The Office of Information Policy (OIP) engages in a wide range of activities and events throughout the year to meet the Justice Department’s responsibility to encourage FOIA compliance throughout the Executive Branch.  As one of the core parts of that mission, OIP works to ensure that agencies receive the best and most up to date training on all aspects of the FOIA. 

In conjunction with the Office of Legal Education, OIP provides regular training courses throughout the year, ranging from introductory sessions for non-FOIA personnel to advanced programs for highly experienced FOIA personnel. Additionally, our office also continually offers specialized training on particular topics, such as our training on Exemption 2 in the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision in Milner v. Department of the Navy, or our FOIA Fee Summit which addressed a particularly technical aspect of the FOIA.  This summer we also launched the Director’s Lecture Series which provided an opportunity for FOIA professionals to interact directly with the Director of OIP on a range of FOIA topics. 

In addition to all of the training opportunities offered by OIP, our staff is also available to participate in FOIA training offered by individual agencies.  OIP subject matter experts, including the Director and Chief of Staff, are frequent speakers at FOIA training events and conferences held by numerous agencies across the federal government, speaking on such topics as:

• Procedural and Legal Requirements of the FOIA
• FOIA Exemptions
• Litigation Considerations
• President Obama’s FOIA Memorandum and Attorney General Holder’s FOIA Guidelines
• Milestones for Improving FOIA Administration

OIP can provide speakers on specific topics for a full range of events, from an informal session, such as an agency FOIA brown-bag meeting to discuss FOIA fees, to a formal two-day training conference that addresses all aspects of the FOIA.  We can also provide an executive briefing to senior officials who would like a general overview of the FOIA as well as hands-on working sessions for FOIA professionals who work directly with the FOIA every day.  OIP can design a customized training session, focusing on those areas that are of greatest importance to any particular agency.  Whatever the training needs are, OIP can tailor a training session to meet those needs and goals, to help ensure that all agency personnel have access to the best FOIA training possible.    

If you have a question on or would like to register for any upcoming training offered by OIP, or would like to get information on having our staff conduct a training or participate in a scheduled training for your agency,  please contact OIP’s training officer, Bertina Adams Cleveland, at Bertina.Adams@usdoj.gov, or call (202) 514-1010.