Legal Help for Single Mothers in Michigan

Where to start

Choose the path that matches your problem. Do not wait for a return call if a court or agency deadline is close. Contact more than one trusted source when needed.

The national legal guide explains common legal-help paths. The Michigan help page covers state benefits and family resources beyond legal services.

Quick legal help table

Free and lower-cost legal help

Michigan legal-aid offices mainly handle civil cases. These may include family law, housing, public benefits, consumer debt, disability rights, education, and some employment or immigration matters. Criminal cases use a different system. If jail is possible, ask the court how to request appointed counsel.

Use the State Bar of Michigan’s legal aid directory to search by county and service. CALL can screen many low-income residents and older adults for legal aid, brief advice, or referrals.

If free legal aid cannot take the case, try the State Bar referral center. Its lawyer referral service currently charges a $25 administrative fee for up to a 25-minute first consultation with a participating lawyer. Confirm all later fees and the scope of work in writing.

Not every lawyer can take every case. If you face a hearing soon, say the date first. Ask if the office can give brief advice, a one-time review of papers, or a referral even if it cannot represent you in court.

The State Bar says it can waive the $25 referral fee for some matters, including urgent tenant housing problems, Social Security claims, workers’ compensation claims, and personal injury claims. Ask before paying. If you can pay a reduced rate but not full legal fees, the State Bar’s Modest Means Program may be another path. It is not free; legal issue, income, assets, and lawyer availability rules apply.

Court forms, self-help centers, and fees

Michigan Legal Help offers guided tools for many civil forms. The do-it-yourself forms page covers topics such as custody, divorce, eviction answers, fee waivers, and benefits hearings. Read the instructions before filing.

A legal self-help center can help you find forms and understand basic filing steps. Staff can explain legal information, but they cannot act as your lawyer or tell you what result to seek.

Use the official trial court directory to confirm the court address, phone number, website, and accessibility contact. Do not rely only on an address found in an old letter or an unofficial directory.

If you cannot afford filing fees, ask about form MC 20. If a fee-waiver request is denied, the form says you generally have 14 days from the issue date to pay or request review. Follow the order and ask the clerk what must be filed.

Current fee-waiver form: Michigan’s MC 20 (revised January 2026) lets you explain that you get certain means-tested benefits, have help from a legal services program, or cannot afford the fees. You can still ask even if you do not receive public benefits. A waiver is not automatic.

If your fee waiver is denied: To protect the filing date, the MC 20 notice says you have 14 days from the issue date to pay the fees or request a review using form MC 114. Check the date on your own order, file promptly, and ask the clerk how to get proof the court received it. See the fee-waiver instructions for more detail.

Access needs: Ask your court about language help, disability access, and how to request an interpreter or accommodation before your hearing. Court staff can explain the process but cannot choose your legal arguments.

Custody, parenting time, and child support

Family cases may involve custody, parenting time, child support, divorce, paternity, relocation, or enforcement. If you already have an order, the order remains in effect until the court changes it.

The Friend of the Court helps with many custody, parenting-time, and support matters after a case is opened. Its role can include support enforcement, support review, case management, and some dispute-resolution services. Local procedures differ by county.

The Michigan child support program can help establish paternity and support, locate a parent, and enforce support orders. Use MiChildSupport to view case information and find local office contacts.

Ask before filing a motion on your own. A change in income, child care, insurance, schedule, or living arrangements does not automatically change the order. The Michigan child support guide gives more practical steps.

If you need a change: Contact the local Friend of the Court about a support review or the court about a motion for custody or parenting time. These are not always the same process. Keep paying or following the current order unless the court changes it. Ask legal aid about options if a person’s safety makes direct contact unsafe.

Domestic violence, stalking, and PPOs

Michigan has Personal Protection Orders, often called PPOs. A PPO can order another person to stop certain conduct. The right petition depends on the relationship and facts.

The PPO form tool can help prepare forms. The Michigan Courts site also has official PPO court forms.

Talk with an advocate before filing if notice, service, or a hearing may increase danger. Ask about confidential contact information, court accompaniment, shelter, and local legal help. A PPO may be helpful, but it cannot promise safety.

The national domestic violence guide explains safer support paths. For immediate family needs during a crisis, check Michigan food help, Michigan cash help, and Michigan child care.

Michigan has three main PPO types: domestic relationship, nondomestic stalking, and nondomestic sexual assault. The correct type depends on the facts and the relationship. The PPO overview explains these choices. Under Michigan court rules, there is no filing fee for a PPO petition. Ask an advocate about safe ways to file and how the court handles urgent requests. A judge decides whether to issue an order.

Safety note: A PPO may have to be served on the other person, and a hearing may follow. An advocate can discuss privacy, notice, safety concerns, and local help before you file. If you are in immediate danger, call 911.

Eviction, housing discrimination, and debt

If you receive an eviction summons, debt complaint, garnishment notice, or other court paper, save the envelope and every page. Find the hearing date and response deadline. Call legal aid before the date when possible.

Do not assume a landlord, creditor, or debt collector will pause the case because you called or offered a payment plan. Get any agreement in writing and keep attending court unless the court confirms a change.

If you believe a landlord, lender, or housing provider discriminated against you, contact the Michigan fair housing office at 800-482-3604. Deadlines apply, so ask how soon a complaint must be filed.

The Michigan housing guide linked above covers rent and shelter help. A legal-aid office may also screen for improper lockouts, unsafe conditions, security-deposit disputes, debt collection, or bankruptcy referrals.

Michigan civil-rights complaint deadline: The Michigan Department of Civil Rights generally requires a complaint within 180 days of the alleged discrimination. Other legal claims can follow different rules. If you think discrimination happened, ask the MDCR complaint team promptly what applies; do not wait for the 180th day.

Eviction cases: Look for the date on the summons and any instructions about your answer. A rent-help application does not put the court case on hold. Michigan Legal Help’s eviction guide explains the hearing process. If the landlord asks you to sign an agreement, ask a lawyer to explain it before you sign if possible.

Public benefits denials and hearings

If MDHHS denies, reduces, closes, or delays Food Assistance, cash assistance, child care, State Emergency Relief, Medicaid eligibility, MIChild, or Healthy Michigan Plan coverage, read the notice. It should explain the action and hearing rights.

The MDHHS hearing page lists the forms used for public assistance and several Medicaid appeal types. The standard hearing request form can be delivered or mailed to the local MDHHS office for many eligibility disputes. The official hearing page linked above lists the current public-benefits form and the form to use for Medicaid service disputes.

Michigan policy lists 90 calendar days from the notice date for many public-assistance hearing requests. Medicaid managed-care or service disputes may require an internal appeal or a different form. Follow the notice and ask MDHHS or legal aid if the path is unclear.

Keep the notice, application date, upload receipts, screenshots, names of workers, and proof you submitted. Ask MDHHS about coverage and renewal details. Keep a log of appeal steps and deadlines.

Two different appeal paths: For many MDHHS eligibility decisions about food aid, cash aid, child care, State Emergency Relief, or Medicaid, submit a public-benefits hearing request to a local MDHHS office. Food Assistance Program hearing requests can also be made orally to the local office. For disputes about Medicaid-covered services or a health plan, use the separate instructions and forms on the state hearing guidance. A plan’s internal appeal may come first.

Many public-assistance hearing requests must be received within 90 calendar days of the notice date, but not every case uses the same deadline. Some requests may need to be made sooner to protect current benefits. Do not wait if you need the benefit to continue. Ask the office what deadline and delivery method apply to the decision in your letter.

After you ask for a hearing: Watch for the state’s hearing notice. Save the evidence and note how to join the hearing. If you need to change the hearing date, request it through the agency’s procedure; do not assume it has been postponed.

Specialized legal help

ASMOM’s disability help guide covers related benefits and services. The workplace rights guide covers pregnancy and work protections in more detail.

For immigration matters, use a licensed attorney or a Department of Justice-accredited representative working for a recognized organization. Ask for a written explanation of fees and scope. For workplace discrimination or pregnancy-related work concerns, ask MDCR or legal aid which filing deadline applies. For criminal charges, ask the court about the process for requesting appointed counsel; civil legal aid is not the same as a public defender.

Documents to gather

You do not need every paper before asking for help. Start intake, then ask what is most important. Keep secure copies when possible.

Make one folder for legal and benefits papers. Keep a second secure copy when possible.

Keep a deadline log: Write the date on each notice, who sent it, the next deadline, the number of the case, and how you responded. Keep upload receipts and copies of mailed forms. Do not share full case documents or identity details with strangers or unverified social media accounts.

If legal help is denied or delayed

Legal aid may turn down a case because of income, location, case type, a conflict of interest, missing information, or limited staff. Ask for the reason and another referral.

• Try the Guide to Legal Help again with the exact county and issue.
• Ask whether brief advice, a clinic, or limited-scope help is available.
• Contact a self-help center for forms and process information.
• Use the State Bar referral center if you can pay for some lawyer time.
• Keep working on court or appeal deadlines while waiting for a call.

When legal trouble is tied to several family needs, the Michigan state page and Michigan 211 can help you build a wider support list.

If the court denied a fee waiver, check the 14-day notice and the review form. If an agency denied benefits, use the appeal process on that specific decision. A legal-aid denial is different from a court or agency denial: it does not normally extend your legal deadline.