Michigan Legal Help

What Michigan Legal Help does

Michigan Legal Help is a Michigan-based nonprofit organization that provides free online legal information, interactive self-help tools, and form preparation resources for Michigan residents handling their own civil legal problems without an attorney. The platform serves self-represented litigants across the state, with primary use cases concentrated in family law (divorce, custody, child support, parenting time), housing (eviction, landlord-tenant disputes, foreclosure), personal safety (Personal Protection Orders for domestic violence), and public benefits. End users are reached through a community-led go-to-market model that combines a digital platform, an expanding network of court-based self-help centers embedded in Michigan courthouses, and a referral partnership network that includes Lakeshore Legal Aid, Michigan Advocacy Program, Legal Aid of Western Michigan, the State Bar of Michigan, and other regional legal aid providers.

The platform is built on a web-based architecture with three core product surfaces: the Guide to Legal Help (an interactive triage questionnaire that routes users to resources and lawyer referrals), a Resource Library covering 16+ Michigan-specific legal topic areas, and Do-It-Yourself form preparation delivered through two systems—the LawHelp Interactive platform (handling family, housing, debt, and court forms) and MLH-Forms, a proprietary form platform built on Docassemble for Michigan-specific documents such as divorce, custody responses, quitclaim deeds, small claims, wills, and objections to garnishment. Supporting services include physical Self-Help Centers staffed by courthouse personnel, a Legal Clinics and Events calendar hosting Family Law Assistance Project (FLAP), Healthcare Access Project (HAP), and Expungement clinics, a human-staffed LiveHelp chat service (11am-2pm weekdays), and a bilingual English/Spanish video library. The platform is officially endorsed by the Michigan Supreme Court and affiliated with the Michigan State Court Administrative Office.

The business model is grant-funded and freemium to end users: all content, forms, tools, and outreach materials are provided at no charge, with no pricing tiers or monetization of users. Operations are funded primarily through grants from the Michigan State Bar Foundation and other legal aid funders, supplemented by the Self-Help Center Grants program launched in 2025 to seed additional court-based centers. The organization operates from Lansing (associated with the Michigan Supreme Court) and serves all of Michigan, with explicit geographic segmentation across Metro Detroit, Central Michigan, Northern Michigan, West Michigan, and the Upper Peninsula. No revenue, headcount growth, or financial metrics are publicly disclosed.

Name

Michigan Legal Help

Legal name

Michigan Legal Help

Website

https://michiganlegalhelp.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Michigan Legal Help is a Michigan-based nonprofit that provides free online legal information, interactive self-help forms, court-based self-help centers, and legal aid referrals for self-represented litigants handling civil legal matters across Michigan.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Legal Aid Self-Help Services

NAICS

Other Legal Services (54119), Individual and Family Services (6241), Other Individual and Family Services (624190)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Legal Aid & Client Advocacy Services (BPAGAEAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Public Defense & Legal Aid Services (BPAIAFAC), Specialty & Problem-Solving Courts (Drug, Mental Health, Veterans, Family) (BPAIAFAG)

Keywords

• Legal self-help
• Legal information resources
• Do-it-yourself legal forms
• Legal aid services
• Court self-help centers

Headquarters

HQ city

Ypsilanti

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Foundation and Government Grants: Michigan Legal Help is primarily funded through grants from the Michigan State Bar Foundation and other legal aid funders to provide free legal information and self-help resources to Michigan residents.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Michigan Legal Help operates a free statewide web platform that provides Michigan residents with legal information articles, do-it-yourself interactive forms, instructional videos, and triage tools to help self-represented litigants navigate civil legal issues such as family law, housing, debt, public benefits, and immigration. The platform supplements these digital resources with a network of court-based self-help centers, partner-hosted legal clinics, LiveHelp chat assistance, and lawyer referral services — all offered at no cost to users.

Product overview

Michigan Legal Help is a comprehensive legal self-help platform offering a unified suite of tools and resources for Michigan residents handling legal matters without an attorney. The core offerings include the Guide to Legal Help (an interactive triage tool), a Resource Library with articles on 15+ legal topics, and Do-It-Yourself Forms delivered through two platforms: LawHelp Interactive (for family, housing, debt, and court forms) and MLH-Forms/Docassemble (for divorce, custody, and misc. legal forms). These are supported by Self-Help Centers in Michigan courthouses, Legal Clinics and Events, and LiveHelp chat assistance. The platform serves as an alternative to hiring an attorney by providing free legal information, interactive forms, and referrals to legal aid organizations and lawyers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Expanded access to justice through 6 new court-based self-help centers in 2025

Named customers3 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Michigan Supreme CourtcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner court system that supports and endorses Michigan Legal Help as an official resource for self-represented litigants in Michigan courts.
• LawHelp InteractivecoreTechnology or IntegrationTechnology platform partner that powers interactive form preparation tools for Michigan Legal Help, enabling users to complete legal documents online.
• Lakeshore Legal AidmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLegal aid partner that operates Family Law Assistance Project (FLAP) clinics and Expungement Clinics hosted on the Michigan Legal Help events calendar, providing direct legal services to low-income residents.
• Michigan Advocacy ProgrammajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLegal aid partner that operates Healthcare Access Project (HAP) office hours and Family Law Assistance Clinics (FLAC) across Michigan communities.
• Legal Aid of Western MichiganmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLegal aid partner that hosts Estate Planning Legal Clinics for Western Michigan residents.
• Community Mediation ServicesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization that hosts free family law clinics in Northern Michigan communities including Roscommon and Gaylord.
• State Bar of MichiganmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBar association partner providing lawyer referral services integrated with Michigan Legal Help's Guide to Legal Help tool and hosting the limited scope representation lawyer directory.
• Kimble Center for Legal Drafting at Cooley Law SchoolminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner that developed Health Care Power of Attorney and Power of Attorney for Legal and Financial Decisions forms shared on Michigan Legal Help.
• SafeHouse CenterminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDomestic violence resource center in Washtenaw County that screens clients and refers survivors to Family Law Project legal services.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Docassemble: Open-source expert system for legal document automation that underpins MLH-Forms. Functions as an enabling technology platform and an indirect benchmark for the form-interview capabilities MLH depends on.

Broad incumbents

• Pro Bono Net: National nonprofit that builds technology and runs programs to increase access to justice, and operates the LawHelp Interactive platform MLH uses. Functions as both infrastructure provider and broader ecosystem peer.
• State Bar of Michigan: Statewide bar association that operates lawyer referral services integrated with MLH's Guide to Legal Help. Functions as both funder conduit (via MSBF) and downstream referral partner for users needing actual representation.
• Self-Help.gov: Federal-state resource portal directing users to court self-help resources across all U.S. states. Adjacent incumbent that lists MLH as Michigan's resource and competes indirectly for user attention.

Direct peers

• Michigan Advocacy Program: Michigan statewide legal aid provider operating HAP and FLAC clinics promoted through MLH. Direct service peer covering similar civil legal issues (healthcare access, family law) for overlapping populations.
• LawHelp.org: National network of state-level legal aid websites powered by Pro Bono Net. Michigan Legal Help is effectively a state member of this network, making LawHelp.org the closest umbrella peer and content/technology benchmark.
• Lakeshore Legal Aid: Michigan-based legal aid organization providing direct civil legal services to low-income residents and co-hosting FLAP clinics on MLH's events calendar. Direct service peer operating in the same geography and overlapping user base.
• Legal Aid of Western Michigan: Western Michigan legal aid organization hosting estate planning clinics on MLH's calendar. Geographic peer providing direct representation in overlapping civil legal subject areas.
• Illinois Legal Aid Online (ILAO): Statewide nonprofit legal self-help platform serving Illinois residents with articles, do-it-yourself forms, and a guided legal help tool. Most direct functional peer to Michigan Legal Help, operating an identical model in a neighboring state.

Emerging players

• Citizenshipworks: National nonprofit tool providing naturalization screening and application assistance, integrated into MLH's immigration resources. Niche peer covering a single legal domain that intersects with MLH's immigration content.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/milegalhelp
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/michiganlegalhelp
• Facebookfacebook.com/michiganlegalhelp
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/law-form

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Michigan Legal Help