This Is Not a Free Service.

I have been doing this long enough to know what the message that lands in my inbox at 10pm on a Tuesday looks like. It describes a situation that is genuinely terrible. A family member incarcerated on charges that don’t hold together. A court record that makes no sense. A judge who clearly had it out for someone. A probation officer who is making things worse on purpose. A sentence that is three times what the guidelines recommended and nobody will explain why, and the Michigan Attorney General doesn’t care (that’s the very sad “normal” state of things, by the way).

I believe most of those people. I have read enough Michigan court records to know that what sounds impossible often isn’t. The system is, in fact, that miserable and broken.

I know, because I have documented it in detail, publicly, for three years.

And as much as I hate to say this, I cannot help you for free.

Not because I don’t want to. Because I am one person, raising kids, working a full-time job, running a publication, maintaining a product library, holding life together. There are only so many hours. Unpaid work takes the same hours as paid work, and it doesn’t pay for anything. It doesn’t put new shoes on your kids’ feet. It doesn’t pay the mortgage. It doesn’t keep the lights on. That is not at all a judgment about whether your situation deserves attention. It is simple arithmetic and survival.

What Clutch Justice is building toward

Clutch Justice started as investigative journalism and it stays that. The investigations are free. The analysis is free. The Barry County coverage, the JTC reporting, the judicial misconduct database, the RRE series — all of it stays free and stays public. That is the journalism, and that is not changing.

What is changing is everything around it. Clutch is building a product library and a consulting practice, and those are the things that make it possible to keep the journalism going. The Field Kit at clutchjustice.com/field-kit/ is the paid side: courses, guides, checklists, and research tools built from three years of active investigation work. The methodology made teachable. Prices start at $15. That is not a free resource, but it is designed to be accessible for those willing to learn and take control over their situation.

The consulting practice is for organizations and institutions that have a real engagement, a real budget, and a real deliverable in mind. The services page at clutchjustice.com/services-kit/ is the full picture. The entry point is a Case Strategy Intensive at $350, which is a 60-minute call, a direct analytical read, and a written summary. That is where paid consulting starts, and where doctoral level analytical skills are available for projects that I can fit into my schedule. Everything below that is free resources.

The free resources are real

The Lab at clutchjustice.com/the-lab/ exists specifically for people who need tools and can’t pay for them. Free templates, free resources, free tools. No signup, no charge. If something there can help you move your situation forward, please do use it.

And beyond The Lab, I can say that yes, the legal aid infrastructure in this state, hell, in our country, is underfunded but it does exist. The Legal Services Corporation maintains a directory of legal aid programs by state at lsc.gov. Michigan Legal Help at michiganlegalhelp.org has plain-language guides, forms, and self-help tools for Michigan residents. The State Bar of Michigan’s lawyer referral service is at michbar.org. If your situation needs a lawyer and you can’t afford one, those are the right places to start, not a journalism platform run by one person.

On the expectation of free

I understand why people reach out to me directly. Reading three years of Clutch Justice coverage gives a reasonable impression that I know things, that I care, and that I might be willing to help. All three of those things are true. None of them means the work is free.

The truth is I do have a big heart. And I will give myself into the ground if I do not set boundaries.

The court system is genuinely hard to navigate. That is not an exaggeration and I am not dismissing it. I have spent years documenting exactly how hard it is and exactly where it fails people. But the difficulty of the system is not a reason for me to work without compensation any more than it is a reason for an attorney, a paralegal, or a document service to do so.

If the expectation is that I will read your documents, assess your situation, tell you what’s wrong, and map a path forward because your situation is serious, I need to say clearly: that expectation is not one I can meet. Not because the situation isn’t serious. Because serious work requires serious resources, and mine are not unlimited.