Civil Rights & Transparency Clinic
The Civil Rights and Transparency Clinic is a litigation clinic focused on civil rights and civil liberties. As a part of our civil rights mission, we represent tenants facing eviction and engage in impact litigation in practice areas like housing and employment discrimination.
Our Cases: These cases are representative of the clinic’s docket.
- A NY state court appeal to overturn a trial court ruling in a housing voucher discrimination case.
- Defending tenants facing eviction in Buffalo City Court.
- A public comment letter to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) in support of a proposed rule to reduce housing segregation.
- Litigation to enforce freedom of information requests, such as requests for the government to release accurate statistics on suicides in local jails.
- Legal name change petitions for transgender clients.
Our Clients: We represent a range of clients that include individual victims of civil rights violations; investigative journalists and news organizations; and grassroots, regional and national advocacy organizations. Past clients include the New York Civil Liberties Union, Investigative Post, Housing Opportunities Made Equal, and Partnership for the Public Good. Recognizing that people of color, women, and people with disabilities are disproportionately evicted, we have joined the Eviction Prevention Program of Western New York to defend tenants facing eviction. Our partners include Neighborhood Legal Services, the Volunteer Lawyers Project, the Center for Elder Law and Justice, the Legal Aid Bureau of Buffalo, and the Western New York Law Center.
Student Engagement: This clinic is designed for student attorneys to grow into the attorneys they want to be. Our clinic offers invaluable hands-on experience practicing law, under the supportive supervision of clinical professors. Student attorneys can expect to learn critical lawyering skills to become practice ready (which are increasingly on the bar exam). They work on cutting-edge legal issues and make a positive difference. They walk away with more confidence, a better sense of their lawyering identity, and practical skills that an employer will value. Our student attorneys lead on all aspects of our client representations. Students litigate in local state and federal courts and before government agencies. An effective lawyer has a toolbox that includes more than litigation. They also engage in non-litigation advocacy like drafting white papers and policy proposals, presenting them to key decisionmakers.
Heather Abraham
Director of Civil Rights & Transparency Clinic
Clinical Legal Education
Write Your Own Freedom of Information Request
- Self Help Guide: How to Submit a Freedom of Information Law Request (FOIL) WIthout a Lawyer (Updated January 26, 2023)
- Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) Forms (Updated January 26, 2023)
Civic Engagement & Journalism Resources
Access to government records and decision making is a basic building block of democracy. The Civil Rights and Transparency Clinic supports the efforts of journalists, activists, and citizens to enforce the public’s right to know.
Supported by The Legal Clinic Fund through generous donations from the Democracy Fund, Heising-Simons Foundation, and The Klarman Family Foundation, as well as the fiscal sponsor, The Miami Foundation we:
- Litigate to enforce public records requests at the state, local and federal government;
- Advocate for public policy reforms to improve access to courts, public records, and open meetings; and
- Educate journalists, citizens, and the public on their rights and how to enforce them.
Clinic Resources
Webinar:
Know Your Rights: A Training on New York's Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) for Journalists
Dorothy Shuldman ’23 & Kyle Ruffner ’22 - April 21, 2021
The Civil Rights and Transparency Clinic recently provided training to journalists and student journalists on New York's Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) in an event co-hosted by the Buffalo Association of Black Journalists.
Transparency and government accountability are important values of the clinic and we feel it is key to empower individuals and organizations with the use of the public records law to promote public accountability. Law students and lawyers also use FOIL in their practices and you can benefit from learning the same tips used by journalists.
Community Trainings
The clinic works to support the investigative work and policy advocacy of local non-profits and grassroots organizations. To this end, the clinic hosts community-based trainings for professional journalists, community advocates, and activists focused on New York’s open government laws, including the Freedom of Information Law and the Open Meetings Law. Contact us to schedule a training.
External Resources
- New York State Committee on Open Government
A government office t is responsible for overseeing and advising with regard to the Freedom of Information Law, the Open Meetings Law and the Personal Privacy Protection Law. The committee’s website is extensive and includes thousands of opinion letters advising members of the public about how FOIL.
- Muckrock.com
Muckrock is an online “social” requesting platform for FOIL/FOIA. Its website contains thousands of requests and responses from people across the country that are searchable by location, agency, and keyword. For a small fee, Muckrock also provides a system to automate and manage filings requests electronically.
- Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press: NY Open Government Guide
The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press publishes a detailed guide explaining the law governing FOIL and other transparency laws in New York. It is updated periodically.