The Federal Pro Se Legal Assistance Clinic (the "Clinic") is a part-time, non-profit, free legal assistance clinic that operates independently of the Court. It is located in Room 738 of the Theodore Levin U.S. Courthouse in Detroit. The Clinic provides limited scope assistance to low-income, non-prisoner pro se litigants who are parties to matters that are pending or that the client is seeking to file in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. Clinic hours are Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM.

The Clinic is staffed by University of Detroit Mercy School of Law (UDM) students, under the supervision and direction of Professor Barbara Patek. Ms. Patek, who is an adjunct professor of law at UDM serves as the Clinic's part-time director. The Clinic operates from the Detroit courthouse and has been generously supported by the Court and outside donors. Currently, Professor Patek is the Clinic's only licensed supervising attorney, but, with the assistance of volunteer support from local attorneys, the Clinic has been able to expand its services.

The Clinic provides its limited scope services pursuant to Local Rule 83.25(c) and Michigan Rules of Professional Conduct 1.2(b). Services range from case pre-screening to educating litigants on court procedures to assisting with drafting legal documents and/or providing a limited appearance to assist with status conferences, discovery, motions and motion responses, settlement conferences and negotiations and other litigation-related matters. The Clinic's goal is to empower pro se litigants by helping them better understand the litigation process, to facilitate communications between pro se litigants and opposing counsel and/or the Court, to provide substantive and procedural assistance in pending matters, and to provide qualified pro se litigants with legal advice and counsel when they cannot find or cannot otherwise afford an attorney.

The Clinic is currently supported by a number of volunteer attorneys who give generously of their time to assist the Clinic, its students and its clients with matters such as employment discrimination, Section 1983 claims, social security appeals, discovery, legal ethics, ERISA, and life insurance beneficiary disputes. The Clinic welcomes volunteer attorney support, which can range from a role in presenting an overview of legal topics to Clinic students, to assisting the students with drafting documents, advising, and/or providing limited representation to clients in connection with discrete legal tasks.

Volunteer attorneys can provide crucial support to the Clinic's mission by providing limited scope representation to pre-screened applicants for Clinic services. The engagements are all limited in scope, as permitted by Local Rule 83.25(c) and Michigan Rules of Professional Conduct 1.2(b), and may include ghostwriting or limited court appearances, supported by one or more of the Clinic's student attorneys.

Volunteer attorneys typically assist the students in:

1. Drafting or revising pleadings and other litigation-related papers, including but not limited to complaints, answers, 26(f) reports, 26(a) disclosures, written discovery requests and responses, simple motions and responses, stipulated orders, motions to compel discovery and responses thereto, dispositive motions and responses thereto, and confidential settlement statements.

2. Assisting clients with settlement discussions and negotiations and often provides pre-suit advice to clients seeking to bring a case in the Eastern District of Michigan, including addressing questions related to federal jurisdiction.

The Clinic also assists both plaintiffs and defendants who are unable to obtain or afford counsel. Volunteer attorneys can agree to provide limited scope assistance with support by the Clinic's student attorneys, who can conduct research, do preliminary drafting, conduct preliminary client meetings and/or prepare memos to address a specific topic for which help is being sought.

Where a matter is outside the scope of the Clinic's services or the jurisdiction of the Eastern District of Michigan, the Clinic attempts to provide the client with resources that may assist them.

For attorneys who are interested in volunteering to assist the Clinic, please contact the Clinic Director, proseclinic@udmercy.edu or call the Clinic at 313-234-2690 M/W/F from 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM.

The time commitment, depending on the scope of service, can be as little as an hour or two, although some services may require a larger commitment.

Does the Clinic assist with criminal cases?

No, that is outside of the Clinic's scope of services.

Does the Clinic assist prisoners with filing a civil case?

No, that is outside of the Clinic's scope of services.

Will the Clinic take on a case in its entirety?

No. The Clinic typically handles matters on a task-by-task basis. It may have more than one engagement with a client during different points of the litigation.

What kind of matters does the Clinic assist with?

The Clinic can only assist with federal court civil matters on behalf of non-prisoner, indigent individuals.

Typical Clinic cases include federal employment discrimination cases (primarily on the plaintiff's side, occasionally on the defense side), Section 1983 cases involving police misconduct or other civil rights issues, plaintiff social security appeals, simple breach of contract actions involving the proceeds of ERISA life insurance policies that are the subject of interpleader actions, and aiding clients in securing a defense or indemnification through insurance or employment or other agency relationships. Where a matter is outside the scope of the Clinic's services or the jurisdiction of the Eastern District of Michigan, the Clinic attempts to provide the client with resources that may assist them.

Typical Clinic tasks by students include drafting or revising pleadings and other litigation-related papers, including but not limited to: complaints, answers, 26(f) reports, 26(a) disclosures, written discovery requests and responses, simple motions and responses, stipulated orders, motions to compel discovery and responses thereto, dispositive motions and responses thereto, and confidential settlement statements. In addition, the Clinic assists clients with settlement discussions and negotiations and often provides pre-suit advice to clients seeking to bring a case in the Eastern District of Michigan, including addressing questions related to federal jurisdiction.

Who is eligible to receive assistance from the Clinic?

Clients must have an income no more than twice the federal poverty level. Also, the Clinic can only assist with federal court civil matters on behalf of non-prisoners.

For more information:

For more information, please contact the Clinic Director at proseclinic@udmercy.edu.