In the Dispute Resolution Spotlight: The Summary Jury Trial

By Doug Van Epps, Director, Office of Dispute Resolution

While mediation has steadily become the most common alternative dispute resolution (ADR) process in Michigan, a summary jury trial may be an appropriate tool where parties would like input from a jury on liability or damages but do not want to engage in a full formal trial.

A Personal View: Project Access -- A Collaborative Expungement Clinic

By Judge Michelle Rick, 29th Circuit Court (Clinton and Gratiot Counties)

I have been a circuit court judge since 2007 and an adjunct law professor at the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law since 2015.  I teach a class called “Access to Justice,” where students learn about the civil and criminal justice gap, and innovations that are used to lessen the gap.  In December 2018, I combined my two roles to create a traveling expungement clinic, which came to be named Project Access [see related article about Michigan Legal Help’s role].   Project Access was designed to be a one-stop shop where law students, volunteer lawyers, courts and their staff, law enforcement, and other community volunteers would join together to bring civil justice relief to six rural counties in central and Mid-Michigan. 

Michigan Legal Help's Expungement Tool Plays Key Role in Clinics Statewide

By Ramzi Badwi, Program and Outreach Coordinator, Michigan Legal Help

According to a study by the Pew Charitable Trusts, 37 percent of prisoners released from U.S. state prisons in 2012 returned to prison at least once within three years.  In an ideal world, everyone who has been sentenced to prison would be rehabilitated, complete their sentence, exit prison, and become a productive member of society.  Return to prison is not a part of this ideal scenario; however, recidivism – committing another crime – is a significant challenge that must be addressed. 

Detroit's Team 36 Proves "Everybody Can Be Great" Through Service

By Kelli Moore Owen, Court Administrator, 36th District Court

The 36th District Court established a Public Service Committee (PSC) in 2018 to make a positive impact in the community we serve, and to cultivate relationships among coworkers and members of the public while increasing social awareness and responsibility.  The PSC is comprised of court employees who are responsible for evaluating, recommending, scheduling, organizing, planning, and promoting public service and community outreach opportunities for the court to perform as a group within the city of Detroit.  

Beating the Budget in Midland County Juvenile Court

By Judge Dorene Allen, Midland County Probate and C42 Presiding Family Division Judge


In 2018, the Midland County Probate and Family Court came in more than $1 million under budget.  I have been asked how that could be possible.  The answer is simple: residential placements of delinquent and dual (neglect and delinquent jurisdiction) ward youth.  

Implementing Indigent Defense Standards in Clinton and Gratiot Counties

By Karen Phillips, Indigent Defense Administrator, 29th Circuit Court (Clinton and Gratiot Counties)

The Michigan Indigent Defense Commission’s (MIDC) first four standards seek to increase the quality of indigent representation in the adult criminal system.  These standards do not focus on individual attorneys, but rather, the entire indigent defense system in Michigan as a whole.  Each county selected a representation method bested suited to their needs, including public defender offices, managed assigned counsels, or contract systems.

Cass County's Procedural Fairness Project

By Carol Montavon Bealor, J.D., Cass County Friend of the Court Director and 43rd Circuit Court Administrator

From September 2018 through February 2019, a group of Cass County court leaders participated in the Michigan Judicial Institute’s Court Leadership Team Academy (CLTA). This group included Chief Judge Susan L. Dobrich; Probate Register Kelley James-Jura; Deputy Friend of the Court Sarah Mathews; and me.  As a result of the CLTA, our Court Leadership Team developed a procedural fairness project.

Friend of the Court: 'Born of Compassion' 100 Years Ago

By Steven Capps, Director, SCAO Friend of the Court Bureau

[ED NOTE: The following is excerpted from Steve Capps’ speech commemorating the friend of the court 100th anniversary at the Friend of the Court Association’s summer conference in Muskegon on July 24, 2019.]