Report outlines social and monetary benefits for the state
The Justice for All Commission (JFAC) has issued a new report examining the immediate and long-term value of legal aid services throughout Michigan, also known as the social return on investment (SROI). The report, titled “The Social Economic Impact and Return on Funding Investment of Civil Legal Aid Services in the State of Michigan,” presents the social economic impacts and SROI from the services delivered by Michigan legal aid organizations in 2023 and 2024. For instance, for every $1 invested in Michigan civil legal aid services during this period, they delivered $5.49 in immediate and long-term consequential financial benefits.
“The people of Michigan deserve to have access to civil legal resources no matter where they live,” said Michigan Supreme Court Justice Brian K. Zahra, JFAC chair. “The data we have compiled shows the effectiveness and long-term value of legal aid organizations in providing these services at no cost to recipients. The more effective the services, the closer we get to achieving our goal of ensuring 100 percent access to justice in Michigan.”
Legal aid services address a wide variety of issues, with data included in the report encompassing family, housing, health care, public benefits, consumer protection, and other services. Following are legal aid organizations that participated in the study: Lakeshore Legal Aid; Legal Aid of Eastern Michigan; Legal Aid of Northern Michigan; Michigan Advocacy Program; and Legal Aid of Western Michigan.
The SROI for Michigan’s legal aid organizations is higher than comparative values for many other types of social service organizations based on two primary factors:
1) significant future cost savings and additional income to the state of Michigan (long-term values); and,
2) number of volunteer (“pro bono”) hours of legal services delivered by attorneys in Michigan.
Other report findings:
• Total number of services provided in Michigan during 2023 = 36,975
• For every $1 invested in Michigan legal aid during the year 2023, the citizens of Michigan received $5.02 of immediate and long-term financial benefits.
• Total number of services provided in Michigan during 2024 = 35,008
• For every $1 invested in Michigan legal aid during the year 2024, the citizens of Michigan received $6.01 of immediate and long-term financial benefits.
• Counsel and Advocacy Law Line (an attorney-staffed hotline making referrals to regional legal aid organizations) handled 16,520 calls in 2023 and 15,704 calls in 2024.
“We commend Michigan legal aid organizations for providing invaluable civil legal services throughout the state. This critical data from participating organizations will help ensure that we can further expand these services to those who need them most,” said Michigan Legal Help Director Nora Ryan, JFAC vice chair.
The initial 2022 study examined the social value of these services in 2019 and 2020, in terms of immediate value to parties and the long-term consequential value to the community, as a whole.
“The people of Michigan deserve to have access to civil legal resources no matter where they live,” said Michigan Supreme Court Justice Brian K. Zahra, JFAC chair. “The data we have compiled shows the effectiveness and long-term value of legal aid organizations in providing these services at no cost to recipients. The more effective the services, the closer we get to achieving our goal of ensuring 100 percent access to justice in Michigan.”
Legal aid services address a wide variety of issues, with data included in the report encompassing family, housing, health care, public benefits, consumer protection, and other services. Following are legal aid organizations that participated in the study: Lakeshore Legal Aid; Legal Aid of Eastern Michigan; Legal Aid of Northern Michigan; Michigan Advocacy Program; and Legal Aid of Western Michigan.
The SROI for Michigan’s legal aid organizations is higher than comparative values for many other types of social service organizations based on two primary factors:
1) significant future cost savings and additional income to the state of Michigan (long-term values); and,
2) number of volunteer (“pro bono”) hours of legal services delivered by attorneys in Michigan.
Other report findings:
• Total number of services provided in Michigan during 2023 = 36,975
• For every $1 invested in Michigan legal aid during the year 2023, the citizens of Michigan received $5.02 of immediate and long-term financial benefits.
• Total number of services provided in Michigan during 2024 = 35,008
• For every $1 invested in Michigan legal aid during the year 2024, the citizens of Michigan received $6.01 of immediate and long-term financial benefits.
• Counsel and Advocacy Law Line (an attorney-staffed hotline making referrals to regional legal aid organizations) handled 16,520 calls in 2023 and 15,704 calls in 2024.
“We commend Michigan legal aid organizations for providing invaluable civil legal services throughout the state. This critical data from participating organizations will help ensure that we can further expand these services to those who need them most,” said Michigan Legal Help Director Nora Ryan, JFAC vice chair.
The initial 2022 study examined the social value of these services in 2019 and 2020, in terms of immediate value to parties and the long-term consequential value to the community, as a whole.
