Hello Friends of Legal Aid!

We hope this finds you well! In this month's newsletter we're honored to share a video made by one of our clients. Hear Monica tell her story in her own words.

We also have final figures from our work in calendar year 2025, and news about two more estate planning clinics in Kalamazoo.

We are honored that Monica agreed to share her story on video to help other survivors of domestic violence find help, hope, and courage.

"You never know when you're going to find yourself in a situation, unexpected, where you're going to need that kind of help and service. And without it I wouldn't be where I am now, where there's hope for my future and my daughter's future. And I'm very, very grateful." - Monica

2025 is officially in the books and we're thrilled to share stats on the impact of our work! Last year we provided free legal services that helped 7,920 adults and 6,188 children in West Michigan. 

These numbers represent people in our community who can now remain in their home instead of being evicted, who had help navigating a dispute with a landlord, who got safe from domestic abuse, gained custody of their children, or who we helped to maintain vital disability benefits or fight back against scammers. 

This is what protecting rights, challenging injustice, and fighting poverty looks like - thanks to free civil legal aid.

Our next free estate planning clinics will be in Kalamazoo.

• May 20 at Douglass Community Association (starting at 1:30pm)
• June 24 at Kalamazoo Public Library, Central Branch (starting at 4:00pm)

We'll share important information about estate planning, and eligible participants can meet with an attorney to discuss their needs. Registering in advance helps us pre-screen people for eligibility, so they can get an attorney consultation on the day.

Download the flyer here in English and Spanish!

Thanks for your support for our work! We are grateful. From all of us at LAWM.

St. Joseph

(Berrien County)

901 Port St

St. Joseph, MI 49085

Our supporting funders include: