A Michigan Supreme Court commission released its 2021 annual report last week, detailing progress being made to ensure all Michiganders receive justice for civil legal problems such as landlord-tenant issues, custody disputes or access to state-issued benefits.
During 2021, the court’s Justice for All Commission spent its first year laying groundwork by establishing committees and work groups to expand access to civil justice, as well as setting plans on how to move forward in 2022, according to the report.
“Each year, more than 30 million Americans encounter a civil legal problem without the help of a lawyer,” said Justice Brian Zahra, who also acts as Justice for All Commission chair. “This is why the Justice for All Commission is working so hard to achieve 100% access to a civil justice system that is easy to navigate, understand and use.”
Led by the State Court Administrative Office, State Bar of Michigan and the Michigan State Bar Foundation, the commission is taking steps including through the use of innovative technology, common sense procedural improvements and identifying more ways for people to solve legal problems with or without a lawyer.
The 2021 report highlights how the commission supported adoption of the requirement for every court to submit case data to the Judicial Data Warehouse to facilitate transparency, standard treatment across courts and the availability of complete statewide data to improve equity and equal justice. The commission’s technology and data sharing committee contributed suggestions for what data the Judicial Data Warehouse should collect, according to a news release from the court.
In 2021, the commission also developed plans for training to help courts serve self-represented litigants. In addition, the commission is working to conduct usability testing of statewide triage and referral systems to identify areas for improvement.
“The importance of expanding access to our civil justice system cannot be emphasized enough,” said Angela Tripp, the commission’s vice chair and director of Michigan Legal Help. “We believe that the success of this effort is central to strengthening the long-term health of Michigan’s economy and the fabric of our society.”
To continue its work in 2022, the Justice for All Commission expects to do the following:
- Complete work on court rule, practice and policy recommendations to improve how debt collection and eviction cases are handled.
- Enhance the structure, support and data collection tools for self-help centers across the state to improve the services offered there.
- Receive the results of an economic impact and return on investment study to demonstrate the effectiveness of civil legal assistance.
- Develop recommendations on how to expand access to legal services through non-traditional innovative models.
- Move forward with a long-term project to improve the readability and accessibility of Michigan’s court forms.
Based on the recommendation of Michigan’s Justice for All Task Force, the Michigan Supreme Court created the Justice for All Commission on January 26, 2021, by administrative order. The commission received support from The Pew Charitable Trusts and the National Center for State Courts.
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