(a) The Attorney General serves as the State of Texas' legal counsel and the Office of the Attorney General therefore represents state agencies and institutions of higher education. Accordingly, Agencies may not retain or select any Outside Counsel without first receiving authorization and approval from the Office of the Attorney General to do so. The Office of the Attorney General will determine if retaining Outside Counsel is in the best interest of the State.     
      (b) An Agency requiring legal services from Outside Counsel must first submit a completed Request to Retain Outside Counsel form to the Office of the Attorney General. The form and instructions for submitting the form are available on the Office of the Attorney General's official website or upon request from the General Counsel Division of the Office of the Attorney General.     
      (c) No later than ten (10) business days of receipt of the Request to Retain Outside Counsel form, the Office of the Attorney General will notify the requesting Agency that:      
        (1) the Agency's request has been approved and it may proceed with the process of selecting Outside Counsel;       
        (2) the Agency's request has been denied; or       
        (3) the Agency must provide the Office of the Attorney General with additional information before a decision to approve or deny the request will be made.       
      (d) A notification under subsection (c)(1) of this section may include limitations and requirements on the selection and retention of Outside Counsel, including, but not limited to, the requirement that the requesting Agency use the Request for Qualification Process outlined in §57.4 of this chapter.     
      (e) A notification under subsection (c)(1) of this section does not constitute approval of an Outside Counsel Contract.     
      (f) Except as expressly allowed by a Texas statute, final decision by the Texas Supreme Court or a final judgment by a federal court, an Agency requiring legal services from Outside Counsel on a contingency fee arrangement must first seek the written approval of the Executive Director of the Legislative Budget Board, or their authorized designee, before submitting a Request to Retain Outside Counsel form pursuant to subsection (b) of this section. The Office of the Attorney General shall not approve an Agency's Request to Retain Outside Counsel, involving a contingency fee arrangement, until the Agency provides the Office of the Attorney General with the written approval of the Executive Director of the Legislative Budget Board, or their authorized designee.     
     Source Note:        The provisions of this §57.3 adopted to be effective March 27, 2012, 37 TexReg 2065