Right to Counsel Presentation
The right to counsel in civil matters continues to be a topic for national discussion. Currently a few jurisdictions are experimenting with providing representation to indigent civil litigants in certain cases. The14th Amendment right to counsel for the indigent in criminal matters was established in 1963 in Gideon v. Wainwright. There is no similar protection for civil litigants.
Listen to the audio (1:56)
John Pollock [bio]
National Update Right to Counsel in Civil Cases 1.8MB
Supplemental History
Michigan Perspectives
Dawn Van Hoek [bio]
HB 4529 (2013)
David Moss [bio]
What Michigan Law Schools are Doing
Angela Tripp [bio]
New Tools for Self-Represented Persons in Michigan
Best Practices for Language Access in Michigan Courts
This program was presented on September 19, 2014, as part of the State Bar's 2014 Annual Meeting.
Listen to the audio (1:15:18)
The Michigan Supreme Court adopted language access court rules in September of 2013. All trial courts and communities in Michigan are actively working to implement the new rules. This program will review MCR 1.111, MCR 8.127, and the ABA Standards for Language Access in Courts. How to work with interpreters and best practice discussions are part of the program. More Information .
Panel Moderator
Maya K. Watson, Bodman PLC, Co-chair of the Equal Access Initiative
Panelists
Hon. William G. Kelly, 62B District Court, Member, Michigan Supreme Court Foreign Language Board of Review
Hon. Christopher P. Yates, 17th Circuit Court, Member, Michigan Supreme Court Foreign Language Board of Review
Angela S. Tripp, Michigan Poverty Law Program, Michigan Legal Help Program
Donna F. Bos, Certified interpreter and owner of Fidelity Language Resources, Member, Michigan Supreme Court Foreign Language Board of Review
Justice Initiatives Resources
Disability Resources
DNR Decisions for the Incompetent—Who Chooses?
2011 Annual Meeting
Below is a summary of the recorded transcript of this special program of the SBM Disabilities Work Group of the Equal Access Initiative. It has been edited to minimize repetition. The audience asked many excellent questions. To facilitate use of the summary, responses to questions have been noted in parentheses closest to the most relevant text of presenters' presentations.
View the Transcript
Persons with Disabilities & Access to the Michigan Legal System: A Status Report
The Equal Access Initiative Disabilities Workgroup recently completed work on Persons with Disabilities and Access to the Michigan Legal System: A Status Report, 2010. This updated the questions asked in the 2001 report with information collected in a survey sent to over 300 lawyers who are either disabled or serve disabled clients. It also includes feedback from focus groups held around the state to gather input from care providers and patients at centers for assisted living, and gathered information with the help of the State Court Administrative Office from judges, court administrators, and Americans with Disabilities Coordinators.
Access to the Legal System in Michigan for Persons with Disabilities
This report was produced by the Disabilities Committee of the former Open Justice Commission in an effort to give a voice to people with disabilities and to listen carefully to their concerns and issues about the legal system in Michigan. It is an analysis of the status of persons with disabilities within the courts, law schools, and law firms of this state with recommendations for future initiatives and programs to assist persons with disabilities to become full participants in every phase of Michigan's legal system.
People with Cognitive & Psychiatric Disabilities in the Criminal Justice System
2005 Annual Meeting
Disabilities Committee Law School Forum—Summary of Group Discussions
The Disabilities Committee Law School Forum took place on October 17, 2002. It was sponsored by the Disabilities Committee of the former Open Justice Commission of the State Bar of Michigan. The purpose of the forum was to bring together representatives from Michigan’s six law schools and other interested parties to discuss the impact of physical or cognitive disabilities upon law students and the law school environment, to explore strategies and programs designed to address the challenges of appropriate and effective accommodation, and to jointly formulate recommended law school policies and practices as a response to these complex issues.