She's changing 'the balance of power' for Michiganders through legal aid work

Before Ashley Lowe was a lawyer and the CEO of the largest legal aid firm in Michigan, she sold copiers in California.

"I was walking around downtown San Francisco all the time selling these copiers. I came in contact with a lot of people who were homeless. It changed my thinking quite a bit," Lowe said.

She still remembers a man who would sleep in a parking structure, across the street from her job with Canon Solutions America .

Lowe, who passed him every day on her way into the office, often brought him food in the morning and sometimes left lunch for him at the end of the day. She said she was saddened when, one day on her way into the office, he wasn't there.

"I have thought about that man for so long. Did he find a place to live? Did I do enough? What was my responsibility in this situation besides giving a guy a banana?" Lowe said.

Lowe eventually shifted her career to law and went on to get her master's of business administration and a law degree from Georgetown University.

Now, she's the CEO of Lakeshore Legal Aid , with 12 offices across metro Detroit that provide free civil legal services to people who are low income, older adults, and survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault. She helps people who wouldn't otherwise be able to afford legal representation, always thinking of the the man who she passed every day on her way to work.

For her work, Lowe is being honored with a 2024 Eleanor Josaitis Unsung Hero Award, part of the Shining Light Awards that recognize regional leadership. The honors are presented by the Detroit Free Press and the Metropolitan Affairs Coalition.

BUY TICKETS TO THE CEREMONY: Ashley Lowe will be honored during a luncheon on Oct. 15 at Ford Field

From corporate lawyer to legal aid

Lowe's path to representing poor and marginalized communities wasn't a straight one. In law school, she planned to be a corporate lawyer.

"I had this idea that I would do corporate law and do my MBA at Georgetown, then I would be the perfect package for corporate work. That summer, I worked as a summer law associate and it was the most boring thing I've ever done. It was horrific," Lowe said.

Lowe knew the experience wasn't for her.

She later moved to Michigan with her husband and found work here. She took a job at Dickinson Wright Law .

So when she and her husband decided they were going to stay in Michigan long term in 2000, she decided to take a job at Oakland Livingston Legal Aid on a two-year grant-funded position.

"She could've stayed at a private law firm and made a lot more money, that off the top tells you she has a big heart and is committed to this work," said President of Lakeshore Legal Aid Board of Directors Thomas Linn.

She didn't see herself as a partner in a big law firm long term and figured she'd do it for a few years and then figure out her next step.

"I met with a longtime legal aid lawyer who tried to talk me out of it. They told me that people would think I couldn't get a better job, that I would work long hours and I won't get paid as much. Funny enough, the whole time she was telling me this I was thinking, that sounds great," said Lowe, who moved to Lakeshore Legal Aid in 2016.

Lowe transitioned to CEO of the nonprofit in 2019.

"When people are poor, so many things are hard. When I taught at Cooley (Law School), students used to tell me, 'Oh, this client didn't call me back, this is so frustrating. They don't value our time and resources,' " Lowe said.

"So we had to set up this whole curriculum to tell students you are not their highest priority. They have to get food on their table or their kid could be sick. What they are hoping you do is take this and just do it," said Lowe.

That's what Lowe and legal professionals at Lakeshore are doing. Filling in the inequities for poor and marginalized communities in the legal system.

According to a Lakeshore Legal Aid's 2021 annual report , the nonprofit helped nearly 10,000 residents with housing-related issues and prevented more than 2,300 evictions. Seventy-five percent of Lakeshore's housing clients are of color, 71% are women and over 1,000 clients are 65 years or older. They helped an additional 6,000 residents with family law and financial stability issues.

"Landlords have money, time, lawyers and can wait out a system. I believe that poor people deserve the best and I want to be part of that endeavor. Help people who are low income, on the short end of the stick and change the balance of power," Lowe said.

Lowe said, in Detroit, less than 5% of tenants have a lawyer as opposed to 90% of landlords who are represented. She said this creates an interconnected system of default judgements that perpetuates evictions.

"There's a horrible impact of someone being displaced from their home. If we can't reach a conclusion they're comfortable with, we may be able to get them on a payment plan or get them resources. If that's not possible at least they get time, time to get their new home or have their voice heard," Lowe said.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: She's changing 'the balance of power' for Michiganders through legal aid work