(a) Representation. A party may represent himself or herself or may appear by authorized representative. Parties that are not represented by an attorney may obtain information regarding contested case hearings on SOAH's public website at www.soah.texas.gov.

(b) Appearance by authorized representative. A party's authorized representative who has not entered an appearance as a matter of record in the proceeding shall enter an appearance by filing with SOAH appropriate documentation that contains the representative's mailing address, email address and telephone number. If the party's representative is not licensed to practice law in Texas and the authority of the representative is challenged, the representative must show authority to appear as the party's representative.

(c) Nonresident attorney. An attorney who is a resident of and licensed to practice law in another state and who is not an active member of the State Bar of Texas shall comply with the requirements of Tex. Gov't Code §82.0361 and Rule XIX of the Rules Governing Admission to the Bar of Texas before entering an appearance on behalf of a party at SOAH. Rule XIX may be found on the website of the Board of Law Examiners.

(d) Attorney in charge. When more than one attorney makes an appearance on behalf of a party, the attorney whose signature first appears on the initial pleading for a party shall be the attorney in charge for that party unless another attorney is specifically designated in writing. Unless otherwise ordered by the judge, all communications sent by SOAH or other parties regarding the matter shall be sent to the attorney in charge.

(e) This rule does not allow a person to engage in the unauthorized practice of law.

Source Note: The provisions of this §155.201 adopted to be effective November 26, 2008, 33 TexReg 9451; amended to be effective January 1, 2017, 41 TexReg 8593; amended to be effective November 29, 2020, 45 TexReg 8295