[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 7, Volume 1]
[Revised as of January 1, 2005]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 7CFR1.26]

[Page 22]
 
                          TITLE 7--AGRICULTURE
 
PART 1_ADMINISTRATIVE REGULATIONS--Table of Contents
 
                   Subpart B_Departmental Proceedings
 
Sec. 1.26  Representation before the Department of Agriculture.


    (a) Applicability. This section applies to all hearings and other 
proceedings before the Department of Agriculture, except to the extent 
that any other regulation of the Department may specifically make this 
section, or any part of this section, inapplicable as to particular 
hearings or other proceedings.
    (b) Administrative provisions. (1) In any hearing or other 
proceeding before the Department of Agriculture, the parties may appear 
in person or by counsel or other representative. Persons who appear as 
counsel or in a representative capacity in any hearing or proceeding 
must conform to the standards of ethical conduct required of 
practitioners before the U.S. District Court for the District of 
Columbia, and to any applicable standards of ethical conduct established 
by statutes, executive orders and regulations.
    (2) Whenever the Secretary finds, after notice and opportunity for 
hearing, that a person who is acting or has acted as counsel or 
representative in any hearing or other proceeding before the Department 
has not conformed to any such standards of ethical conduct, the 
Secretary may order that such person be precluded from acting as counsel 
or representative in any hearing or other proceeding before the 
Department for such period of time as the Secretary deems warranted. 
Whenever the Secretary has probable cause to believe that any person who 
is acting or has acted as counsel or representative in any such hearing 
or other proceeding has not conformed to any such standards of ethical 
conduct, the Secretary may, by written notice to such person, suspend 
the person from acting as such a counsel or representative pending 
completion of the procedures specified in the preceding sentence.
    (3) No employee or former employee of the Department shall be 
permitted to represent any person before the Department in connection 
with any particular matter as to which by reason of employment with the 
Department the employee or former employee acquired personal knowledge 
of such a nature that it would be improper, unethical, or contrary to 
the public interest for the employee or former employee so to act.
    (4) This section shall not be construed to prevent an employee or 
former employee of the Department from appearing as a witness in any 
hearing or other proceeding before the Department.

(18 U.S.C. 203, 205, 207)

[32 FR 5458, Apr. 1, 1967, as amended at 60 FR 66480, Dec. 22, 1995]