A FOIA attorney who makes the government show its records.
I am Alberto A. Hernandez, a New York admitted attorney. I help
individuals, journalists, businesses, and nonprofits draft, file, and
fight for Freedom of Information Act requests, from the first letter
through appeals and federal litigation.
Precise, well-scoped requests sent to the right agency the first time, the single biggest factor in how fast records come back and how little they cost.
02
Fee waivers and expedited processing
Establishing the right requester category and making the public-interest case so search and review fees fall away and urgent matters move to the front of the queue.
03
Administrative appeals
Challenging improper withholdings, inadequate searches, and fee determinations through the agency appeal process before the courthouse is ever involved.
04
FOIA litigation
When an agency misses its deadline or withholds without justification, filing suit in federal court, where the government carries the burden of proof.
The FOIA Field Guide
Eight plain-English answers to the questions people actually ask.
Alberto A. Hernandez is an attorney admitted to the New York State Bar
and the managing partner of Hernandez Franks Law and Advisory. He
earned his LL.M. in Corporate Law and Practice at Penn State Law and
has built his career where regulation, dispute resolution, and the
public record meet.
Transparency is not a favor the government does for you. It is a right,
and rights are easier to exercise when someone explains how.
As chief executive of an international arbitration center, he built
dispute-resolution processes from nothing and saw firsthand how
institutions decide what to disclose and what to withhold. The FOIA
Field Guide grew out of that work: a clear account of a process that
is too often treated as a black box.
Tell me what you are trying to find out. The first conversation is
about whether FOIA is the right tool, which agency holds the records,
and what a realistic path looks like.
