POSITION: Michigan Advocacy Program (MAP) is seeking current law students to help improve its quality assurance processes with Michigan Legal Help (MLH). Students would review current content and generate footnoted versions with legal citations, such as statutes, court rules, and case law. This work will make great strides in assuring the continued accuracy of the content that so many people rely upon for their legal issues. It will also make the regular content review process far more efficient, freeing staff attorneys to create more content.
DESCRIPTION OF PROGRAM: The Michigan Legal Help Program (MLH) is a non-profit legal organization located in Ypsilanti, Michigan that advocates for the democratization of legal information through operating the nationally-recognized Michigan Legal Help website, as well as advocating for changes in court rules, forms and processes to bridge the justice gap for self-represented litigants. The Michigan Legal Help website contains plain language information on substantive and procedural law on legal areas with high rates of self-represented litigants. This includes know-your-rights articles, self-led interviews that help visitors fill out court forms, and step-by-step instructions that help walk visitors through the procedure of how they need to file and serve their forms, and the steps that follow. In 2022, the website had 5.3 million page views and nearly half a million court forms created through its interviews. MLH also helps libraries, courts and other community organizations open self-help centers to provide one-on-one assistance to members of their community who need assistance with their legal issues. This includes training existing staff to assist members of the public in identifying their legal issues and finding and using the appropriate resources on the site.
MLH is part of Michigan Statewide Advocacy Services (MSAS), a non-profit law firm providing free legal services to low income and senior persons through several statewide programs. MSAS is administered by the Michigan Advocacy Program (MAP), which provides access to the justice system for those who need it the most through civil legal aid offices and statewide advocacy programs. MAP’s mission is to advance the safety, independence, and economic stability of those most affected by poverty, racism, and other structurally oppressive systems by increasing access to justice and working for systemic solutions. Visit miadvocacy.org for more information.
RESPONSIBILITIES: The MLH law clerk will assist in improving quality assurance processes. Specific responsibilities include but not limited to:
• Carefully reviewing and locating legal citations for MLH content
• Creating footnotes with those legal citations for MLH content
• Identifying any statements where a legal citation cannot be located
• Identifying any statements that are not consistent with legal sources
Applicants must have at least one year of law school completed and are able to commit to working at least 5 hours per week. The ideal candidate possesses great attention to detail and works well independently. Journal experience is preferred. Applicants must reside in the state of Michigan while working for MAP. If applying for volunteer work or for credit, students may be located anywhere.
Please submit your resume and cover letter. You can access the application by copying and pasting the following web address into your browser: https://miadvocacy.bamboohr.com/careers/61. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled.