Community Legal Resources (CLR) is a nonprofit 501c3 that connects Michigan’s nonprofit organizations that serve low-income communities with pro bono lawyers. Our ultimate goal is to harness the resources of the private bar in order to tackle complex legal and technical barriers that serve as a roadblock to progress in underserved communities.
Our programs include: (1) matching nonprofit organizations with pro bono attorneys for direct representation on basic business, transactional, and/or regulatory matters through our pro bono referral program; (2) conducting legal and policy research, creating publications and offering workshops on topics relevant to our client base through our educational program; and (3) convening teams of expert lawyers to tackle complex legal problems facing low income communities in Michigan through our legal team projects. CLR also engages in an array of policy activities designed to promote progress in Michigan’s underserved areas.
(1) Pro Bono Referral Program - CLR provides direct legal representation on a variety of matters, such as reviewing contracts, providing advice on corporate issues and liability, clearing title as part of redevelopment projects, promoting environmental justice, helping with employment policies and practices, providing advice on partnerships between nonprofits or in non-profit-private ventures, and settling billing disputes. The only requirement for use of CLR direct representation services is that the organization must serve a low-income community or individuals and show that it does not have the ability to pay for a lawyer.
(2) Education Program - Our educational publications and workshops address legal topics ranging from employee benefits to health care clinics.
Recent topics include the following:
- Neighborhood Quality of Life – Addressing nuisances, code violations and other conditions in your community
- Title and Title Insurance – A Brief Summary of What to Expect
- Liability Issues Facing Michigan Primary Health Clinics: Considerations for Employees and Volunteers
- What is a Community Land Trust?
(3) Legal Team Projects - In our efforts to provide higher impact services to our client base, CLR also assembles legal teams of experts that focus on a discrete issue or problem facing low-income communities. Current legal teams are preparing a manual for after-school and other youth programs, assessing the impact of Proposal 2 on the nonprofit sector, providing a comprehensive opinion on the liabilities of private physicians who want to donate their time to serve the uninsured, and identifying tools to facilitate historic preservation efforts throughout Michigan.
For more information about us or our programs or to download copies of our publications, please visit our website at www.clronline.org
