SBM presidents urge support for Access to Justice
A coalition of presidents of the State Bar of Michigan have come together to urge Michigan attorneys to donate to the Access to Justice Campaign to ensure that all Michiganders have access to fair legal representation.
Approximately 1.7 million low-income Michigan residents are eligible for legal aid. The Access to Justice Campaign provides critical assistance to support civil legal aid services to families facing issues such as threats of eviction, foreclosure, loss of income, and family safety due to domestic violence. Donations play a pivotal role in providing free legal services, representation, self-help centers, legal clinics, pro bono services, and educational legal aid.
A recent report by the Justice for All Commission highlighted the substantial impact of investing in civil legal aid in Michigan. The civil legal aid organizations provided advice and representation on 55,329 legal issues, helping 131,059 individuals in households, almost 60,000 of which were children. The report also boasts that positive outcomes were achieved in 97.56% of the cases involving representation.
In 2023, Michigan attorneys gave approximately $1.2 million to the ATJ Campaign. The coalition of presidents is encouraging Michigan attorneys to surpass that amount this year.
A total of 30 past presidents of the State Bar of Michigan, as well as current President Joseph P. McGill, called on all Michigan attorneys to help the Access to Justice Campaign in a joint letter issued December 3, 2024.
“As attorneys, we bear a unique responsibility to the broader community, as we know that the right to legal representation should not be a privilege reserved for the few, but a right accessible to all,” the letter reads.
Contributions can be made here. For additional information about the campaign, please visit www.atjfund.org. All donations will be allocated to support civil legal aid for low-income individuals.
The ATJ Campaign is a collaborative centralized campaign, administered by the Michigan State Bar Foundation in partnership with the State Bar of Michigan. The Michigan State Bar Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization.
Posted: December 4, 2024