Legal Services of Eastern Michigan

What Legal Services of Eastern Michigan does

Legal Services of Eastern Michigan (LSEM) is a private nonprofit legal aid organization established in 1951 and headquartered in Flint, Michigan, that provides free civil legal services to low-income individuals across 14 Mid-Michigan counties (Arenac, Bay, Clare, Genesee, Gladwin, Gratiot, Huron, Isabella, Lapeer, Midland, Saginaw, Sanilac, St. Clair, and Tuscola). Services are delivered through two physical offices (Flint as the administrative headquarters and Saginaw), a toll-free intake hotline (1-800-322-4512), home visits to homebound and elderly clients, and a screening partnership with the Counsel and Advocacy Law Line (CALL). The organization closed 5,692 cases in 2024, with the largest case categories being housing (37%) and miscellaneous civil matters (37.4%), and served 5,438 total clients.

The organization's product portfolio includes core civil legal services, a Fair Housing Center of Eastern Michigan sub-brand (established 1988, expanded 2004) for fair housing testing and enforcement, a Senior Law Center serving clients 60+ regardless of income, an LSV-H Veterans Homelessness Prevention program funded by a VA grant, foreclosure assistance, a Pro Bono Attorney Program connecting private attorneys with eligible clients, and community outreach presentations on estate planning and elder scams. Technology is minimal: a WordPress website, Google Analytics, PayPal for donations, Zoom for virtual events, and an internal 'All-In-One Tester Reporting App' for fair housing testers. No proprietary AI or advanced technology systems are disclosed.

LSEM operates on a non-commercial revenue model, providing all services free of charge to income-eligible clients (most at or below 125% of federal poverty). Funding comes from government and foundation grants, primarily the Legal Services Corporation, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Department of Health and Human Services, Michigan State Bar Foundation, United Way of Genesee County, Genesee County Office of Senior Services, Ruth Mott Foundation, and various local governments. The organization is governed by a Board of Directors including both attorney and client members and operates with approximately 20 attorneys following recent federal funding cuts.

Name

Legal Services of Eastern Michigan

Legal name

Legal Services of Eastern Michigan

Website

https://lsem-mi.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1951

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Legal Services of Eastern Michigan is a nonprofit legal aid organization founded in 1951 that provides free civil legal assistance to low-income individuals across 14 Mid-Michigan counties, operating from offices in Flint and Saginaw.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Legal Aid Services

NAICS

Individual and Family Services (6241), Offices of Lawyers (54111), Legal Services (5411)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAGAEAM

Legal Aid & Client Advocacy Services

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Social Services & Community Support (Food, Housing, Family)

SECONDARYBPAIAFAC

Public Defense & Legal Aid Services

Business & Public Services/Public Sector & Government Administration/Justice System (Courts, Prosecution & Corrections)

SECONDARYBPAKANAG

Correctional Health, Mental Health & Substance Abuse Services (In-Custody)

Business & Public Services/Security & Investigations Services/Corrections, Detention & Prisoner Transport Services

Keywords

• Civil legal aid
• Nonprofit legal services
• Fair housing advocacy
• Senior legal services
• Veterans legal assistance

Headquarters

HQ city

Flint

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Government and Foundation Grants: Primary funding from government and foundation sources including Legal Services Corporation, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Department of Health and Human Services, Michigan State Bar Foundation, and various local government entities and foundations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Legal Services of Eastern Michigan (LSEM) is a non-profit legal aid organization that provides free civil legal assistance to low-income individuals in 14 Mid-Michigan counties. Services include individual legal representation, fair housing enforcement, senior legal services, veteran homelessness prevention legal services, foreclosure prevention, and community outreach education.

Product overview

Legal Services of Eastern Michigan (LSEM) provides a suite of free civil legal services targeted at low-income individuals in 14 Mid-Michigan counties. The organization operates primarily through direct legal representation and advice, with specialized sub-brands including the Fair Housing Center of Eastern Michigan (addressing housing discrimination through testing and enforcement) and the Senior Law Center (serving seniors regardless of income). Additional programs include the LSV-H Veterans Legal Services program, foreclosure assistance, and community outreach presentations. LSEM also coordinates a Pro Bono Attorney Program connecting private attorneys with eligible clients, and utilizes an internal All-In-One Tester Reporting App for fair housing testing operations. Services are delivered via phone intake, in-person offices in Flint and Saginaw, and home visits for the homebound and elderly.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Fair Housing Center of Eastern Michigan: A division of Legal Services of Eastern Michigan that addresses fair housing issues through testing, investigation, and advocacy

Products and services

• Civil Legal Services Free civil legal assistance delivered to persons living in poverty in 14 Mid-Michigan counties, including reactive individual legal assistance and proactive systemic impact work addressing survival needs of low-income clients (eligible at 125% of federal poverty or below).
• Fair Housing Center of Eastern Michigan A division of LSEM addressing fair housing discrimination through testing, investigations, training, and enforcement support across Genesee, Saginaw, Bay, and Midland counties. Established in 1988 in Genesee County and expanded to Saginaw in 2004.
• Senior Law Center Legal services specifically for seniors aged 60 and older provided regardless of income, funded in part by Genesee County Senior Millage funds.
• LSV-H Program (Legal Services for Veterans – Homelessness Prevention) Free legal services for veterans who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless, provided through a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs grant program. Services include eviction prevention, access to VA benefits, credit problem resolution, and discharge status improvement.
• Pro Bono Attorney Program Program connecting private attorneys with low-income clients needing legal representation, with LSEM providing sample documents, mentors, research access, malpractice insurance, and out-of-pocket cost coverage.
• Foreclosure Assistance Services Assistance with property tax foreclosure matters including help filing claims for excess proceeds from foreclosure sales and property tax foreclosure prevention clinics.

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and secondary.

• Counsel and Advocacy Law Line (CALL)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCALL serves as the screening partner for legal aid referrals in Michigan. Individuals seeking assistance with unemployment benefits should contact CALL at (888) 783-8190. CALL will refer cases needing additional assistance to partner legal aid programs including LSEM.
• Lakeshore Legal AidsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborating legal aid organization in Michigan's pilot program to expand access to free legal aid in unemployment cases.
• Michigan Advocacy Program (MAP)secondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner legal aid program collaborating to ensure unemployment claimant assistance is available in every Michigan county.
• Legal Aid of Western Michigan (LAWM)secondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner legal aid program collaborating in the statewide unemployment benefits legal assistance network.
• The Sugar Law Center for Economic & Social JusticesecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner legal aid organization in the Michigan legal aid collaborative for unemployment cases.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Lakeshore Legal Aid: A Michigan-based legal aid organization providing free civil legal services to low-income individuals. Listed as a direct partner in LSEM's unemployment legal assistance collaborative and serves overlapping populations in Michigan.
• Legal Aid of Western Michigan: A Michigan LSC-funded legal aid program providing free civil legal services in western Michigan. Operates a similar model (LSC funding, civil legal aid for low-income clients) and is a formal partner in the statewide unemployment benefits legal assistance network.
• Michigan Advocacy Program: A statewide legal aid advocacy organization serving low-income Michigan residents. Partners with LSEM in the unemployment claimant assistance network and provides similar civil legal services across Michigan counties.
• Sugar Law Center for Economic & Social Justice: A Michigan-based economic justice legal aid organization that partners with LSEM in the statewide unemployment legal assistance collaborative. Provides free legal services to low-income workers on similar civil legal issues.
• Counsel and Advocacy Law Line (CALL): Michigan's statewide legal aid intake and screening hotline. Functions as a peer in the legal aid ecosystem and a direct referral partner routing screened clients to LSEM for case handling.

Others

• Michigan State Bar Foundation: A major foundation funder and administrator of civil legal aid grants in Michigan. Operates in the same legal aid ecosystem as LSEM and is one of its core financial partners rather than a direct service competitor.

Broad incumbents

• Legal Services Corporation: The federally funded nonprofit that funds civil legal aid programs across the United States, including LSEM. As LSEM's primary federal funder and a congressionally chartered entity, it is the broad incumbent in the legal aid space.
• National Legal Aid & Defender Association: The national membership organization supporting civil legal aid and public defender programs across the U.S. Provides a broader umbrella for legal aid organizations including LSEM and its peers.

Regional players

• Michigan Indigent Defense Commission: Michigan's state agency responsible for ensuring adequate defense for low-income criminal defendants. Operates in an adjacent (criminal rather than civil) legal aid space in the same Michigan jurisdiction.

Emerging players

• Michigan Legal Help: A self-help legal information resource for Michigan residents. Listed as a 'Legal Help' link on LSEM's website and represents a more technology-enabled, self-service approach to the same low-income legal access mission.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/legalservicesEM
• Instagraminstagram.com/legalservicesem
• Xx.com/LegalServicesEM
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/legal-services-of-eastern-michigan

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Legal Services of Eastern Michigan