MFIA FOIA BOOTCAMP: Become a FOIA Expert

FOIA Bootcamp is back! Join us to learn the ins and outs of filing effective Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests at this annual event at Yale’s Media Freedom and Information Access (MFIA) clinic. For over a decade, this event has brought together investigative journalists and media law experts to help journalists, activists, students, academics, and others navigate FOIA and access vital public records. Whether you're new to FOIA or looking to refine your skills, this workshop offers practical guidance from experienced professionals.

This year, we’re pleased to welcome New York Times senior counsel Al-Amyn Sumar, Bloomberg News senior investigative reporter Jason Leopold, and New York Times First Amendment fellow Tim Tai ’24 to share their insights on using FOIA as a tool for investigative work and government accountability. The discussion will cover when to file a request, how to draft it effectively, dealing with FOIA officers, and making the system work. Bootcamp will be moderated by clinical lecturer Jennifer Borg.

Al-Amyn Sumar is senior counsel at The New York Times Company. He handles newsroom matters, including prepublication review of stories, libel and Freedom of Information Act litigation, news subpoenas, and intellectual property matters. Al-Amyn was previously the First Amendment Fellow at The Times and an associate at Ballard Spahr LLP (and before then, Levine Sullivan Koch & Schulz, LLP).

Jason Leopold is a senior investigative reporter on the Bloomberg News investigations team. He is a recipient of the 2023 Gerald Loeb award for investigative reporting, a 2022 George Polk award for health reporting and he has twice been a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in international reporting. In 2020, the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC) identified Leopold as "the most active individual FOIA litigator in the United States today." In 2016, Leopold was awarded the FOI award from IRE and was inducted into the National Freedom of Information Hall of Fame by the Freedom Forum Institute and the Newseum. He publishes a weekly newsletter called FOIA Files.

Tim Tai ’24 is the First Amendment Fellow at The New York Times, where he advises reporters on and litigates freedom of information, newsgathering, defamation, and subpoena matters. He graduated from Yale Law School in 2024 and was previously a staff photographer at the Columbia (Mo.) Daily Tribune and The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Registration¹ is required for all members of the broader Yale community by March 3rd at noon.