Free and discounted legal aid isn’t hard to come by in Detroit. There are many options for you to choose from.
Detroit Free Legal Aid Clinic, Inc.
The primary purpose of Detroit Free Legal Aid Clinic (FLAC), Inc., is to assist low-income or elderly residents of Wayne County, Michigan. In addition, FLAC also provides education opportunities and practical experience for law students.
The staff of FLAC consists mostly of law students, but also features some private attorneys who volunteer their time and services.
FLAC currently works with the Elder Law and Advocacy Center and Lakeshore Legal Aid to provide its services. For more information, visit www.detroitflac.com.
Legal Aid and Defender Association
The Legal Aid and Defender Association is one of the largest providers of free legal aid in the United States. They operate in Wayne, Macomb, and Oakland counties, and their mission is to “provide comprehensive, aggressive legal advocacy and representation” for low-to-moderate-income residents of Detroit and the surrounding area.
The Legal Aid and Defender Association also partners with Beaumont Children’s Hospital for Legal Aid for Children (LAC), a free legal service that addresses the causes of poor health in children.
For more information, visit the Legal Aid and Defender Association’s website at www.ladadetroit.org.
Neighborhood Legal Services Michigan
Neighborhood Legal Services Michigan is a non-profit collaborative that offers services promoting health safety and self-sufficiency. They partner with many public, private, and non-profit organizations to provide solutions to various socio-economic problems.
Certain groups of people, including abused and homeless people, seniors, children, and people with life-changing illnesses may qualify to receive their services free of charge. To learn more, go to http://www.nlsmichigan.org/
Detroit Free Legal Aid Clinic, Inc.
Southestern Michigan Administrative Services Group
http://semasg.org/lada/lada-programs/
Helping community members stay in their homes
Everyone needs safe and suitable housing, whether they own a home or rent one. When homelessness threatens, we at LAD help clients free of charge through eviction diversion programs and mortgage/tax foreclosure prevention.
Landlord-tenant program
Our landlord-tenant program, the first of its kind in our area, assists landlords and tenants in resolving rental situations without a credit-damaging court judgment for the tenant. On the hearing date, we provide advice to clients, negotiation services and representation.
This program is voluntary and designed to benefit both tenants and landlords. Typically, tenants receive financial assistance to prevent eviction, and our staff negotiates a conditional dismissal with the landlord.
Foreclosure programs
Our Foreclosure Education and Assistance Program provides direct counsel and full-scale legal representation to those at risk of losing their homes because of mortgage or tax foreclosure. We have been able to save many homes through litigation, negotiation and counsel. In addition, this program provides housing counselors who provide relevant resources and education.
LAD also participates in the Michigan Foreclosure Prevention Project. This statewide collaborative of legal services providers and housing counselors is dedicated to providing legal assistance and resources to individuals jeopardized by foreclosure.
Temporary housing
LAD also assists those who have suffered eviction and are homeless, helping them obtain temporary shelter through the Coalition on Temporary Shelter (COTS) while they get back on their feet.
If you are a resident of Wayne, Oakland or Macomb counties and believe you could benefit from our assistance, please call (877) 964-4700 or (313) 967-5670. Or, click the button below for information on the online application process.
Legal Aid and Defender Association, Inc represents low and moderate-income residents of Macomb, Oakland and Wayne counties, including the city of Detroit, in civil legal matters. If you live here and have a legal problem and cannot afford an attorney, please call our toll-free number at 877.964.4700.
We also represent low and moderate-income people accused of state criminal offenses in Wayne County Circuit Court and federal criminal offenses in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. If you are arrested for a crime under state or federal law and cannot afford an attorney, please call our State Defender Office at 313.967.5555 or or our Federal Defender Office at 313.961.4150.
Tell Us What You Think
Send feedback to ladinfo@ladadetroit.org.
This email address is only for inquiries about legal services, events, giving opportunities, comments and general questions. Do not send legal documents to this email address for your own protection. Only send legal documents upon request when you are connected directly to an attorney or other verified legal staff.
Our Services
View an outline of the specific legal matters we may handle on your behalf.
Our Offices
Headquarters:
613 Abbott Street
Detroit, MI 48226
Phone: 313.967.5555
Client Service Center (Detroit and Wayne County):
1240 Third Street
Detroit,MI 48226
Phone: 877.964.4700 or 313.967.5800
Fax: 313.962.0747
View the intake hours.
Oakland County:
Oakland Towne Center
28 North Saginaw Street
Pontiac, MI 48342
Phone: 248.253.1548
Fax: 248.253.7240
Free Legal Services Help Desk at Oakland County Circuit Court (free parking)
Macomb County:
32 Market Street
Mount Clemens, MI 48043-5640
Phone: 586.465.1344
Fax: 586.465.1932
Business Hours
View the intake hours and the services we offer.
Walk-In Hours
Monday: 9 - 11 a.m. (Detroit office only
Tuesday: No Intake
Wednesday: No Intake
Thursday: No Intake
Friday: No Intake
Telephone Hours
Monday: 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. (civil legal matters only)
Tuesday: 9 - 3 p.m. (civil matters, excluding family law)
Wednesday: 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. (civil matters, excluding family law)
Thursday: 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. (civil matters, excluding family law)
Friday: No Intake
For more information or intake hours for Macomb and Oakland offices contact:
586.465.1344 (Macomb office)
248.253.1548 (Oakland office)
Self Help Tools
Domestic Violence, Stalking, Personal Protection Orders (PPO).
Leases, Landlord/Tenant matters, Mobile Homes, Eviction, Security Deposits, Subsidized Housing.
Debts and Debt Collection, Garnishment, Small Claims, Installment Payment Plans.
Food Stamps, Cash Assistance, Medicaid, Disability Benefits, Social Security, and others.
Earned Income Tax Credit, Free Tax Preparation, Innocent Spouse Relief, Tax Refund Garnishment.
Criminal law, Expungement of Convictions, Traffic Tickets, Drivers’ Licenses/IDs, ID Theft.
Unemployment Benefits, Payment for Work, Discrimination and Wrongful Termination.
Wills, Small Estates, Transfers After Death, Probate Law, and Conservatorships.
Special Education/Accommodations, Discipline, Student Rights, Students With Limited English.
Organizations and Courts
Find a lawyer in your area to help you with your legal matter.
Find a Self Help Center near you to get additional help representing yourself in court.
Find a local community service organization for other assistance.
Contact information and what you need to know before you go to court.
Wayne State University Free Legal Aid Law Clinic
Free Legal Aid Clinic
The Free Legal Aid Clinic is a student-run, 501(c)(3) nonprofit, legal aid organization established by Wayne Law students in 1965. For more than 50 years, we have provided Wayne County's elderly and indigent populations with quality legal representation. In this time, the organization also has provided countless Wayne Law students with a unique learning experience.
At the Free Legal Aid Clinic, student attorneys are given their own cases and clients. While students work under the supervision of experienced legal aid attorneys from Lakeshore Legal Aid and the Elder Law and Advocacy Center, students are responsible for both their clients and cases.
Student attorneys get the opportunity to represent their clients in court under the Michigan student practice rule. Students have had the opportunity to argue motions, present settlement agreements and first chair full bench trials, gaining valuable litigation skills.
Students are assigned to handle cases in both elder and family law. Elder law cases cover a wide range of issues from estate planning to landlord/tenant disputes. When handling family law cases our students assist indigent clients with divorces, custody matters and other issues. Oftentimes, clients are survivors of domestic violence. As one Wayne County family law judge said, operating in this field means we see "the best people at their worst," but we have a unique opportunity to change their lives with the work that we do.
flac@detroitflac.com, or call (313) 833-0058
Lakeshore Legal Aid
Lakeshore Legal Aid is a not-for-profit law firm providing a wide range of free civil legal services to low income people and seniors in our communities.
The Mission of Lakeshore Legal Aid is to exercise all methods of legal advocacy and representation in order to:
· Empower people to address their legal rights and concerns,
· Provide access to the legal system and all community resources, and
· Preserve the dignity of our clients.
30500 Van Dyke Avenue,
Suite 601
Warren, MI 48093
Clients: (888) 783-8190
Office: (586) 510-1814