280.213—Prehearing conference.
(a)
The administrative law judge, on his or her own motion or on request of a party, may direct the parties to participate in a prehearing conference, either in person or by telephone, to consider:
(1)
Simplification of issues;
(2)
The necessity or desirability of amendments to pleadings;
(3)
Obtaining stipulations of fact and of documents to avoid unnecessary proof; or
(4)
Such other matters as may expedite the disposition of the proceedings.
(b)
The administrative law judge may order the conference proceedings to be recorded electronically or taken by a reporter, transcribed and filed with the ALJ.
(c)
If a prehearing conference is impracticable, the administrative law judge may direct the parties to correspond with the ALJ to achieve the purposes of such a conference.
(d)
The administrative law judge will prepare a summary of any actions agreed on or taken pursuant to this section. The summary will include any written stipulations or agreements made by the parties.