How to Make a Freedom of Information Act Request

Institutions often seek non-public information from governmental agencies. Review this practice note, from Christine N. Walz, Cynthia A. Gierhart, and Sara Benson of Holland and Knight LLP, to learn about current requirements governing public access to certain U.S. government and administrative agency records under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). Understand the procedures for submitting a request, the government agency response, and the review timeline for FOIA requests.

Read now »

Related Content       

• Freedom of Information Act Statutory Exemptions and Fees
  Explore the FOIA in detail and learn about the statutory exemptions, exclusions, waivers, and fees that apply to FOIA requests.

• Protection of Personal Information in Government Records Key Federal Laws
  Access this practice note for an overview of key federal laws that protect personal information in government records. Counsel will gain a summary of the Privacy Act of 1974, FOIA, the Family Education Rights & Privacy Act (FERPA), and the Driver's Privacy Protection Act (DPPA).

• Third-Party Disclosure of Personal Data State Law Survey
  Review this U.S. 50-state practice note for legal requirements on disseminating customer nonpublic personally identifying (NPI) information. Counsel can learn about restrictions relating to confidential information as well as specific exemptions to sharing NPI.

• Third-Party Disclosure of Personal Data Key Federal Laws
  Gain a comprehensive view of laws regulating the disclosure of consumer personal information in health, medical, insurance, financial services, state, and federal agencies. This practice note provides an overview of federal laws that regulate third-party disclosure of personal information.

Practical Guidance Updates
Featuring the latest updates from your Practical Guidance account.              

• Responding to a FOIA Request Checklist, Data Breach Avoidance and Response Plan Checklist, Responding to a Data Breach Checklist (Financial Institutions), and Financial Privacy Regulation Compliance Checklist are helpful resources for counsel advising in the area of FOIA and those developing and maintaining a risk management framework to protect and secure customer nonpublic personal information.
• State Law Comparison Tool for Consumer Financial Regulations
  Access the state law comparison tool, Consumer Financial Regulations topic, for state-specific guidance and the ability to compare state laws in the areas of consumer lending, credit card lending, and residential mortgage loans. The content also addresses key questions on oversight and supervision, advertising, marketing, usury, fraud, and unfair and deceptive trade practices.
• For related Practical Guidance content on important recent trends, please review these easy-to-use Resource Kits on a variety of emerging topics:
  • Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) Resource Kit
  • Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Resource Kit
  • Public Interest, Pro Bono, and Non-Profit Resource Kit
  • Bank Failure Resource Kit

• Read the new edition of the Practical Guidance Journal for insights on Generative AI cautions and benefits, new trends in private lending, environmental law considerations, and market intelligence analysis.
• Check out our Practical Guidance Author Center! Learn about the 1750+ leading attorney authors contributing to our 26 practice areas, and find out how you can Become a Practical Guidance Author. Practical Guidance is committed to amplifying diverse voices of attorneys across all differences, including gender and race.
• Legal Developments provide the latest updates and analyses of emerging topics impacting your practice area. Visit the Legal Developments page to see the latest topics, which also include breaking legal news and related Practical Guidance content. 
• Listen Up! The Practical Guidance and Law360 Podcasts Resource Kit features interviews with industry-leading attorneys on cutting edge issues in the law: NFTs, Cannabis, COVID-19, and more.
• Document alerts allow you to stay current on legal developments that affect your practice. Find out how to set up your document alerts.

PRACTICAL GUIDANCE CUSTOMER EMAIL EDITION ON THE WEB

Experience results today with practical guidance, legal research, and data-driven insights—all in one place.

Experience Lexis+