Residents of Mid-Michigan now have a new place to go for legal help: the Eaton County Legal Self-Help Center – A Michigan Legal Help Partner. This new center is located at the Delta Township District Library, at 5130 Davenport Dr. The center offers support, advocacy, referrals, resources, and education to residents of the surrounding areas. The self-help center (SHC) is open to the public during normal library hours: Monday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., seasonally on Sundays noon to 4 p.m. Staff called “Navigators” are available to help visitors find the information they need during these hours.
The Eaton County Legal Self-Help Center will be a part of the Mid-Michigan Legal Self-Help Center Network with the Ingham County Legal Self-Help Center, located in the State of Michigan Law Library, and the Clinton County Legal Self-Help Center which is scheduled to open in the first half of 2023. Residents will be able to access whichever center is most convenient for them.
The Eaton County Legal Self-Help Center is the twenty-sixth SHC to open in the statewide network. Visitors to the center can use the Michigan Legal Help (MLH) website in English (MichiganLegalHelp.org) or Spanish (AyudaLegaldeMichigan.org) to get information about common legal problems. The library staff, called “Navigators,” are trained to help visitors find the resources they need. While Navigators cannot give legal advice, they can answer questions about court practices and processes, help visitors locate and complete the court-approved forms available on the website, and find referrals to lawyers and community service providers.
The MLH Program is a non-profit organization dedicated to empowering people to participate in the justice system. This program consists of two major components: the MichiganLegalHelp.org website and the “brick-and-mortar” Michigan Legal Help Self-Help Centers located across the state. These centers provide visitors with access to high-speed internet, computers, printers, and assistance during certain hours of operation.
Visitors can obtain free information from the MLH website with toolkits that contain articles, answers to common questions, and court-approved forms, all designed to enable them to resolve their legal problems independently. The Do-It-Yourself forms can be filled out online using a simple question-and-answer interview format. The Guide to Legal Help, another feature of the website, can help visitors look for a lawyer in their area if they need more assistance. It can also provide information about local community services and details about the court(s) where a visitor’s legal issue may be handled.
By clarifying county-specific procedures for filing paperwork properly and providing clear answers to common questions, the SHCs around the state are essential to ensuring access to justice for self-represented litigants. The standardized Do-It-Yourself forms benefit the courts by educating the general public and improving accuracy and efficiency in court proceedings.
Currently, the MLH website has legal information about family law matters; personal safety; housing issues; money and debt; public assistance; income tax; crime, traffic, and ID; employment; end of life planning; education; immigration; farmworker issues; and going to court. In addition to the statewide network of Self-Help Centers, the Michigan Legal Help Program collaborates with lawyers, court personnel, librarians, community organizations, and volunteers from around the state to help build a strong network of public legal support.
“We’re very fortunate to be partnering with the community in Eaton County,” said Michigan Legal Help Program Director Angela Tripp. “Libraries are vital community education centers and adding trained Navigators in communities across the state helps to increase access to justice. The Eaton County Legal Self-Help Center will be a real benefit to people in the area who need legal self-help tools. We are excited to add the Delta Township location to the growing statewide network of Self-Help Centers.”
The Michigan Legal Help Program is funded by the Michigan State Bar Foundation, the Michigan Supreme Court, and through grants from the Legal Services Corporation.
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