Mediate Michigan

As the economy has worsened, more people are unable to afford a lawyer when they want to file for divorce or fight for child custody, a court official says.

Judge Curtis Bell likened it to “trying to perform surgery on yourself” for people who try to go it alone in the legal system.

“A lot of times, they don’t know what questions to ask,” said the presiding judge in the Kalamazoo County Circuit Court’s Family Division. “There are only certain things an attorney can navigate.”

To help, Kalamazoo County this year started a free legal clinic.

via Kalamazoo County to expand Family Law Assistance Clinic | MLive.com.