manage with the assistance of an attorney. Foreclosure, meanwhile, typically involves negotiating with lenders and objecting to foreclosure at various points throughout the process.
While there are certainly other types of legal issues that legal aid professionals tend to handle, the above list covers some of the most common issues for low-income individuals who are in need of legal assistance.
Why You Should Consider Legal Aid Services
Accessing legal aid services in Flint, MI can offer numerous benefits for both individuals and the community at large. For individuals, the most immediate benefit is access to legal representation and advice, very often free of charge or at a significantly reduced rate. For many persons, these legal aid services can provide essential assistance with various issues that may seem mundane or straightforward to the general population, but which can seriously confound those without legal training. Issues such as landlord/tenant disputes, child custody, bankruptcy, and more can be incredibly difficult to navigate if you do not have a good understanding of either Michigan or federal laws. Legal aid services can help get you through these issues in a way that allows your life to continue without the stress of legal troubles lurking around the corner.
Obviously, the immediate benefit of legal aid services in Flint, MI is legal representation, but the longer-term impacts can also be significant. For example, legal aid organizations are often on the front lines of community advocacy, working to improve the life experience of their client base and relieve certain social issues that lead to low-income, disadvantaged populations. In this way, legal aid offices are able to enact change with the help of a small staff and an army of volunteers. Aside from just the individual one-on-one legal advice and representation they can provide, legal aid organizations have had a tremendous impact on areas such as disability pensions and job accommodation, elder abuse within the care systems, consumer protections against unscrupulous lending practices and more.
These impacts are not limited solely to Michigan, but can be found across the country in all cities, as legal aid organizations and pro bono attorneys work tirelessly to improve the lives of those most in need. If you think legal aid might be able to assist you, consider seeking out their services.
Hearing From Those Who’ve Used Legal Aid
The positive feedback from beneficiaries of legal aid in Flint shows just how impactful the service can be for low-income residents seeking legal assistance. Consider the following impactful testimonials: "In my gut, I really believed that no one was going to provide the help I needed, but your agency helped me feel human again." The problem: Janet, a Flint resident, found herself in a tough position after her husband abandoned her and their two young children. Dealing with family law was particularly difficult for her due to her low income and lack of transportation. She applied for free legal assistance through the local Michigan legal aid organization and was put in touch with a lawyer with expertise in Family Law. Her attorney offered to assist her with filing for child support from her estranged husband for the benefit of her two children. Outcome: Janet was fully granted child support. On their own, neither she nor her husband made enough money to support their two children. With this extra influx of cash, Janet was able to provide her children with food, clothing, and housing they otherwise could not have afforded. Janet was able to begin working towards a much better future for her children. "Even though my husband is deported and I haven’t been able to get a visa, I still want to see my kids . I don’t know what I would do without my attorney." The problem: A woman married an undocumented immigrant in Flint with American citizenship. They had two beautiful children together, but the husband fell into bad company. He was arrested for various crimes but was able to return to his home country after paying off his bail. Her husband’s problems made obtaining a visa for visitation with her children an impossible task. She submitted the appropriate forms but was denied each time, regardless of her circumstances. She sought to secure her legal rights to visitations with her kids, even if her husband was able to rectify his immigration status later on. Outcome: After several application attempts, her lawyer recommended that she request her children’s birth certificates to see if she could provide them to the court to authorize supervised visitation. The attorney even accompanied her to court to provide expert representation on her behalf. Eventually, her request was granted. In both of these cases, beneficiaries were able to secure their legal rights with the help of a Michigan legal aid organization. Legal aid advocates provide invaluable assistance to those who need it the most-people struggling to make ends meet.