410.686a—Proceedings before a State or Federal court.
(a) Representation of claimant in court proceeding.
Any service rendered by any representative in any proceeding before any State or Federal court shall not be considered services in any proceeding before the Social Security Administration for purposes of §§ 410.686 and 410.686b. However, if the representative has also rendered services in connection with the claim in any proceeding before the Administration, as defined in § 410.686e, he must specify what, if any, amount of the fee he desires to charge is for services performed before the Administration, and if he charges any fee for such services, he must file the petition and furnish all of the information required by § 410.686c(a).
(b) Attorney fee allowed by a Federal court.
In any case where a Federal court in any proceeding under part B of title IV of the Act renders a judgment favorable to a claimant who was represented before the court by an attorney, and the court, pursuant to section 206(b) of the Social Security Act, allows to the attorney as part of its judgment a fee not in excess of 25 percent of the total of past-due benefits to which the claimant is entitled by reason of the judgment, the Administration may certify the amount of such fee for payment to such attorney out of, but not in addition to, the amount of the past-due benefits payable (see § 410.686d(a) ). No other fee may be certified for direct payment to such attorney for such representation.
(c) Past-due benefits defined.
The term past-due benefits as used in paragraph (b) of this section means the total accumulated amount of benefits payable under part B of title IV of the Act by reason of the court's judgment through the month prior to the month of the judgment favorable to the claimant who was represented by the attorney.