Take the government to court.
Prepare your case. Get the agency’s full record. File your petition on time. Loop in a lawyer to guide you.
From denial to your day in court
Inhouse guides every step, from the first deadline to the court’s ruling.
Know your court
and your deadline
- Whether the decision is final, which court reviews it and what you must finish first
- The one filing deadline you can’t miss, on your calendar from day one
Get the record the
agency is holding
- Records requests and follow-ups that put dates and promises in writing
- A reply to fees the law doesn’t allow, and a motion to compel if they stall
File a petition the
court will accept
- Petition or complaint, motion for stay and an exhibit list tied to each paragraph
- Verification, fee waiver, cover sheet and service on the agency and attorney general
Make your case
at the hearing
- Hearing prep with practice questions, a proposed order and a reply brief held back
- Follow-up motions to reset a lost trial date or answer new arguments
Pricing
Two ways to challenge
Do it yourself with expert AI. Bring in a lawyer when it counts.
Inhouse AI
Inhouse drafts your court filings and guides every deadline.
- Advice on finality, the right court and your filing deadline
- Petition, motions, declaration and exhibit list for your court
- Filing checklist with verification, service and fee waiver
- Step-by-step help to file, serve and prepare for your hearing
Legal services
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Accuracy Guarantee
Discounted legal services
24-hour money-back guarantee If you're not happy with the product or service, we'll refund everything.
Cancel anytime. No long-term commitment.
What we
see go wrong
Easy to avoid before you file. Hard to undo after.
Paying a records fee the law doesn’t allow
One town wanted 20 USB drives for emails requested electronically, yet the law allows only actual cost. Ask for the legal basis and an itemized bill.
Waiting quietly when the agency goes silent
One office promised hearing audio “today” and sent nothing for weeks. Follow up in writing on the original email chain, so the dates speak for you.
Filing your case in the wrong order
An Article 78 filed before the old judgment is vacated can be tossed as a collateral attack. Clear the old ruling first, then file.
Filing a petition that’s missing parts
One writ petition was called ready before it had its verification page. Courts reject filings for missing parts, so check each one first.
Cutting your case down to its weakest claim
Narrowing to a 2018 decision would have put the whole case on its worst timing problem. Keep newer claims separate so they stand on their own.
Handing the judge a surprise order
A new proposed order the other side hasn’t seen can stall the signature. Ask for the one change you need, and share drafts ahead of time.
Results
Real examples of how we’ve helped take agencies to court.
With 25 days left to sue, two fired officers chose to file first.
The town’s lawyer offered to meet right on top of their deadline. Inhouse checked every exhibit against their federal civil rights complaint, deleted a claim the law bars, and said to file first and meet after.
25
days left before the deadline to sue
Every exhibit matched to the complaint
The town moved to dismiss a records case. Inhouse drafted the objection, and the judge denied it.
The agency ignored a hearing win. The court took the petition, and Inhouse mapped who to serve.
We pinned down the final decision and its date, the appeals already used, and the verification you sign.
We explained a fee dismissal isn’t a ruling on the merits, so refiling is open, and more silence helps a delay claim.
We explained that the APA can force action but pays no damages, and what the Privacy Act needs to recover them.
We said not to pay a flat fee, laid out Colorado’s $41.37 hourly cap with the first hour free, and drafted the reply.
We drafted a follow-up citing the duty to decide promptly, and showed how to add the silence to the complaint.
We explained the earlier draft was a settlement message. The complaint you file is the one the court reads.
We explained the clerk stamps it the next business morning, so “filed today” is accurate, then cleaned up the service email.
We drafted a motion to reset the trial within 90 days, with a proposed order, built on the city’s own compliance finding.
We showed the denial itself still stood, so only the court could reverse it, then ran that answer in a mock hearing.
We found Michigan law makes the refund mandatory, paid by the county rather than the clerk personally.
Related documents
Complaint to the agency
Put the agency on notice before you go to court.
Public records request
Ask for the files the agency holds, in writing.
Civil rights complaint
Sue a city, county or state over your rights.
Petition for review
Ask the court to review the final decision.
Opposition brief
Answer the agency’s arguments point by point.
Exhibit list
Tie every exhibit to the paragraph it supports.
Declaration
Your sworn account of what happened.
Timeline of events
Dates and documents in one place.
Demand letter
A last written ask before you file.
Reply brief
Held back until the agency files its answer.
Proposed order
Give the judge the exact order to sign.
Motion to compel
Make the agency produce records it holds back.
Motion for stay
Pause the agency’s action while the court decides.
Motion for extension of time
Ask the court for more time, before it runs out.
Fee waiver request
File without fees you can’t afford.