Two new Legal Self-Help Centers to open

Residents of two Michigan counties now have a new place to go for legal help: the Legal Self-Help Center of Hillsdale County and the Legal Self-Help Center of Gogebic County.

The Legal Self-Help Center of Hillsdale County is located at the Hillsdale County Courthouse, at 29 N. Howell St., Hillsdale, MI. The center is a partnership between the Hillsdale County Courts, Michigan Legal Help, and other community partners. The center in Hillsdale County joins a growing group of self-help centers in southeast Michigan including centers in neighboring Jackson and Calhoun counties.

The Legal Self-Help Center of Gogebic County is located in the historic Gogebic County Courthouse, at 200 N. Moore St., Bessemer, MI. The center is a partnership between the Gogebic County Courts, Michigan Legal Help, and other community partners. The center is the second center to open in the Upper Peninsula joining the center in Marquette.

Visitors to the Centers in Hillsdale and Gogebic Counties can access high-speed internet, computers, and printers to use the Michigan Legal Help website in English (MichiganLegalHelp.org) or Spanish (AyudaLegaldeMichigan.org). The Michigan Legal Help website contains free, easy-to-understand information on common legal issues. This include know-your-rights articles, self-led interviews that help visitors fill our court forms, and step-bystep instructions that help walk visitors through how they need to file and serve their forms, and the steps that follow.

The website can also help visitors look for a lawyer in their area and connect to local community services if they need more assistance.

Visitors also have access to one-on-one help using the website over Zoom. These Remote Navigators are provided through Michigan Legal Help and are available to help visitors Monday- Thursday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and Friday from 9 a.m. to noon.