1. Redlining Historically
Redlining is the practice of denying services or assistance to specific neighborhoods along racial lines. The Federal Housing Administration (“FHA”) orchestrated the most famous form of redlining practices. The FHA would withhold (or make it very difficult) mortgage capital from minorities who applied for home loans in white neighborhoods (See Boston Fair
1. What Michigan Legal Help is doing right now.
Michigan Legal Help has recognized that the family landscape for same-sex couples has changed dramatically in the last three years. Prior to June 2015, it was illegal for same-sex couples to get married in Michigan (see DeBoer v. Snyder). When the Supreme Court ruled
Michigan Legal Help is a website designed to help individuals in the state of Michigan handle their legal problem without a lawyer. The idea behind Michigan Legal Help was to increase the access to justice for individuals in Michigan. The site provides articles that explain the law, “Do-It-Yourself” tools that create court forms, and provides answers to common legal questions.
Michigan Legal Help continues to grow. It also continues to expand into other areas of the law to provide a greater access to justice.
2. My Projects
As an ATJ Tech fellow I am working with other states to develop, test, and implement online “Do-It-Yourself” tools. Most states have websites similar to Michigan Legal Help, which also provide forms for individuals create court forms. However, these tools are mostly on an old platform, which is no longer supported. Thus, the states need to migrate their forms over to the new platform. My role is to learn about the applicable law, review the tools, find any errors, and provide feedback on the tools. The developers then make the adjustments and I re-check the tools. This is very helpful because of the time consuming nature of testing and re-testing.
3. Improving the Delivery of Legal Services
Improving online tools will allow individuals in each state to utilize legal services without a lawyer. Utilizing and paying for a lawyer is not an option for many individuals. The online tools allow individuals to utilize the court system without paying a high price.
4. Expanding Justice Continue Reading My Time at Michigan Legal Help