How much does information cost?
Why having an established firm represent you can help.
Information is no longer free, especially when it comes from our own government.
Often times when we are investigating a case our firm has to pay for the release of information. Whether it is for driving records, criminal records or even simple driver statistics every time we need to retrieve information from our government there’s a charge associated with it and that’s if we can even retrieve the information.
Florida was once known as a national role model for transparency in Government. Our “Sunshine Laws” permitted regular citizens to request information from their government which in turn allowed for the public to hold their government accountable. This honorary badge of transparency if being chipped away at every day though. For example, in 1985 there were only 250 exemptions to our Sunshine Laws, today there are more than 1,100.
Even when you can request information, the price to retrieve the information is getting so astronomical that most citizens and even most organizations can no longer afford them. Consider a South Florida news organization that requested the Broward Sheriff’s Office for every email over a five month period that contained one of six derogatory terms for gay individuals. The sheriff’s office responded that searching staff emails for those keywords would cost $399,000 and take up to four years.
What if you were involved a case where you were trying to prove discrimination by the police? Does almost half a million dollars and four years sound reasonable? What if you were being represented by an unestablished law firm that didn’t have the capital to pay for fees like these even though the information could be pivotal to your case? All too often we see unexperienced and underfunded attorneys take a bad deal all because the cost of fighting was just too high to move forward.
If you or a loved one have any legal questions or concerns, even if you are already being represented by another firm, please don’t hesitate to contact us at 727-669-2828. No question is too small to give you peace of mind.
Phillip Pelletier is the Director of Digital Marketing for PERENICH The Law Firm. Born and raised in Tampa Bay, Phillip has acquired an extensive background in e-marketing and technical writing. With these skills, Phillip is dedicated to helping those in our community who have been wrongfully injured obtain justice with the representation of the lawyers at PERENICH The Law Firm.