With the largest government contract practice in the country, McKenna Long & Aldridge has counseled clients for many years on issues arising under the federal Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and various state open records laws.

We represent both requesters and information submitters in FOIA litigation, as well as in administrative proceedings and appeals involving federal and state government agencies. This work also includes issues relating to the Privacy Act and rules and regulations governing trade secrets and technical data rights. Other matters include issues regarding the rights of organizations to utilize personal data and information compiled while working on government contracts.

Through our work in these areas, we have successfully fought disclosure of our clients' sensitive technical and contract pricing information under FOIA Exemptions 3 (information exempted by statute) and 4 (trade secrets/confidential commercial or financial information). We also have assisted our clients in obtaining copies of government agency reports, findings and communications relating to their interests and frequently use FOIA requests affirmatively to augment discovery responses in civil cases against federal agencies.