(a) When appropriate. The administrative law judge in any investigation may direct counsel or other representatives for all parties to meet with him for one or more conferences to consider any or all of the following:

(1) Simplification and clarification of the issues;

(2) Negotiation, compromise, or settlement of the case, in whole or in part;

(3) Scope of the hearing;

(4) Necessity or desirability of amendments to pleadings subject, however, to the provisions of §210.14 (b) and (c);

(5) Stipulations and admissions of either fact or the content and authenticity of documents;

(6) Expedition in the discovery and presentation of evidence including, but not limited to, restriction of the number of expert, economic, or technical witnesses; and

(7) Such other matters as may aid in the orderly and expeditious disposition of the investigation including disclosure of the names of witnesses and the exchange of documents or other physical exhibits that will be introduced in evidence in the course of the hearing.

(b) Subpoenas. Prehearing conferences may be convened for the purpose of accepting returns on subpoenas duces tecum issued pursuant to §210.32(a)(3).

(c) Reporting. In the discretion of the administrative law judge, prehearing conferences may or may not be stenographically reported and may or may not be public.

(d) Order. The administrative law judge may enter in the record an order that recites the results of the conference. Such order shall include the administrative law judge's rulings upon matters considered at the conference, together with appropriate direction to the parties. The administrative law judge's order shall control the subsequent course of the hearing, unless the administrative law judge modifies the order.

[59 FR 39039, Aug. 1, 1994, as amended at 73 FR 38324, July 7, 2008]