SELF-REPRESENTED LITIGANTS
PRO PER
A “Pro Per” litigant is a person who represents himself/herself rather than hiring an attorney.
STANDARDS
A person acting on his or her own behalf is, under the law, held to the same standards and duties as an attorney admitted to the practice of law in the State of Michigan. Such person is expected to know what the law requires and how to accomplish his or her purposes in accordance with the applicable statutes and court rules. Judges and hearing officials cannot provide legal advice. Many court employees are not lawyers. Do not ask them to provide legal advice. Consult the Michigan Court Rules and Michigan laws rather than asking for advice from the court staff. Members of the court staff are allowed to provide procedural information only.
SEEKING ADVICE
If you need advice, please contact an attorney. If you do not have a lawyer and do not know a specific lawyer to contact, you can be referred to a lawyer through the State Bar of Michigan.
State Bar of Michigan
306 Townsend Street
Lansing, MI 48933
The phone number for use within the State of Michigan: 800-968-0738
The phone number for use outside the State of Michigan: 517-346-6338
SELF-HELP INFORMATION AVAILABLE
The court has informational brochures available for some types of proceedings. You may obtain these from the Court.
The Michigan Legal Help website has tool-kits for a variety of different types of legal matters.
The State Bar of Michigan has an online legal self-help center that provides resources to the public:
The State Court Administrative Office (SCAO) has self-help information on their website: