News Archive
If you need help with a pressing legal issue related to COVID-19, the State Bar of Michigan’s new resource may be able to help you. The COVID-19 Rapid Response Helpline can refer you to an attorney quickly and give you a free 25 minute consultation. This helpline is available for the following legal issues: Estate/Disability Planning, Guardianship, Custody and Parenting Time Issues, Garnishment Defense and Other Consumer Matters, Labor and Employment, and Unemployment.
The Rapid Response Helpline is open from 8:30 am to 4:45 pm, Monday through Friday, and all referrals received before 3 pm will receive a response within 4 hours. There are no income requirements to use this service. The hotline is available to anyone who needs legal assistance quickly during the COVID-19 emergency.
Visit the COVID-19 Rapid Response Helpline to submit a request for a referral or call the helpline at (800) 968-0738.
The Michigan Justice for All Task Force wants to know more about how people use the civil justice system, which includes the courts, lawyers, legal aid programs, and others. Civil legal problems involve money, housing, property, family issues, personal injury, or other non-criminal problems. We want to hear from you! We're collecting information in this survey so we can create a plan to provide access to our civil justice system for all Michiganders. You will have an opportunity to enter into a random drawing for one of ten $25 VISA gift cards after you complete the survey.
We would like to hear from you about your experiences with the Michigan civil justice system. This survey should take only 10 - 15 minutes to complete, and your responses are confidential. We will not share your answers or information with anyone outside the Justice for All Task Force. These issues are more critical now than ever as the COVID-19 pandemic is changing the way courts operate.
Thank you for sharing your experiences! You're helping us improve the justice system for you and many others.
The following press release was issued today: "Governor Gretchen Whitmer today signed Executive Order 2020-19, which allows tenants and mobile home owners to remain in their homes during the COVID-19 pandemic even if they are unable to stay current on their rent. The order also relieves courts from certain statutory restrictions to enable them to stay eviction-related proceedings until after the COVID-19 emergency has passed. The executive order takes effect immediately and will remain in effect until April 17 at 11:59 p.m.
“Families across the state are facing a number of uncertainties, from concerns about their health and well-being and that of their loved ones to when their next paycheck will arrive. Worrying about whether they’ll be evicted from their home, apartment or mobile home should not be on this list,” Governor Whitmer said. “This executive order will ease a burden on families struggling to make ends meet and allow them to focus on what’s most important — staying safe and healthy.”
“We continue to urge all Michigan families to remain focused on putting their health first and making smart decisions to help slow the spread of COVID-19,” said Jeff Donofrio, director of the Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity. “This order, in addition to Wednesday’s order extending the tax foreclosure deadline, will give renters and homeowners some peace of mind.”
More information will be available on Michigan Legal Help soon.
Michigan Legal Help has created a new section of our website with information about COVID-19 (Coronavirus) and the way it is affecting different legal issues. Click this link to view the How will the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) Emergency Affect My Legal Problem? page on Michigan Legal Help.
You will also see a link to this page on other areas of the website. We are continuing to work as things change, so check back soon for updates if you don't find what you need.
COVID-19, o el nuevo coronavirus 2019, está afectando a las personas en Michigan en formas que están cambiando rápidamente. Tal vez se pregunte cómo afectará COVID-19 a su caso en la corte.
No asuma que las cortes están cerradas o que su audiencia está cancelada. Si tiene que comparecer ante la corte, comuníquese con la corte para averiguar qué debe hacer. Algunas cortes están cerrando. Algunas cortes están abiertas como siempre. Algunas cortes están abiertas solo para una lista específica de casos de emergencia. Algunas cortes tienen audiencias de forma remota, como por teléfono o video llamada. Cada corte es diferente. Visite el sitio web de la Corte Suprema de Michigan (Michigan Supreme Court) para saber qué está haciendo su corte. O, vaya a Cortes y agencias (Courts & Agencies) y elija el condado de la corte que debe visitar en la esquina superior derecha. Luego, busque su corte y haga clic en el enlace para obtener más información.
Si necesita cambiar una fecha de la corte porque no puede asistir debido a una enfermedad, cuarentena o falta de cuidado de los hijos debido a COVID-19, llame a su corte. Pregunte qué proceso tienen para cambiar las fechas de la corte durante el estado de emergencia de COVID-19. O visite el sitio web de la Corte Suprema de Michigan para saber qué está haciendo su corte. Para encontrar la información de contacto de su corte, vaya a Cortes y agencias y elija el condado de su corte en la esquina superior derecha. Luego, busque la corte que debe visitar y haga clic en el enlace para obtener más información.
Si necesita contactar su abogado, llame en lugar de visitarlo en persona. Si tiene un caso nuevo y necesita un abogado, llame o use la admisión en línea en lugar de ir a la oficina en persona. La mayoría de las oficinas de asistencia legal (legal aid) están cerradas al público, pero el personal todavía está trabajando para ayudar a sus clientes. Use la Guía para ayuda legal para encontrar un abogado u oficina de asistencia legal cerca de usted. Lamentablemente, esta herramienta solo está disponible en inglés. Esperamos tener una versión en español disponible pronto. Si es elegible para recibir servicios legales gratuitos, la Guía le dará un número de teléfono y, si está disponible, el enlace para la admisión en línea.
Ayuda Legal de Michigan continuará estar disponible como un recurso en línea para información legal. Compartiremos actualizaciones estatales tan a menudo como podamos. Sin embargo, no podemos mantener una lista de procedimientos o cierres de cortes individuales. Es por eso que debe visitar el sitio web de su corte para obtener esa información.
Para obtener información sobre cómo el estado de Michigan está respondiendo a COVID-19, visite la página COVID-19 del Estado de Michigan (State of Michigan COVID-19 page). Otra fuente de información confiable sobre COVID-19 es la página de información del Centros para el Control y la Prevención de Enfermedades CDC Enfermedad del Coronavirus 2019 (COVID‑19).
Actualizado el 16 de marzo de 2020
FACT: Did you know that in three out of four civil cases, at least one party represents themselves in court because they can’t afford an attorney?
FACT: Did you know that a right to a lawyer only applies in criminal cases, not civil cases? However, people who have done nothing wrong often lose their cases in court because they don’t have the legal information or help they need. For example, of more than 30,000 eviction cases in Detroit annually, about 4 percent of tenants had legal representation. This is just one example of the CIVIL JUSTICE GAP.
SOLUTION: To tackle the civil justice gap, the Michigan Supreme Court formed the Justice for All Task Force. The Task Force is inventorying available resources, identifying gaps, and developing a plan to achieve 100 % ACCESS.
Public input is needed to help assess the extent of the problem and the impact of the civil justice gap on Michigan families and businesses. Two public town hall meetings have been scheduled to give the public an opportunity to be heard.
Chief Justice Bridget M. McCormack and Justice Brian Zahra (the court’s representative on the Task Force) will open the meetings with short statements and moderate public testimony. Local officials and representatives of community service organizations will also be invited to share their views. Those who want to speak will be invited to fill out a speaker’s card and a time limit will be set based on the number of speakers.
Meeting # 1 GRAND RAPIDS
Friday, February 14, 2020
10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Grand Rapids Center for Community Transformation
1530 Madison Avenue SE
Grand Rapids, Michigan 49507
Meeting #2 DETROIT
Monday, February 24, 2020
6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Union Hall
1358 Abbott Street
Detroit, Michigan 48226
Future meetings will be scheduled as needed to complete the Task Force’s work.
MORE INFORMATION: Visit the Task Force webpage, www.courts.mi.gov/jfa
Michigan Legal Help recently published the I Need an Advance Directive or Health Care Power of Attorney toolkit. This toolkit has information about advance directives and why you might want to make one.
Read the new article E-Filing Updates to find out which Michigan courts are using e-filing and to access resources with more information about the e-filing process.
¡El paquete de herramientas "Maneras de comprar una vivienda sin una hipoteca: conozca los riesgos" ahora está disponible en español! Este paquete de herramientas le cuenta sobre tres maneras comunes de comprar una vivienda en Michigan sin una hipoteca, y los riesgos asociados con estas compras.
Michigan Legal Help recently published the "I Need Medicaid (MA)" toolkit. This toolkit has information about who is eligible for Medicaid, how to apply, and what you can do if your coverage has been reduced.