Case Analysis Session – What To Expect

Case Analysis Session — Client Preparation Guide · Clutch Justice
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Client Preparation Guide

Case Analysis Session
What to send. What to expect.

This document is for clients who have booked a Case Analysis Session. It tells you exactly what to submit before your session, what the session covers, and what you will leave with. Read it before you send anything.

Session Format
60-minute direct review
Session Fee
$350 flat
Submit Documents To
hello@clutchjustice.com

The session. Plainly stated.

The Case Analysis Session is a 60-minute direct review of the materials you submit before we meet. You send the documents. I read them. We talk about what you actually have. You leave with a clear assessment of the documented strengths, the documented weaknesses, the gaps, and a specific next-steps framework based on what the record shows.

01
A direct read of your documents
I review everything you submit before the session. Not during it. The 60 minutes is for findings and questions, not for me to read documents in real time while you wait.
02
An honest assessment of what you have
What the record supports. What it does not. Where the documentation fails. Where it is strong. No diplomatic hedging. No telling you what you want to hear.
03
Gap identification
What is missing from your record that should be there. What FOIA requests would surface it. What the absence of a document tells us that the documents themselves do not.
04
A next-steps framework
Specific, actionable, and grounded in the record. Not a referral list. Not general advice. A documented path based on what your materials actually show.
Delivered Within the Session Window
Written summary of findings
A written assessment is delivered within the session window. You do not leave with only your notes from a conversation. The key findings, the identified gaps, and the next-steps framework are documented and sent to you in writing.
This Session Is Not

Legal advice. Legal representation. An attorney referral service. Ongoing case support. A full forensic review. Therapy or crisis support for families in acute distress. If what you need is legal representation, a full forensic case review starting at $750, or ongoing advocacy support, this session will tell you that directly and point you toward the right track.

You Leave With
A direct verbal assessment of your documented case strengths and weaknesses during the session
Written findings memo delivered within the session window: key findings, identified gaps, next-steps framework
Clarity on whether a deeper engagement is warranted, and if so, which service track fits your situation
A clear answer about what you have, grounded in the record rather than in what you were told or believe

How to prepare.

The session is only as useful as the documents behind it. This is not a conversation about your situation in the abstract. It is a read of the documented record. The more complete your submission, the more specific and useful the findings will be.

01

Submit documents at least 48 hours before your session

I need time to read everything before we meet. Submissions received less than 48 hours before a session may not be fully reviewed. If you cannot submit that far ahead, email hello@clutchjustice.com to discuss whether rescheduling makes sense.

02

Send what you have, not what you think you should have

Do not spend hours organizing before you send. An honest read of your actual document state is more useful than a curated packet designed to look complete. If you have two relevant documents, send two. The gaps are part of the analysis.

03

Include a one-paragraph case summary

Write one paragraph, plainly. What happened, who is involved, what you are trying to figure out. No legal arguments. No narrative persuasion. What the situation is and what question you need answered. This is for context only. The documents are the evidence.

04

Tell me what you need to know

At the bottom of your summary, state your specific question. Not “is my case good?” but “does the police report timeline match the autopsy findings?” or “is there documentation of Brady material that was not disclosed?” The more specific the question, the more directly the session can address it.

05

Send everything to hello@clutchjustice.com

PDF format preferred. If you have physical documents only, photograph them clearly and submit as a ZIP file. Label your files with document type and date where possible (e.g., “police-report-2019-04-12.pdf”). Disorganized submissions are acceptable. Unlabeled files slow things down.

Send these for any engagement.

Regardless of your case type, these are the foundational documents. If you do not have one of these, note that in your submission. The absence is relevant information.

Universal Submission · All Case Types

Core Documents

These apply whether your matter is a cold case, a wrongful conviction, an attorney conduct question, or a documentary project. If you have it, send it. If you do not, say so.

Start Here
One-paragraph case summary (written by you)
What happened, who is involved, what question you need answered. Plain language. No legal arguments.
Your specific question
The single most important thing you need this session to answer. Be precise.
A timeline, if you have built one
Even a rough one. Dates, what happened, what documents correspond. Do not build one from scratch for this session. Send what you have.
If available
Court and Legal Records
Case docket or docket printout
Pull from MiCOURT, PACER, or the court clerk. The full docket, not just the filings you consider relevant.
All court filings you have access to
Complaints, motions, orders, judgments. Opposing party filings included. Do not filter these.
Any appellate decisions or opinions
Include the full opinion, not a summary.
If applicable
Transcripts (partial or full)
Trial, hearing, deposition. Flag which sections you believe are most relevant, but send the full document.
If available
Agency and Investigation Records
Police or incident reports
Original report and any supplements. If you have both an initial and a follow-up, send both.
FOIA responses received
Include the denial or partial-denial letters as well as the documents produced. The denials are often as informative as the releases.
If applicable
Any correspondence with investigators, agencies, or prosecutors
Letters, emails, official responses. Documented communication only. Do not summarize it. Send the documents.
If available
If Your Documents Are Disorganized

Send them anyway. An organized analysis of a disorganized record is part of what this session produces. You do not need to have everything sorted before you submit. What you must not do is send a curated selection of only the strongest documents. The full record, including the weak spots, is what makes the analysis honest and useful.


Additional documents by case type.

In addition to the universal checklist above, send the documents listed under your specific case type. If your matter crosses tracks (a cold case with a wrongful conviction angle, for example), pull from both lists.

Track 01 · Cold Case Forensic Review

Unsolved cases and historical investigations

For families and organizations working an unsolved matter. Focus is on what the original investigation documented, what it missed, and where the record fails to support the stated conclusions.

The oldest documents in your file are often the most important. Original reports from the date of the incident are not less useful because they are old. They are frequently the most revealing.
Original Investigation Documents
Original incident or case report (date of event)
The first-responding officer’s report from the day of the incident. This is the baseline for everything that follows.
All supplemental reports
Every follow-up report filed by any investigator on the matter, in chronological order where possible.
Autopsy report or medical examiner findings
Full report including cause and manner of death determination, toxicology if available.
If applicable
Evidence inventory or chain of custody documentation
What was collected, when, by whom, and where it was sent. If you have only partial chain of custody documentation, send what exists and note what is missing.
If available
Any lab or forensic testing results
Include both results that supported the investigation’s conclusions and any that were inconclusive or excluded.
If available
Witness statements (original)
The documented statements taken at or near the time of the incident. Not later recollections or summaries. The originals.
If available
Any prior review findings (cold case unit, outside investigator, or advocate review)
If another investigator or organization has already reviewed the case and produced findings, send those documents. This prevents duplicating analysis already completed.
If applicable
Track 02 · Wrongful Conviction Case Review

Active incarceration or post-conviction matters

For families and advocacy organizations supporting someone who has been convicted and believes the conviction is wrongful. Focus is on the documented evidentiary and procedural record, not the narrative of innocence.

The question this session answers is not whether the person is innocent. It is whether the documented record supports or fails to support the conviction as it was obtained. Those are different questions, and the second one is the one the record can answer.
Trial and Conviction Record
Trial transcripts (or available portions)
Jury selection, opening statements, testimony, closing arguments, and jury instructions if available. Flag what you have and what you do not.
Charging document or information
The formal charging document that initiated the prosecution. Not the arrest report. The charges as filed.
Evidence admitted at trial (inventory or list)
What the prosecution introduced, what the defense introduced, what was excluded and on what basis.
If available
All post-conviction filings
Motions for new trial, appeals, habeas corpus filings, and the court’s responses to each.
If applicable
Any newly discovered evidence documentation
If there is evidence that was not available at trial, document it. When it was discovered, by whom, and what it shows.
If applicable
Defense attorney correspondence or file materials (if accessible)
What the defense knew, when, and what it did with that information. Ineffective assistance claims require this documentation.
If available
Track 03 · Documentary and Podcast Research Review

Pre-publication primary source verification

For producers and journalists who need the documented record checked against a narrative before it goes to air or print. The goal is to find where your story departs from what the documents show, before publication creates that problem for you.

Send your script, treatment, or outline alongside the source documents. The analysis is a comparison between what the project claims and what the primary sources document. Both are required to do that comparison.
Project Materials
Script, treatment, or episode outline
The working document for what the project claims. Draft is fine. This is the narrative being checked against the record.
Source list with citations
What each claim is sourced to. If you do not have a formal source list, identify the three to five most important factual claims and note what they are based on.
Primary source documents underlying the narrative
The actual documents your claims are based on. Not the secondary accounts. The police reports, court records, FOIA responses, and official documents themselves.
Any expert interview transcripts or notes
If you have interviewed experts whose conclusions the project relies on, document those conclusions and the basis for them.
If applicable
The specific claims you are most uncertain about
If there are two or three factual assertions in the project where you are not confident of the sourcing, flag them explicitly. The session will prioritize those.
Track 04 · Attorney Conduct Review

AGC complaints and MRPC documentation

For individuals and families considering or preparing an Attorney Grievance Commission complaint. The review maps documented conduct against MRPC obligations. The record either supports the grievance or it does not.

This review is for individuals filing against an attorney. It is not available to attorneys auditing their own files, nor to law firms evaluating their own conduct. If you are unsure whether your situation fits, describe it in your intake and the response will tell you directly.
Attorney Conduct Documentation
Engagement letter or retainer agreement
The signed agreement that established the attorney-client relationship and defined the scope of representation.
All attorney correspondence (email, letter, text)
Every documented communication with the attorney or their office. In chronological order where possible. Screenshots of texts are acceptable.
All invoices and billing records
Itemized billing statements. If you received only summary invoices, send those and note that itemized records were not provided.
Filings made on your behalf
Every document the attorney filed with a court or agency in your matter, with the filing dates.
Documentation of the specific conduct you believe was improper
Not a narrative. Documented evidence. If the conduct was a missed deadline, show the order establishing the deadline and documentation that it was missed. If it was a settlement without authorization, show the communication record.
Any prior AGC correspondence or complaint filings
If you have already filed with the AGC or received any response from them, include that documentation.
If applicable

A few things worth reading.

On Confidentiality

Documents submitted for a Case Analysis Session are used only for the purposes of that session. They are not shared, published, or retained beyond the engagement without your explicit consent. If your matter involves active litigation, note that in your submission so the session is scoped appropriately.

If Your Documents Are Under a Court Order or Seal

Do not submit sealed documents or materials subject to a protective order without first consulting with your attorney about whether that submission is permissible. If you are uncertain, describe the documents and their contents in your summary rather than submitting the documents themselves. Flag this in your submission.

If You Have More Questions Before Submitting

Email hello@clutchjustice.com. Questions about whether your situation fits this session, what to submit, or whether a different service track would be more appropriate are answered directly. You do not need to have everything figured out before you reach out.

This document does not constitute legal advice and does not create an attorney-client relationship. Nothing in this analysis constitutes representation or legal counsel. If your situation requires legal representation, consult a licensed attorney.