The Legal Services Corporation ("LSC" or "Corporation") was established as a private nonmembership nonprofit corporation by the Legal Services Corporation Act, Pub. L. 93-355 (1974), as amended, 42 U.S.C. ¢2996 et seq. Section 2996(g)of Title 42 provides that the Corporation is subject to the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act ("FOIA"), 5 U.S.C. ¢552. This report is submitted pursuant to the FOIA and covers the Corporation's FOIA activities from January 1 through September 30, 1997. See 5 U.S.C. ¢552, as amended.

From January 1 through September 30, 1997, the Corporation received a total of 64 requests for information under the FOIA and released documents in response to 52 of these requests. Of these 52 requests, the Corporation fully granted 39 requests and partially granted 13 requests. Two requests were denied in their entirety. The Corporation did not possess any documents responsive to 6 requests, and 4 requests were withdrawn.

Of the 13 requests that were partially granted and 2 requests that were denied in their entirety, the Corporation used 5 U.S.C. ¢552(b)(4), which protects trade secrets and commercial or financial information obtained from a person and privileged or confidential, 12 times; 5 U.S.C. ¢552(b)(5), which protects memoranda of a predecisional nature, 4 times; 5 U.S.C. ¢552(b)(6), which protects information about individuals in personnel or similar files, the disclosure of which would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy, 12 times.

All initial denials for release of documents under the FOIA during the reporting period for 1997 were made by JoAnn Gretch, LSC's FOIA Administrator, under the supervision of General Counsel Victor M. Fortuno.

In the reporting period for 1997, there was one appeal. The requester appealed a "no records" response, and the original response was upheld.

No proceedings were conducted pursuant to 5 U.S.C. ¢552 (a)(4)(F) during the reporting period for 1997, nor were there any disciplinary actions taken against an officer or employee for improperly withholding records.

Copies of Parts 1602 and 1619 of the Legal Services Corporation regulations are attached. They deal, respectively, with the FOIA procedures for the Corporation and the procedure for disclosure of information by recipients of Corporation funds.

A copy of the fee schedule is included in the Corporation's regulations. See 45 C.F.R. ¢1602.13. The total amount of fees collected during the reporting period for 1997 was $142.04.

January 5, 1998

back to top ^