October 29, 2025
Justin Sheehan, MCR Director of Legal Programs and General Counsel
Since its inception in 1998 as Community Legal Resources, the organization now known as Michigan Community Resources has provided connection to pro bono legal support for nonprofit organizations. The attorneys engaged through MCR’s programs help their partnered nonprofits navigate the complicated transactional legal issues that can arise when they pursue their missions.
From intimidating administrative tasks like composing bylaws and developing board policy, to external issues such as acquiring property or navigating contractors, MCR’s Legal Services have worked internally and externally to ensure that community organizations operate with a strong infrastructure.
Now, that work is being helmed by a new AND old face – Justin Sheehan.
Back where it all started
As MCR’s new Director of Legal Programs and General Counsel, Sheehan returns to the organization to hold a position not too dissimilar from one he held before, having formerly been CLR’s Director of Outstate Pro Bono Programs.
He describes his return to MCR as a homecoming.
“I first got to MCR, then called CLR, right out of law school. I actually joined not too long after Shamyle first came to the organization. We were cubicle mates for a time at the Ford Building and we were both so ready to change the world. It was a privilege to work with MCR for 6 years. In 2015 I was hired to be the first Executive Director of what was then a small organization called the Lansing Promise, and I headed back to Lansing, my hometown.”
In the interim
Sheehan’s time away from MCR has not been spent idle. He served for a decade as executive director of Lansing Promise, where he had the opportunity to support youth in the town where he grew up. That connection to local roots, and his experience as executive director, are sources of knowledge he draws from in his community work.
That alignment of experience matches what Sheehan feels is important in the work, especially as MCR, while serving nonprofits, is a nonprofit itself. In his new role, he draws from his experiences as an Executive Director, and his shared value of community alignment to further the initiative that has powered MCR since the beginning.
“The role of Executive Director is a lonely one. You wear a lot of hats, and even though you have a team surrounding you, you can feel very isolated. I had one of the best teams and boards at Lansing Promise, but sometimes the challenges you run into are hard to see as anything other than your own.
Pictured: Sheehan, circa 2014, speaking at an MCR event.
That’s one of the things I hope to be able to bring to my work as Legal Director. The trust MCR must maintain to allow organizations and their leaders to be vulnerable and share their struggles, that can come from experience. I can relate to a leader feeling up against the world. I have been a part of hiring and employment, audits and financials, contracts, everything. I think it’s important that all our work at MCR, not just legal, can come from a place of trust and experience.”
What's changed, what's stayed the same
Sheehan returns to lead the legal work of Michigan Community Resources in a much different context than when he left it. In 2025, legal headwinds from the current federal administration have created additional challenges for organizations doing community work. As a result, access to legal support has become more necessary than ever, and the work of MCR’s legal team has likewise become more urgent.
He sees the current challenges as daunting, but exciting, if only because it reaffirms the necessity of community.
“MCR is a special place. It’s not only one of the few organizations nationally that offer small to midsize organizations connection to pro bono legal services, but it’s the only one doing it in Michigan. But it has been doing it for over 25 years, and even though I saw 6 of those years, coming back I am reminded of how much work leaders like Shamyle have put in to building trust and the relationships to make this work work.
You have to have community trust when facing the issues we face. You have to be able to stand alongside them while you work together. It’s not a top-down thing.”
Though his time at Lansing Promise equipped him with a broader range of experiences that lend to his understanding of nonprofit work, as Legal Director at MCR, the work he leads now is more specific. Sheehan explains,
“Nonprofits are corporations, it’s inherent in the full name – 501c3 nonprofit corporation. That means that every legal issue that applies to corporations applies to nonprofits, just with even more scrutiny around activities. Now, whether it’s real estate issues, intellectual property protections, governance, or anything, having to address those issues gets in the way of programming.
What MCR does, and I said it before, MCR is a really special place. We offer a range of services from baseline educational publications and workshops, all the way to legal clinics, partnering with pro bono attorneys for one off legal placements, or full-on, year-long representation for transactional matters. And we’re the only ones doing that in the state.”
Called to serve: on the role of attorneys in the sector
Although Justin Sheehan returns to MCR with a broader lens of experience informing how he shows up to support nonprofits, he explains that all lawyers have a unique role in community. Sheehan believes that they are called to serve in a way that stands out in the nonprofit landscape.
“Attorneys bring a range of skillsets and perspectives to the table. While they are trained to think critically and analytically, they are ethically responsible for ensuring the success of the organizations they are associated with. And since the reason we even call these organizations nonprofits has to do with the law, attorneys and legal specialists have a strong role to play in making everything work.”
Despite the challenges, his optimism about the work remains. Sheehan sees MCR’s role in the sector as dynamic and exciting and takes that enthusiasm into the way he shows up.
“While attorneys have a unique role in community, they are obviously people too. At MCR, our job is to pair the right attorney with the right organization. If an attorney is into music, hiphop, audio production, there are plenty of arts and culture organizations where those interests overlap, and by pairing that way, the attorney is really able to bring their passion into the work.
Pictured: Sheehan speaks to law students at Wayne State University's Law School
My goal is, in 10 years, to see every nonprofit in Michigan have strong legal infrastructure at its core. I am excited to a part of ensuring the ushering in of that reality and I think we’ll see a dramatic increase in pro bono culture.”
A vision for service
As the new Director of Legal Programs, Justin will steward a flagship program with Michigan Community Resources. In the context of community work in 2025, he says he will be pushing to help attorneys see their pro bono work as an honor and a privilege.
“The reason many of us became attorneys is for personal reasons. Whether we wanted to pursue justice, fight inequities, or strengthen or defend individuals and communities, I want to help remind attorneys of those goals, and put into action the values that they held to when they fought their way through law school.”
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While the circumstances have changed, our work remains the same – connecting nonprofits with the resources they need to succeed, to complete their missions and tie our communities together. Michigan Community Resources stands ready in 2025 to support organizations navigate new challenges.
If you are an attorney interested in volunteering, please reach out to jsheehan@mi-community.org
To access our legal services, please visit our services page.