FOIA Training Opportunities for Fiscal Year 2010

The Department of Justice’s Office of Information Policy, in conjunction with the Department’s Office of Legal Education, will be offering five different training programs on the Freedom of Information Act for this fiscal year. The updated schedule for Fiscal Year 2010 is as follows: The Freedom of Information Act for Attorneys and Access Professionals This two-day program is designed for attorneys, FOIA specialists, and information officers with limited previous experience under the FOIA who are now or soon will be working extensively with the Act. It provides an overview of the FOIA including a discussion of the President’s FOIA Memorandum and the Attorney General’s FOIA Guidelines. This course also provides specialized workshops on the various FOIA exemptions and on procedural issues including fees and fee waiver determinations as well as a discussion on proactive disclosures.

February 23-24, 2010, Washington, DC May 4-5, 2010, Washington, DC August 17-18, 2010, California (City NYD) September 21-22, 2010, Washington, DC, rescheduled for July 20-21, 2010

Advanced Freedom of Information Act Seminar This seminar is designed for FOIA officers and legal advisors of all federal agencies. It provides advanced instruction on selected topics under the FOIA, including up-to-date policy guidance. It also serves as a forum for the exchange of ideas useful in dealing with problems that commonly arise in administering the FOIA.

April 7, 2010

Freedom of Information Act Administrative Forum This program is designed for agency FOIA personnel who have several years of experience with the FOIA and are involved in the processing of FOIA requests on a daily basis. It is devoted almost entirely to administrative matters arising under the Act -- such matters as record-retrieval practices, multi-track queue usage, backlog management, affirmative disclosure, and automated record processing. Designed to serve also as a regular forum for the governmentwide exchange of ideas and information on matters of FOIA administration, this program brings veteran FOIA processors from throughout the government together and encourages them to share their experience in administering the FOIA.

June 9, 2010

Introduction to the Freedom of Information Act This half-day program provides a basis overview of the FOIA for agency personnel who do not specialize in access law. It is designed for those who either work with the FOIA only occasionally or need only a general familiarity with the FOIA in order to recognize and handle FOIA-related problems that may arise in other areas of agency activity.

March 17, 2010, Washington, DC August 4, 2010, Washington, DC

FOIA Litigation Seminar This course is designed for agency attorneys and FOIA personnel and will focus on the issues that arise when FOIA requests become the subject of litigation. The seminar will provide guidance on successful litigation strategy, and will address, among other things, “Open America” stays and the preparation of Vaughn Indices and declarations.

October 14, 2009, Washington, DC July 14, 2010, Washington, DC

To find further information about these seminars, including application requirements and enrollment information, go to the Office of Legal Education, select “OLE Course Calendar,” then select “Description of courses,” and scroll down to the name of the seminar in which you are interested. For enrollment information, return to “OLE Course Calendar” and select “Procedures to attend a course.”