Kalamazoo & Lansing, Mich. — July 22, 2026 — Lighthouse Litigation PLLC announced today that firm founder Joshua S. Goodrich, J.D., LL.M. has been recognized on the State Bar of Michigan’s 2026 A Lawyer Helps Pro Bono Honor Roll in the 100+ Hours of Service category for individual attorneys and solo practitioners — the Honor Roll’s highest tier of individual recognition.
The 100+ hour designation reflects a pro bono docket built around clients who face the steepest barriers to counsel. Goodrich’s volunteer work included carrying two prisoner civil-rights cases through trial and taking a matter on appeal to the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit — full-length, contested litigation of the kind that rarely reaches a courtroom without paid counsel. He also volunteered at expungement fairs, helping Michiganders clear old records under the state’s Clean Slate reforms so they can pursue housing, employment, and professional licensing.
“Access to justice isn’t an abstraction — it’s whether someone gets a lawyer to stand up in the courtroom with them,” said Goodrich. “Prisoner civil-rights cases almost never get tried, and appeals almost never get briefed, unless someone volunteers to do it. We may be a small firm, but that’s work we’re going to keep doing.”
The 2026 Honor Roll recognizes qualifying pro bono legal services provided to low-income individuals and families. Goodrich is one of more than 1,000 Michigan licensed attorneys who together reported 36,416 hours of pro bono legal service, a significant increase in both participation and reported hours over the prior year, according to the State Bar of Michigan.
The Honor Roll is part of the State Bar’s A Lawyer Helps initiative, which highlights the profession’s ongoing effort to close Michigan’s justice gap. The full list of honorees is available from the State Bar of Michigan.
Lighthouse Litigation PLLC is a Michigan-based law firm founded by Joshua S. Goodrich, J.D., LL.M., focused on practical, client-centered advocacy in civil-rights, consumer-protection, and related matters. “At Lighthouse Litigation, we pride ourselves on providing legal guidance which can help you navigate your way through the complex legal bureaucracy in a personalized manner.”manner.”