When you experience police misconduct, excessive force, harassment, an unlawful stop, wrongful arrest, or another serious incident involving a government authority, one of the first questions is usually:
Do I need a lawyer right away?
For many people, hiring a lawyer feels like the only serious option. But lawyers can be expensive, and in many cases, you may not need to start there. Before paying high attorney fees, it may be smarter to begin by documenting what happened, organizing your evidence, requesting public records, obtaining body camera footage, and preparing a formal complaint or claim.
That is where Here’s Our Deal can help.
Instead of starting with an expensive lawyer, you can first use our Incident Report page to tell us what happened. From there, we can help prepare the materials needed to move your case forward, including public records requests, body-camera video requests, police report requests, Internal Affairs complaints, and claim preparation.
Free legal help may still be useful. A lawyer may still be necessary in serious cases. But for many people, the best first step is not immediately hiring an attorney. The best first step is creating a clear, organized record of what happened.
The Real Question Is Not Just Free vs Paid Legal Help
Most people think there are only two choices:
- Find free legal help
- Hire a lawyer
But there is another practical option: use a structured legal-support service first.
Free legal resources can be helpful, especially for people who qualify. USA.gov lists options for free and affordable legal help, including legal aid programs, LawHelp.org, law school programs, and ABA Free Legal Answers. The American Bar Association’s Free Legal Answers program allows qualifying users to ask civil legal questions online and receive answers from pro bono attorneys licensed in their state.
However, free help may be limited. Some programs have income rules, case-type restrictions, waiting lists, or limited availability. They may answer a legal question, but they may not organize your evidence, prepare your public records request, request body-camera footage, draft your Internal Affairs complaint, or help create a claim package.
That is why Here’s Our Deal is designed as a practical first step.
Start With the Incident Report Page
If you believe your rights were violated, the first thing you need is a clear incident record.
The Here’s Our Deal Incident Report page helps you explain what happened in a structured way. This matters because government misconduct cases often depend on details such as:
- Date and time of the incident
- Location of the stop, arrest, search, detention, or use of force
- Agency involved
- Officer names or badge numbers
- Patrol car numbers
- Witnesses
- Injuries
- Body camera or dash camera footage
- Police reports
- Photos, videos, screenshots, or medical records
- What officers said or did
- What officers failed to do
Many people have important information, but it is scattered across text messages, videos, notes, emails, and memory. A lawyer, investigator, agency reviewer, or claims department will usually need the facts organized clearly.
Here’s Our Deal helps turn your incident into a structured case file.
Why Use Here’s Our Deal Before Hiring a Lawyer?
Hiring a lawyer too early can be expensive, especially if your case is still missing basic records or evidence. Before a lawyer can properly evaluate many misconduct cases, they may need to know what happened, who was involved, what records exist, and whether there is video footage.
Here’s Our Deal can help with that first stage.
We can help you prepare and organize:
- A clear incident summary
- Public records requests
- Requests for body-camera footage
- Requests for dash-camera footage
- Requests for police reports
- Evidence summaries
- Internal Affairs complaints
- Claim preparation materials
- Missing-information lists
- Supporting documentation
This can save money because you are not paying an attorney just to begin organizing the basic facts. Instead, you use Here’s Our Deal to prepare the foundation first.
Then, if your case later needs legal advice, settlement negotiation, court representation, or a lawsuit, you can approach a lawyer with a much stronger and more organized file.
What Here’s Our Deal Can Help You Do
1. Prepare an Incident Report
Your incident report is the foundation of your case. It explains what happened, when it happened, where it happened, who was involved, and what harm was caused.
A strong incident report can help support:
- A police misconduct complaint
- An Internal Affairs complaint
- A public records request
- A notice of claim
- A civil rights review
- A later attorney consultation
Instead of trying to explain everything from memory during a stressful phone call, you can start by putting the facts into a structured report.
2. Request Public Records
Public records can be critical in misconduct cases. Depending on the agency and state, relevant records may include police reports, dispatch logs, body-camera footage, dash-camera footage, arrest records, incident reports, use of force reports, and complaint records.
Public records requests may involve fees. FOIA.gov explains that there is no initial fee to submit a federal FOIA request, but agencies may charge certain fees in some situations, such as search or duplication costs.
Here’s Our Deal can help prepare public records requests so you are not left guessing what to ask for or how to ask for it.
3. Request Body Camera and Dash Camera Footage
Video evidence can be one of the most important parts of a police misconduct case. But people often do not know how to request it, which agency has it, or how quickly they need to act.
Here’s Our Deal can help create requests for:
- Body camera footage
- Dash camera footage
- Jail or holding cell video
- Surveillance video
- Dispatch audio
- 911 call recordings
- Radio traffic
- Incident related reports
This is especially important because some records may be deleted, overwritten, redacted, or delayed if they are not requested properly.
4. Prepare Internal Affairs Complaints
If you want to complain about officer misconduct, excessive force, harassment, unlawful detention, retaliation, or unprofessional conduct, you may need to file an Internal Affairs complaint or a complaint with the agency’s professional standards division.
Here’s Our Deal can help organize your complaint so it clearly explains:
- What the officer did
- What the officer failed to do
- Why the conduct was improper
- What evidence supports your complaint
- What records should be reviewed
- What outcome or investigation you are requesting
A clear complaint can make it easier for the agency to understand what happened and what needs to be investigated.
5. Help Create a Claim
In some cases, a person may need to submit a claim or notice of claim before pursuing compensation from a government agency. These deadlines and requirements can vary by state, agency, and type of claim.
Here’s Our Deal can help prepare claim related materials by organizing the facts, damages, evidence, records, and supporting information. This can help you avoid starting from scratch and may make a later attorney review more efficient.
For legal advice about deadlines, lawsuit strategy, or court filings, a licensed attorney may still be needed.
Do You Always Need a Lawyer?
No, not always.
You may not need to hire a lawyer immediately if your first goal is to:
- Document what happened
- Organize your evidence
- Request public records
- Request body camera footage
- File an Internal Affairs complaint
- Prepare a claim package
- Understand what information is missing
That is exactly where Here’s Our Deal can help.
A lawyer may become necessary if your case involves serious injuries, criminal charges, major damages, court filings, settlement negotiations, or a lawsuit. Civil rights lawsuits against government actors are often connected to 42 U.S.C. § 1983, which allows civil actions for deprivation of rights under color of law. In some civil rights cases, courts may also award reasonable attorney’s fees to a prevailing party under 42 U.S.C. § 1988.
But many people are not ready for that step on day one. First, they need records, evidence, and a clear case file.
Free Legal Help: When It Can Help
Free legal help can be useful if you need basic legal information or cannot afford paid support.
Free legal help may be a good option if:
- You have limited income
- You need a basic answer to a civil legal question
- You want to know whether your issue may require a lawyer
- You need help finding a legal aid organization
- You are not ready to pay for support
However, free legal help may not provide the hands on support needed to prepare a complete misconduct complaint, gather records, request video footage, organize evidence, or create a professional claim package.
That does not mean free help is bad. It means free help may not be enough for every step.
Paid Legal Support: A Practical Middle Option
Paid legal support does not always mean hiring a lawyer.
There is a major difference between paying an attorney for legal representation and using a legal support service to prepare documents, organize records, and help structure your complaint.
Here’s Our Deal is designed for people who need practical help before deciding whether to hire a lawyer.
This can be especially useful if:
- You feel overwhelmed
- You do not know where to start
- You need records from the police department
- You want body camera footage
- You need help filing an Internal Affairs complaint
- You want your claim prepared professionally
- You want to save money before hiring an attorney
Instead of paying a lawyer immediately, you can first build a stronger file.
How This Can Save You Money
Lawyers can be expensive. Even when lawyers work on contingency, they may only accept certain cases. Some may decline a case if there is not enough evidence yet. Others may need records, reports, videos, and a clear timeline before deciding whether to help.
Here’s Our Deal can help you prepare that information first.
This may save money because you are not paying an attorney to do every early step. You can use our platform to:
- Create your incident report
- Identify missing information
- Request records
- Request video
- Prepare complaints
- Prepare claim materials
- Organize your evidence
Then, if you later speak with an attorney, you can provide a more complete file. That may make the consultation more useful and may help the attorney understand the case faster.
What Costs Should You Expect?
Even if you do not hire a lawyer, some costs may still apply.
Possible costs may include:
- Here’s Our Deal service fees
- Public records request fees
- Body camera or video processing fees
- Copying or duplication fees
- Mailing or certified mail costs
- Court filing fees, if a lawsuit is filed
- Attorney fees, if you later hire a lawyer
- Success based fees, if included in your agreement
Some people may qualify for court fee waivers if they cannot afford filing fees. The U.S. Courts provide forms to apply to proceed in district court without prepaying fees or costs.
Here’s Our Deal fees are separate from third party fees charged by agencies, courts, or other providers. If an agency charges for records, copies, redactions, or video processing, those fees are charged by the agency, not by Here’s Our Deal.
Best Option by Situation
Use Here’s Our Deal First If:
You want to document the incident, request records, obtain body camera footage, file an Internal Affairs complaint, prepare a claim, and organize your case before spending money on a lawyer.
Use Free Legal Help If:
You cannot afford paid support, need general legal information, or want a basic answer to a civil legal question.
Hire a Lawyer If:
You need legal advice, lawsuit filing, court representation, settlement negotiation, or help with serious injuries, major damages, criminal charges, or urgent deadlines.
Use a Combination If:
You want the smartest and most cost-effective approach: use Here’s Our Deal to prepare your case file first, use free legal resources when available, and contact a lawyer if your case requires legal advice or court action.
Why Starting Early Matters
After a misconduct incident, waiting too long can hurt your case.
Evidence can disappear. Video can be overwritten. Witnesses can forget details. Deadlines can pass. Reports can become harder to obtain. The sooner you document what happened and request records, the better.
That is why Here’s Our Deal gives you a starting point.
You do not have to know every legal rule. You do not have to hire an expensive lawyer immediately. You can start by telling us what happened through the Incident Report page, and we can help organize the next steps.
Final Answer: What’s the Best Option for Your Case?
For many government misconduct cases, the best first option is not immediately hiring an expensive lawyer.
The smarter first step is to create a clear incident report, organize your evidence, request public records, obtain body-camera or police reports, prepare an Internal Affairs complaint, and create a claim package.
That is what Here’s Our Deal helps you do.
Free legal help can be useful. A lawyer may still be necessary for legal advice, court representation, settlement negotiations, or lawsuits. But before you spend money on an attorney, start by building the foundation of your case.
Start with Here’s Our Deal. Report the incident. Gather the records. Build the file. Prepare the complaint. Create the claim. Then decide whether a lawyer is truly needed.