Agency Practice Act

5 U.S.C. § 500 (2012), originally enacted November 8, 1965, by Pub. L. No. 89-332, 79 Stat. 1281; incorporated into the U.S. Code by Pub. L. No. 90-83, 81 Stat. 195 (September 11, 1967) (with minor stylistic changes); amended by Pub. L. No. 106-113, Div. B, § 1000(a)(9) [Title IV, § 4732(b)(2)], Nov. 29, 1999, 113 Stat. 1536, 1501A-583.

Overview

The Agency Practice Act provides that an attorney in good standing in any state may represent persons before federal agencies. An agency may require an attorney to file a written declaration of current qualification and to state that he is authorized to represent the particular person before the agency. Similarly, a duly qualified certified public accountant may represent persons before the Internal Revenue Service. The Act was intended to prohibit agency established admission requirements for licensed attorneys and special enrollment requirements for CPAs. (Note: The Patent and Trademark Office is exempted from the Act. ) The Act expressly neither grants nor denies other persons the right to practice before an agency, nor does it authorize or limit an agency’s right to discipline or disbar persons practicing before it.

In 1982, the Administrative Conference adopted a statement on discipline of attorneys practicing before federal agencies. After studying agency concerns and existing disciplinary procedures, the Conference concluded that any current problems concerning attorney discipline before federal agencies were not of such magnitude or so widespread as to require legislative action or the adoption of uniform federal standards.

Legislative History

In 1957 the Department of Justice recommended discontinuing the practice of many agencies that required attorneys to apply for agency acceptance as practitioners. Several bills were introduced in the early 1960s to abolish agency admission requirements. By 1965, few agencies retained admission requirements, and only the Treasury Department and the Patent Office objected to discontinuing them. (See House Judiciary Committee Report, cited below.) Pub. L. No. 89-332 was enacted in 1965 with the passage of S. 1758.

In 1999, the Act was amended to substitute “Patent and Trademark Office” for “Patent Office.”

Source Note

The House report on S. 1758 is reprinted in U.S. Code Congressional and Administrative News. Professor Michael Cox’s 1982 report to the Administrative Conference discusses federal agency attorney discipline and contains an extensive bibliography.

Also relevant is section 9 (“Use of Nonattorneys”) of the Administrative Dispute Resolution Act.

Bibliography

Legislative History

• Report to Accompany S. 1758, Senate Committee on the Judiciary, S. Rep. No. 755, 89th Cong., 1st Sess. (1965).
• Report to Accompany S. 1758, House Committee on the Judiciary, H.R. Rep. No. 1141, 89th Cong., 1st Sess. (1965).

Other Government Documents

• Administrative Conference Committee on Governmental Processes, Report Concerning Discipline of Attorneys Practicing Before Federal Agencies, 1982 ACUS (Vol. II) 488.
• Admin. Conf. of the U.S., Recommendation 79-7, Appropriate Restrictions on Participation by a Former Agency Official in Matters Involving the Agency, 45 Fed. Reg. 2,309 (Jan. 11, 1980).
• Admin. Conf. of the U.S., Recommendation 86-1, Nonlawyer Assistance and Representation, 51 Fed. Reg. 25,641 (July 16, 1986).
• Admin. Conf. of the U.S., Statement on Discipline of Attorneys Practicing Before Federal Agencies, 47 Fed. Reg. 58,210 (Dec. 30, 1982).

Books and Articles

• Craig H. Allen, Attorney Ethics and Agency Practice: Representing Clients in Coast Guard Marine Casualty Investigations, 22 J. Mar. L. & Com. 225 (1991).
• American Bar Association, Report to the House of Delegates on Federal Agency Attorney Discipline (August 1982).
• Michael P. Cox, Regulation of Attorneys Practicing Before Federal Agencies, Report to the Administrative Conference of the U.S., 1982 ACUS (Vol. II) 491, reprinted in 34 Case W. Res. L. Rev. 173 (1984).
• Roberta S. Karmel, Rule 2(e)—A Reprise, 210 N.Y .L.J. 3 (1993).
• Melanie B. Leslie, Government Officials as Attorneys and Clients: Why Privilege the Privileged?, 77 Ind. L.J. 469 (2002).
• Nicholas M. Wenner, Comment, Determining Secondary Liability under Securities Laws: Attorney Beware!, 11 Hamline L. Rev. 61 (1988).

Agency Regulations

• Agriculture (7 C.F.R. § 1.26)
• Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection (12 C.F.R. § 1081.107)
• Commodity Futures Trading Commission
  • (17 C.F.R. § 10.11)
  • (17 C.F.R. Part 14)
• Consumer Product Safety Commission (16 C.F.R. Part 1025, Subpt. G)
• Drug Enforcement Administration (Justice)
  • Appearance; representation; authorization (21 C.F.R. § 1316.50)
  • Conduct of hearing and parties; ex parte communications (21 C.F.R. § 1316.51)
• Energy (10 C.F.R. § 1003.3)
• Environmental Protection Agency
  • (40 C.F.R. § 22.10)
  • (40 C.F.R. § 305.10)
• Farm Credit Administration
  • (12 C.F.R. § 622.3)
  • (12 C.F.R. Part 623)
• Federal Aviation Administration (Transportation) (14 C.F.R. § 13.33)
• Federal Communications Commission
  • Authority for representation (47 C.F.R. § 1.22)
  • Persons who may be admitted to practice (47 C.F.R. § 1.23)
  • Censure, suspension, or disbarment of attorneys (47 C.F.R. § 1.24)
• Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (12 C.F.R. § 308.6)
• Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (18 C.F.R. Part 385 Subpt. U)
• Federal Housing Finance Agency (12 C.F.R. Part 1209)
• Federal Maritime Commission (46 C.F.R. Part 502, Subpt. B)
• Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission
  • (29 C.F.R. § 2700.3)
  • (29 C.F.R. § 2700.80)
• Federal Reserve Board (12 C.F.R. § 263.6)
• Federal Trade Commission (16 C.F.R. § 4.1)
• Food and Drug Administration (21 C.F.R. § 12.40)
• General Services Administration (Board of Contract Appeals) (48 C.F.R. § 6101.5)
• Homeland Security (Immigration cases) (8 C.F.R. Part 292)
• Housing and Urban Development
  • Respondent's representative (24 C.F.R. § 26.7)
  • Standards of practice (24 C.F.R. § 26.8)
• Interior (43 C.F.R. Part 1)
• Internal Revenue Service
  • (26 C.F.R. 601.502)
  • (31 C.F.R. Part 10)
• Justice (Immigration cases) (28 C.F.R. § 68.33(c))
• Labor
  • (29 C.F.R. § 18.22)
  • (29 C.F.R. § 417.8)
  • Benefits Review Board (20 C.F.R. § 802.202)
  • Employees’ Compensation Appeals Board (20 C.F.R. § 501.9)
  • Longshoremen’s and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act (20 C.F.R. § 702.131)
• Maritime Administration (Transportation)
  • Attorneys or agents (46 C.F.R. § 201.15)
  • Service of process and other documents (46 C.F.R. § 201.16)
• Merit Systems Protection Board (5 C.F.R. § 1201.31)
• National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (Transportation) (49 C.F.R. Part 511, Subpt. H)
• National Labor Relations Board (29 C.F.R. § 102.177)
• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Commerce) (15 C.F.R. § 904.5)
• National Science Foundation (45 C.F.R. § 672.6)
• National Transportation Safety Board (49 C.F.R. § 821.6)
• Navy (JAG cases) (32 C.F.R. Part 776)
• Nuclear Regulatory Commission (10 C.F.R. § 2.314)
• Occupational Safety & Health Review Commission
  • Representation of parties and intervenors (29 C.F.R. § 2200.22)
  • Appearances and withdrawals (29 C.F.R. § 2200.23)
• Postal Rate Commission (39 C.F.R. § 3001.6)
• Postal Service (39 C.F.R. Part 951)
• Securities and Exchange Commission
  • (17 C.F.R. § 201.102)
  • (17 C.F.R. Part 205)
• Small Business Administration (13 C.F.R. § 134.208)
• Social Security Administration (20 C.F.R. Part 404, Subpt. R)
• Surface Transportation Board (Transportation) (49 C.F.R. Part 1103)
• Transportation, Office of the Secretary (Aviation proceedings) (14 C.F.R. § 302.416)
• Treasury (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms) (31 C.F.R. Part 8)
• United States International Trade Commission (19 C.F.R. § 201.15)
• Veterans Affairs (Board of Veterans’ Appeals) (38 C.F.R. Part 14)

Statutory Provisions

Agency Practice Act, 5 U.S.C. § 500 (2012).