USDOJ: OIP: Training

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OIP regularly conducts training sessions throughout the year on all aspects of the FOIA and on a wide variety of FOIA related topics. Here you will find descriptions and dates of various training seminars, meetings, and events offered by OIP, including yearly training offered in connection with the Office of Legal Education, specialized training sessions, as well as public training events, meetings, and town halls. Additionally, training materials such as slide presentations and handouts accompanying OIP’s most popular programs are provided below. Feel free to contact OIP if your agency is interested in specialized FOIA training.

Yearly training courses Offered by OIP and OLE

The Freedom of Information Act for Attorneys and Access Professionals

This two-day program is designed for attorneys, FOIA specialists, and other FOIA professionals with limited previous experience working with the FOIA who are now or soon will be working extensively with the Act. This program 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, as well as a discussion on proactive disclosures and the FOIA fee and fee waiver requirements.

December 5-6, 2011 (Washington, DC)
February 28-29, 2012 (Washington, DC)
May 8-9, 2012 (Washington, DC)
July 17-18, 2012 (Washington, DC)
~~August 14-15, 2012 (Seattle, WA)~~ cancelled due to budget constraints

Advanced Freedom of Information Act Seminar

This seminar is designed for FOIA professionals and legal advisors of all federal agencies. It provides advanced instruction on selected topics under the FOIA, including up-to-date policy guidance and views from the FOIA requester community. This program also serves as a forum for the exchange of ideas useful in dealing with problems that commonly arise in administering the FOIA.

April 11, 2012 (Washington, DC)

Freedom of Information Act Administrative Forum

This program is designed for agency FOIA professionals 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 FOIA -- such matters as record-retrieval practices, multi-track queue usage, backlog management, affirmative disclosures, 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 together veteran FOIA processors from throughout the government and encourages them to share their experience in administering the FOIA.

June 6, 2012 (Washington, DC)

Introduction to the Freedom of Information Act

This half-day program provides a basic 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 14, 2012 (Washington, DC)

FOIA Litigation Seminar

This course is designed for agency attorneys and FOIA professionals and focuses on the issues that arise when FOIA requests become the subject of litigation. This seminar will provide guidance on successful litigation strategy and will address in detail the preparation of Vaughn Indices and declarations.

November 3, 2011 (Washington, DC)

To find further information about any of the courses listed above, including application requirements and enrollment information, please visit the Office of Legal Education, select “Calendar,” then select “Course Schedule,” and scroll down to the name of the seminar in which you are interested. For enrollment information, return to the top of the page and select “Nomination Instructions.”

As the government’s lead FOIA policy office, OIP continues to offer specialized training on FOIA matters throughout the year. These training seminars focus on selected FOIA provisions, recent court decisions, and refresher courses on the FOIA’s reporting requirements. Whenever OIP decides to hold a specialized training seminar, there will be an announcement in FOIA Post with details on the type of training and its location. Additionally, the description and dates for any upcoming specialized training offered by OIP will be posted below as those details are announced.

Director’s Lecture Series

In Summer 2012, OIP launched the Director’s Lecture Series of training seminars. The lectures provided an opportunity for FOIA professionals to interact directly with the Director of OIP on a range of FOIA topics. With agencies across the federal government receiving and processing a record number of requests over the past several years, including many increasingly complex requests, OIP is regularly asked to provide specialized training to help agencies improve their FOIA administration. OIP also routinely hears that agencies would appreciate even more opportunities to attend training. This new seminar series was created with the goal of complementing training already offered by OIP, with focused sessions on specialized topics, and the opportunity for discussion and an open dialogue with attendees. Descriptions of the 2012 summer slate of seminars are located below, and all future lectures will be announced in FOIA Post as this series continues.

June 20, 2012: FOIA Fundamentals
July 24, 2012: Achieving FOIA Goals
August 15, 2012: Review and Assessment of agency 2012 Chief FOIA Officer Reports

Public Training Events, Meetings, And Town Halls

OIP holds various types of events, meetings, and town halls, to bring together agency personnel and the requester community. These events help facilitate dialogue between agency FOIA professionals and FOIA requesters in order to make the administration of the FOIA work better for all parties involved. Whenever OIP decides to hold a public training event or meeting, there will be an announcement in FOIA Post with details on the type of event and its location. Additionally, the description and dates for any upcoming public training events or meetings offered by OIP will be posted below as those details are announced.

FOIA Requester Roundtables

OIP, in conjunction with the Office of Government Information Services (OGIS), continues to host a series of roundtable discussions with the FOIA requester community. These discussions focus on various FOIA topics, and allow for an open dialogue on these topics between agency personnel and members of the requester community. The dates and topics for upcoming roundtable meetings are listed below. Additional information on these roundtables, including details on how to register to attend these meetings, can be found in the FOIA Post article linked below.