(a) General requirement. Every filing or submission of record following the issuance of a notice of charges shall be signed by at least one counsel of record in his or her individual name and shall state counsel's address, email address, and telephone number. A party who acts as his or her own counsel shall sign his or her individual name and state his or her address, email address, and telephone number on every filing or submission of record. Papers filed by electronic transmission may be signed with an “/s/” notation, which shall be deemed the signature of the party or representative whose name appears below the signature line.

(b) Effect of signature.

(1) The signature of counsel or a party shall constitute a certification that: the counsel or party has read the filing or submission of record; to the best of his or her knowledge, information, and belief formed after reasonable inquiry, the filing or submission of record is well-grounded in fact and is warranted by existing law or a good faith argument for the extension, modification, or reversal of existing law; and the filing or submission of record is not made for any improper purpose, such as to harass or to cause unnecessary delay or needless increase in the cost of litigation.

(2) If a filing or submission of record is not signed, the hearing officer shall strike the filing or submission of record, unless it is signed promptly after the omission is called to the attention of the filer.

(c) Effect of making oral motion or argument. The act of making any oral motion or oral argument by any counsel or party constitutes a certification that to the best of his or her knowledge, information, and belief formed after reasonable inquiry, his or her statements are well-grounded in fact and are warranted by existing law or a good faith argument for the extension, modification, or reversal of existing law, and are not made for any improper purpose, such as to harass or to cause unnecessary delay or needless increase in the cost of litigation.

(d) Sanctions. Counsel or a party that fails to abide by the requirements of this section may be subject to sanctions pursuant to §1081.104(b)(13).