THE DIRECTORY
The 14 offices the Michigan file sends people to, with what each one handles and how to reach it. Read off each office’s own page as of September 2026, and every entry carries the link so the number here can be checked against the source.
A list, not a referral. Nothing here is a recommendation, and no office on it has any connection to this site.
Start here
The two places that say which local help covers an address, and publish the forms.
- Michigan Legal Help, Guide to Legal Help
Asks for some basic information about the person, the legal issue and income, and returns legal information and lawyer referrals for that problem. Where the person might qualify for free legal services it gives the contact information for the local office, and where they do not, information about finding a private lawyer.
- Covers
- Statewide
Sent here by Being Evicted, Retaliation And Eviction Defenses, When The Landlord Will Not Fix It, Getting The Deposit Back, Custody And Parenting Time, Getting Divorced, Personal Protection Orders, Debt Collectors, What A Creditor Cannot Take
- Michigan Legal Help
Publishes legal information and tools for people handling their own legal problems, including court forms, a resource library from family and housing to name changes and going to court, and a map of legal self help centers. It states that it does not give legal advice and is not a substitute for a lawyer.
- Covers
- Statewide, for anyone with a Michigan legal issue
Sent here by Small Claims Court, Changing Your Name, Setting Aside A Conviction, Getting Divorced, Custody And Parenting Time
Free civil legal help
Each program covers part of the state and each sets its own eligibility. The lookup above is what settles which one covers a county.
- Lakeshore Legal Aid
A not for profit law firm giving free civil legal services: advice and counseling, document review and preparation, negotiation, mediation, and representation in court. New clients reach it through its hotline, the Counsel and Advocacy Law Line.
- Covers
- Southeast Michigan, from 7 locations
- For
- People who are low income, older adults, and survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault
- Phone
- 1-888-783-8190
Sent here by Being Evicted, When The Landlord Will Not Fix It, Personal Protection Orders, Custody And Parenting Time
- Legal Aid and Defender Association
Comprehensive civil legal services, with its intake online. The number here is the one it gives for legal assistance.
- Covers
- Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties
- For
- Residents of the counties it covers who cannot afford an attorney
- Phone
- (313) 967-5800
Sent here by Being Evicted, Getting The Deposit Back, When The Landlord Will Not Fix It
- Legal Services of Eastern Michigan
Free civil legal assistance, with special emphasis on the issues that affect the survival needs of low income people, from offices in Flint and Saginaw and by home visits to the homebound and elderly.
- Covers
- Arenac, Bay, Clare, Genesee, Gladwin, Gratiot, Huron, Isabella, Lapeer, Midland, Saginaw, Sanilac, St. Clair and Tuscola counties
- For
- Persons living in poverty
- Phone
- 1-800-322-4512
Sent here by Being Evicted, When The Landlord Will Not Fix It, What A Creditor Cannot Take
- Legal Services of Northern Michigan
Free legal advice and representation in consumer cases, family matters, housing problems, government benefits and more. It handles civil matters only, and not criminal cases or civil cases that generate fees. Each office takes the counties listed against it, by where a case is pending or, where none is, where the person lives.
- Covers
- 36 counties of Northern Lower Michigan and the Upper Peninsula
- For
- Eligible clients: low income individuals and families, and senior citizens
7 regional offices, and a phone line
- Alpena · 110 N. Third Ave., Alpena, MI 49707 · (989) 356-9081Serves Alpena, Presque Isle, Montmorency and Alcona counties
- Escanaba · 504 Ludington Street, Escanaba, MI 49829 · (906) 786-2303Serves Delta, Schoolcraft and Menominee counties
- Gaylord · 111 W Mitchell St., Ste. C, Gaylord, MI 49735 · (989) 705-1067Serves Otsego, Crawford, Roscommon, Kalkaska, Charlevoix, Emmet and Cheboygan counties
- Houghton · 706 W. Sharon Avenue, Houghton, MI 49931 · (906) 482-3908Serves Houghton, Baraga and Keweenaw counties
- Marquette · 2844 Venture Dr, Ste C, Marquette, MI 49855 · (906) 228-5620Serves Marquette, Alger, Dickinson and Iron counties
- Sault Ste. Marie · 130 W. Spruce Street, P. O. Box 710, Sault Ste. Marie, MI 49783 · (906) 632-3361Serves Luce, Chippewa and Mackinac counties
- Traverse City · 735 S. Garfield Ave., Ste. 120, Traverse City, MI 49686 · (231) 941-0771Serves Grand Traverse, Leelanau, Antrim, Benzie, Wexford, Missaukee and Manistee counties
- Out County Assistance · 1-800-872-8432Serves Ogemaw, Iosco, Oscoda, Gogebic and Ontonagon counties
Sent here by Being Evicted, Personal Protection Orders, Custody And Parenting Time, Debt Collectors
- Legal Services of South Central Michigan
Free legal advice and representation, as part of the Michigan Advocacy Program. New clients reach it through the office for their county, by phone between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. on weekdays, and its site also carries online intake for criminal record expungement and for Medicaid assistance.
- Covers
- Barry, Branch, Calhoun, Clinton, Eaton, Hillsdale, Ingham, Jackson, Lenawee, Livingston, Monroe, Shiawassee and Washtenaw counties, and older adults in St. Joseph County
- For
- Low income individuals and families, and older adults
How to get help, with every office →
5 regional offices
- Ypsilanti · 15 S. Washington Street, Ypsilanti, MI 48197 · (734) 665-6181Serves Washtenaw County
- Battle Creek · 123 W Territorial Rd., Battle Creek, MI 49015 · (269) 965-3951Serves Barry, Branch and Calhoun counties
- Jackson · 540 N. Jackson St., Jackson, MI 49201 · (517) 787-6111Serves Jackson and Hillsdale counties
- Lansing · 3490 Belle Chase Way, #50, Lansing, MI 48911 · 1-888-783-8190Serves Ingham, Eaton, Clinton, Livingston and Shiawassee counties
- Monroe · 898 S. Telegraph Rd., Monroe, MI 48161 · (734) 241-8310Serves Monroe and Lenawee counties
Sent here by Being Evicted, Getting The Deposit Back, Setting Aside A Conviction
The offices the guide names
Where a complaint, a charge, a report or an appeal in the fine print of a section actually goes.
- Michigan Department of Civil Rights
Enforces two state laws, the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act and the Persons with Disabilities Civil Rights Act, and investigates complaints to determine whether unlawful discrimination has occurred. It takes a complaint about an incident within the past 180 days. It states that a complaint is not a lawsuit, and that while investigating it represents neither the claimant nor the responding party.
- Covers
- Statewide
- Phone
- 1-800-482-3604
Complaint investigation, and how a complaint is made →
Sent here by Discrimination At Work
- Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity, Wage and Hour Division
Administers the laws that protect wages and fringe benefits, and takes complaints, including about earned sick time. Its complaint page gives the windows: 12 months for unpaid wages or fringe benefits, and 3 years for minimum wage, overtime or earned sick time.
- Covers
- Statewide
- Phone
- 1-855-464-9243
Sent here by Getting Paid, Earned Sick Time
- Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency
Administers the unemployment insurance program, which gives temporary financial assistance to people who become unemployed through no fault of their own. The benefits are paid through taxes on covered employers.
- Covers
- Statewide
- Phone
- 1-866-500-0017
Contact the agency, with its hours and TTY line →
Sent here by Unemployment Benefits
- Michigan Workers' Disability Compensation Agency
Administers the Workers' Disability Compensation Act. The state does not ordinarily pay the benefits: most employers insure through a private company or are authorized to self insure. It takes form WC-117 where an employer will not report a claim, and form WC-104A, the application for mediation or hearing, where a claim is disputed.
- Covers
- Statewide
- Phone
- 1-888-396-5041
- wcinfo@michigan.gov
Employees' information, with the claim forms →
Sent here by Hurt At Work
- Michigan Attorney General, Consumer Protection Team
Informally mediates consumer complaints, a process that includes a letter from the team to the business or individual complained about. It states that a complaint and its supporting materials become public records once submitted, that the complaint may be sent to the business, and that not every consumer complaint is one it handles, with a complaint directory naming the other agencies.
- Covers
- Statewide
- Phone
- 1-877-765-8388
File a complaint, and the complaint directory →
Sent here by Deceptive Business Practices, Door To Door Sales
- Michigan Department of Insurance and Financial Services
Its Office of Consumer Services gives consumer information and investigates consumer complaints about insurance, banks, credit unions, mortgages and other consumer financial products. It states that it encourages consumers to try to resolve a dispute with the company first, and that where no resolution is reached it can help try to resolve it.
- Covers
- Statewide
- Phone
- 1-877-999-6442
How to file a complaint with DIFS →
Sent here by No Fault Benefits After A Crash
Paid representation
Referral services that give a name and a number. They are not free and they are not a recommendation.
- State Bar of Michigan Lawyer Referral Service
Matches callers to a lawyer on its panel by practice area, circuit and language. Once a match is found the caller pays a $25 administrative referral fee, which covers a consultation of up to 25 minutes with that lawyer. Some counties have their own registered referral programs. The Bar states that it does not answer legal questions and has no attorneys on staff for the public.
- Covers
- Statewide, beside the county programs registered with the Bar
- Phone
- 1-800-968-0738
Registered county lawyer referral programs →
Sent here by Small Claims Court, Getting Divorced, Discrimination At Work, Reporting Your Employer