The Clinical Programs at Michigan Law provide legal services to members of the community in a variety of areas, as described below. For a brief explanation of and the opportunity to leave a voicemail with each clinic, please call (734) 764-7700.
Prospective Clients
Prospective clients must follow the particular clinic's requirements for application. Walk-ins are not accepted by any clinic.
Application Does Not Guarantee Acceptance
Contacting Michigan Law does not guarantee that a clinic will take your case. While each clinic hopes to serve as many clients as possible, they typically only have resources to accept a small portion of the clients that apply. Each clinic reserves the right to accept, waitlist, or deny any applicant. Communication with any clinic does not constitute or create an attorney-client relationship.
If you have pressing legal needs, please do not wait to hear from the clinic before pursuing other potential legal service providers (see sidebar).
Contact
(734) 763-5000
Types of Clients Represented
Parents, children, foster parents, and relatives involved in the foster-care system.
Additional Notes
Primarily practices in Washtenaw and Genesee counties.
Contact
(734) 763-4319mclp@umich.edu
Types of Clients Represented
The Civil-Criminal Litigation Clinic provides free legal representation to people who cannot afford to hire an attorney. The clinic has handled criminal misdemeanor cases and a wide variety of civil cases, such as landlord-tenant, consumer fraud, contract disputes, prisoners' civil rights, discrimination, political asylum, torts, habeas corpus, debt collection defense, public benefits claims, insurance, etc.
Additional Notes
Only accepts new clients between the months of September and April. Does not accept any clients from May to August.
Contact
CEDlawclinic@umich.edu
(313) 593-0934 (Detroit)
(734) 615-8735 (Ann Arbor)
Types of Clients Represented
Nonprofit and community-based organizations, social enterprises, and neighborhood-based entrepreneurs and small business in Detroit and other under-served urban areas of the region that need legal advice to start or operate their organization or enterprise.
For potential start-up clients, the CEC's services are best suited to clients that have spent time developing a plan for their organization or business and have clear ideas about their goals and methods for achieving them.
Additional Notes
Interested persons may apply to become a client of the clinic by submitting an application form, linked below. If you do not have access to a computer, or would prefer to give your information over the phone, please use one of the contact numbers listed above.
Formerly known as the "Community and Economic Development Clinic."
Contact
(734) 647-3595
Types of Clients Represented
Convicted felons on appeal.
Additional Notes
Clients of the CAP clinic are appointed by the Michigan State Appellate Defender Office; it does not accept call-in clients.
Contact
(734) 998-9454
Types of Clients Represented
Indigent survivors of domestic violence in Washtenaw County.
Additional Notes
The FLP is an affiliate program of Legal Services of South Central Michigan. The FLP works closely with the Domestic Violence Project/SAFE House, which provides counseling and shelter to survivors of domestic violence.
Contact
(734) 763-1981
Types of Clients Represented
Student-led and other entrepreneurial ventures. Clients may include U-M student-led businesses or individual student inventors.
The clinic also represents U-M alumni concerning technology invented as a student at U-M.
Additional Notes
Interested persons may apply to become a client of the clinic by submitting an application form, linked below.
The clinic generally will not represent ventures concerning University-held intellectual property. Therefore, if your technology was invented or jointly invented by a U-M employee, you should consult U-M’s Office of Technology Transfer for advice concerning your technology.
Contact
(734) 615-3600
Types of Clients Represented
Survivors of human trafficking in a variety of civil legal areas including immigration, post-adjudication criminal relief, family, housing, access to public benefits, and victim-witness advocacy.
Additional Notes
The HTC does not prosecute cases against criminals or investigate criminal matters, though they can assist a survivor in reporting to and working with law enforcement and prosecutors.
Looking for Help with Estates?
None of the Michigan Law Clinical Programs handle estate planning or probate matters.
For help with these issues, please visit Michigan Legal Help.
Still Looking for Legal Help?
Check out the Law Library's Guide to Finding Legal Help.
Contact
(734) 763-1193
Types of Clients Represented
Minors charged with violations of the criminal law and status offenses, primarily in Southeast Michigan family courts.
Additional Notes
Only accepts new clients between the months of September and April. Does not accept any clients from May to August.
Contact
(734) 936-3535
Types of Clients Represented
You may be eligible for representation if you meet both of the following requirements:
Additional Notes
Interested persons may apply to become a client of the clinic by submitting an application form, linked below. If you do not have access to a computer, or would prefer to give your information over the phone, please use the contact number listed above.
Contact
(734) 763-9353
Michigan Innocence Clinic
University of Michigan Law School
701 S. State Street
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-3091
Types of Clients Represented
Prisoners who have new evidence that may establish that they are actually innocent of the crimes for which they have been convicted.
The Michigan Innocence Clinic focuses on innocence cases where there is no DNA to be tested.
Additional Notes
The Michigan Innocence Clinic does not allow in-person visitors. All communications should be made by phone or by mail.
Contact
(734) 763-1942
Types of Clients Represented
The PAC accepts cases involving children and youth or their immediate families and caretakers referred by physicians and social workers at the University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children's Hospital, Ypsilanti Health Center, Corner Health Center, and Washtenaw County Maternal Infant Health Program.
Additional Notes
PAC is not available to provide advice or information relating to medical malpractice, Child Protective Services (CPS), or other legal issues having to do with patient care.
Contact
734.763.2798 ricele@umich.edu
Types of Clients Represented
Veterans (or their immediate families, in some cases) who need legal help in civil matters such as family law (divorce, custody, support, and visitation), eviction, consumer problems, foreclosure, and employment cases.
Veterans with service-related matters such as discharge upgrades.
Additional Notes
Interested persons may apply to become a client of the clinic by submitting an application form, linked below. If you do not have access to a computer, or would prefer to give your information over the phone, please use the contact number listed above.
Contact
(734) 936-2000law-uic-info@umich.edu
Types of Clients Represented
Recently unemployed workers who need help with their claims for unemployment insurance.
Additional Notes
Formerly known as the "Unemployment Insurance Clinic."
