“I will never reject, from any consideration personal to myself the cause of the defenseless or oppressed ... ”
As I reflect on my second term as president of the Michigan State Bar Foundation, this excerpt from our Lawyer’s Oath reminds me that lawyers have promised to seek justice for our neighbors no matter the cost to ourselves. Those who went before us recognized that establishing a Michigan State Bar Foundation committed to access to justice would make it easier for lawyers to serve that principle. Through gifts to the Access to Justice Campaign, Michigan lawyers have established a tradition of helping to meet the ongoing and pressing need for access to justice in the state. Once again, we are asking for your financial support for this cause. Access to Justice in Michigan depends on you.
Right now, thousands of Michigan low-income residents are facing civil legal challenges that are simply beyond their capacity to address without the help of a lawyer. In my column from the December 2023 Michigan Bar Journal, I reminded you of the Access to Justice Campaign, a collaborative centralized campaign administered by the Michigan State Bar Foundation in partnership with the State Bar of Michigan to increase resources for 14 civil legal aid programs in the state. Those programs provide the necessary legal help for our neediest neighbors. Those programs also need our financial support. Contributing to the Access to Justice Campaign is the best way to provide that support because 100% of every donation received is distributed directly to these programs.
The need is great. In 2023, nearly 1.7 million low-income Michigan residents were eligible to receive free legal help. However, despite having great lawyers committed to service, civil legal aid programs had sufficient resources to meet only a small percentage of that need. Specifically, the civil legal aid programs supported by the Access to Justice Campaign provided legal assistance to more than 131,000 households, which included almost 60,000 children, and closed more than 55,000 cases.
Supporting the Access to Justice Campaign is a worthwhile investment. According to the 2019-2020 Social Economic Impact and Social Return on Funding Investment report by the Michigan Justice for All Commission, every $1 invested in Michigan’s civil legal organizations resulted in $6.69 in immediate and long-term consequential financial benefits.
Perhaps you want your law firm to be one of the leaders in meeting this need. If so, it is helpful to know that in 2023, 43 law firms were recognized as leadership firms for providing annual gifts of $300- $1,000 per attorney and 56 firms and corporate legal departments gave total gifts ranging between $1,000 and $100,000.
Overall, approximately 12% of Michigan attorneys supported the campaign with a statewide giving rate of $35 per attorney. Since the voluntary pro bono standard adopted by the State Bar of Michigan Representative Assembly recommends a minimum gift of $300 per lawyer, we have room to improve.
Improving access to justice is one of the most noble traditions of the legal profession. This holiday season, I urge every lawyer in Michigan to make a meaningful contribution to the Access to Justice Campaign.