Join the Roster

About the MAACS Roster:

MAACS was established to maintain a quality statewide roster of attorneys eligible and willing to accept criminal appellate defense assignments from Michigan’s trial courts. We seek conscientious lawyers with diverse backgrounds and experiences who are committed to providing high quality representation to their clients.

To apply to join the MAACS roster, an attorney must submit a completed application and supporting materials. If invited to join the roster, an attorney will be designated as Level 1, 2 or 3, depending on an assessment of the attorney’s prior experience:

Level 1 attorneys may represent direct appeal defendants convicted by plea of offenses carrying a statutory term of less than life imprisonment. There is no minimum experience requirement to join the roster at Level 1, but attendance at Orientation and Training sessions is mandatory.

Level 2 attorneys may represent any defendant convicted by plea or at trial, but will not generally be assigned Level 1 cases. Level 2 attorneys must have conducted at least 10 prior felony appeals through submission on the merits in the 5 years immediately preceding the attorney’s roster application.

Level 3 attorneys may represent any defendant convicted by plea or at trial, but have requested and been approved by the Administrator to represent only defendants convicted at trial. 

A roster attorney may request placement on any local or multi-circuit assignment list. Caseload depends on the number, size, and assignment volume of lists, and compensation varies between circuits, though many courts have adopted a uniform attorney fee policy. More information is available on the Fee Information page.

Learn More about the Benefits of Joining the Roster

Apply to Join the Roster

If you have any questions, please contact maacsroster@PROTECTED.