Michigan Hall of Justice, Lansing, Michigan © 2008, Chetly Zarko

Many people are aware of their rights to access government information or attend meetings, but either are in a difficult political position to sign their name to a request or show up. And government and the legal process don't make it easy.

One of our favorite services is the FOIA surrogate. We've had clients on both sides of the political aisle ask us to do the FOIA for them. Why? In some cases, a different person - or even "outsider" - has more credibility. Or perhaps its our past record of winning FOIA litgation (any city official can google us and know that 5 out of 6 times we've won). Sometimes, its just easier for us to do it for you, and sometimes you just don't want the public body knowing who you are.

Open Meetings law requires public bodies to allow the press - and you - or Zarko Research - to record any open meeting. It also requires almost all meetings to be open and tightly restricts the reasons for closure, a section which is often abused. We can video or audiotape meetings - sometimes the mere presence of what appears to be a reporter - or a citizen-journalist - will have a tempering effect on public bodies.

We can't give legal advice, although we work with a number of attorneys and can refer you if necessary to an appropriate resource. But we can give practical advice about the process, writing requests to narrow the records appropriately, or do it for you.