Agency Practice Act

5 U.S.C. § 500 (2012), originally enacted by Pub. L. No. 89-332, 79 Stat. 1281, Nov. 8, 1965; incorporated into the U.S. Code by Pub. L. No. 90-83, 81 Stat. 195, Sept. 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. However, 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 (CPA) may represent persons before the Internal Revenue Service. The Agency Practice Act was intended to prohibit agency-established admission requirements for licensed attorneys and special enrollment requirements for CPAs. The Agency Practice Act 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. The Patent and Trademark Office is exempted from the Agency Practice Act with respect to patent matters.

In 1982, ACUS adopted a statement on discipline of attorneys practicing before federal agencies. After studying agency concerns and existing disciplinary procedures, ACUS 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. H.R. Rep. No. 1141 (1965). Pub. L. No. 89-332 was enacted in 1965 with the passage of S. 1758.

In 1999, the Agency Practice 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 ACUS discusses federal agency attorney discipline and contains an extensive bibliography.

Also relevant is section 9 (“Use of Nonattorneys”) of the Administrative Dispute Resolution Act (5 U.S.C. § 571 note).

Bibliography

Legislative History and Congressional Documents

• S. Rep. No. 755 (1965).
• H.R. Rep. No. 1141 (1965).

ACUS Recommendations and Other Documents

• 79-7 Appropriate Restrictions on Participation by a Former Agency Official in Matters Involving the Agency.
• 86-1 Nonlawyer Assistance and Representation.
• 2021-9 Regulation of Representatives in Agency Adjudicative Proceedings.
• 2024-7 Nonlawyer Assistance and Representation in Agency Adjudication.
• Statement on Discipline of Attorneys Practicing Before Federal Agencies, 47 Fed. Reg. 58210 (Dec. 30, 1982).
• Model Rules of Representative Conduct (2024)

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).
• ABA, Report to the House of Delegates on Federal Agency Attorney Discipline (Aug. 1982).
• Comm. on Governmental Processes, Report Concerning Discipline of Attorneys Practicing Before Federal Agencies (1982) (report to ACUS).
• Federal Administrative Procedure Sourcebook 431-7 (William Funk & Jeffrey S. Lubbers eds., 5th ed. 2016).
• George M. Cohen, The Laws of Agency Lawyering, 84 Fordham L. Rev. 1963 (2016).
• George M. Cohen, Regulation of Representatives in Agency Adjudicative Proceedings (Dec. 3, 2021) (report to ACUS).
• Michael P. Cox, Regulation of Attorneys Practicing Before Federal Agencies (1982) (report to ACUS).
• 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).
• Amy Widman, Nonlawyer Assistance and Representation (Dec. 9, 2024) (report to the Admin. Conf. of the U.S.).

Agency Regulations

• Agriculture (7 C.F.R. § 1.26)
• Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board (36 C.F.R. § 1150.14)
• Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection (12 C.F.R. § 1081.107)
• Commerce:
  • National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Commerce) (15 C.F.R. § 904.5)
  • International Trade Administration (15 C.F.R. § 351.103)
• Commodity Futures Trading Commission (17 C.F.R. Part 14)
• Consumer Product Safety Commission (16 C.F.R. Part 1025, Subpt. G)
• Defense:
  • Navy Judge Advocate General (32 C.F.R. Part 776)
  • Selective Service System National Appeal Board (32 C.F.R. 1653.3)
• Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (10 C.F.R. § 1708.112)
• Education:
  • Office of Civil Rights (34 C.F.R. Part 101, Subpt. B)
• Energy (10 C.F.R. § 1003.3)
• Environmental Protection Agency:
  • General (40 C.F.R. § 22.10)
  • Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (40 C.F.R. § 305.10)
  • Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention (40 C.F.R. § 305.10)
• Farm Credit Administration (12 C.F.R. § 622.3; Part 623)
• Federal Communications Commission (47 C.F.R. Part 1, Subpt. A)
• Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (12 C.F.R. § 308.6)
• Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (18 C.F.R. Part 385 Subpt. U)
• Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council (12 C.F.R. Part 1102, Subpt. B)
• 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; § 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)
• Health and Human Services (45 C.F.R. Part 81, Subpt. B)
• Homeland Security:
  • Immigration (8 C.F.R. Part 292)
  • Coast Guard (3 C.F.R. § 20.301)
• Housing and Urban Development (24 C.F.R. § 26.7; § 26.8)
• Interior:
  • Office of the Secretary (43 C.F.R. Part 1)
  • Court of Indian Offenses (25 C.F.R. § 11.205)
• Internal Revenue Service (26 C.F.R. 601.502; 31 C.F.R. Part 10)
• Justice:
  • Drug Enforcement Agency (21 C.F.R. Part 1316, Subpt. D)
  • Immigration (28 C.F.R. § 68.33(c))
  • Federal Prison Industries, Inc. (28 C.F.R. § 301.304)
  • Foreign Claims Settlement Commission (40 C.F.R. Part 500)

• Labor:
  • General (29 C.F.R. § 18.22)
  • Office of Labor-Management Standards (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)
• Merit Systems Protection Board (5 C.F.R. § 1201.31)
• National Credit Union Administration (12 C.F.R. Part 747, Subpt. A)
• National Labor Relations Board (29 C.F.R. § 102.177)
• National Science Foundation (45 C.F.R. § 672.6)
• National Transportation Safety Board (49 C.F.R. § 821.6)
• Nuclear Regulatory Commission (10 C.F.R. § 2.314)
• Occupational Safety & Health Review Commission (29 C.F.R. § 2200, Subpt. B)
• Postal Rate Commission (39 C.F.R. § 3010.43)
• Postal Service (39 C.F.R. Part 951)
• Securities and Exchange Commission:
  • Appearance and practice before the Commission (17 C.F.R. § 201.102)
  • Standards of professional conduct for attorneys appearing and practicing before the Commission in the representation of an issuer (17 C.F.R. Part 205)
• Small Business Administration (13 C.F.R. § 134.208)
• Social Security Administration:
  • Federal Old-Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance (20 C.F.R. Part 404, Subpt. R)
  • Supplemental Security Income (20 C.F.R. Part 416, Subpt. O)
• 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)
• United States Patent and Trademark Office (Trademark and other non-patent matters): (37 C.F.R. § 11.14)
• Veterans Affairs (Board of Veterans’ Appeals) (38 C.F.R. Part 14)

Statutory Provisions

Agency Practice Act

Title 5 U.S. Code

§ 500. Administrative practice; general provisions