Attorney Support for the Access to Justice Campaign

Dear Colleague,

Please support the Access to Justice (ATJ) Campaign with a year-end gift. Your gift, together with those of your colleagues in the Michigan legal community, helps ensure access to justice for the over 1.7 million residents living below 125% of the federal poverty line. We ask that you prioritize access to justice in Michigan by donating to the ATJ Campaign.

For many individuals and families, there is a great need for legal aid services as they face the potential loss of their home or income, racial disparities, and other civil legal issues unique to low-income families. With your support, more will have access to free legal services and representation, self-help centers, free legal clinics, pro bono services, and other educational legal services.

A 2022 report issued by the Justice for All Commission, examined the return on investment for civil legal aid in Michigan and found that for every $1 invested in Michigan legal aid in 2019 and 2020, the people of Michigan received $6.69 of immediate and long-term consequential financial benefits. Effectively, you have the opportunity to instrumentally better the lives of many with a 669 percent return on investment. Furthermore, legal aid programs yield high levels of positive outcomes, boasting statistics of:

• 98% positive outcomes for housing cases
• 91% positive outcomes for family stability cases, and
• 93% positive outcomes for expungement cases.

Help us to bridge the justice gap by making a 2022 donation to the ATJ Campaign. Your gift ensures access and fairness for those who cannot afford legal help.

The ATJ Campaign is a collaborative centralized campaign, administered by the Michigan State Bar Foundation in partnership with the State Bar of Michigan, to increase resources for these regional and statewide programs.

To make a charitable contribution or for more information about the ATJ Campaign, please see atjfund.org. 100% of your donation will be distributed to support civil legal aid to low-income individuals.

Thank you for making access to justice a priority. Happy holidays and best wishes for the New Year.

James W. Heath
President
State Bar of Michigan

Craig Lubben
President
Michigan State Bar Foundation

Posted: December 6, 2022