(a) If an SBA employee engages in conduct, within the scope of his or her employment, which gives rise to a claim, and the SBA Administrator or designee determines that any of the following actions relating to the claim are in SBA's interest, SBA may:

(1) Indemnify the employee after a verdict, judgment, or other monetary award is rendered personally against the employee in any civil suit in state or federal court or any arbitration proceeding;

(2) Settle or compromise the claim; and/or

(3) Pay for, or request that the Department of Justice provide, legal representation to the employee once personally named in such a suit.

(b) If you are an SBA employee, you may ask SBA to settle or compromise your claim, provide you with legal representation, or provide you with indemnification for a verdict, judgment or award entered against you in a suit. To do so, you must submit a timely, written request to the General Counsel, with appropriate documentation, including copies of any pleadings, verdict, judgment, award, or settlement proposal. The General Counsel will decide all requests for representation or settlement, and will forward to the Administrator, with the accompanying documentation and a recommendation, any requests for indemnification.

(c) Any payments by SBA under this section will be contingent upon the availability of appropriated funds.

When attorneys employed by SBA participate in any process in which SBA seeks to determine whether SBA should request the Department of Justice to provide representation to an SBA employee sued, subpoenaed, or charged in his or her individual capacity, or whether attorneys employed by SBA should provide representational assistance for such an employee, those attorneys undertake a full and traditional attorney-client relationship with the employee with respect to the attorney-client privilege. If representation is authorized, SBA attorneys who assist in the representation of an SBA employee also undertake a full and traditional attorney-client relationship with the employee with respect to the attorney-client privilege. Unless authorized by the employee, the attorney must not disclose to anyone other than attorneys also responsible for the employee's representation information communicated to the attorney by the client-employee during the course of the attorney-client relationship. The attorney-client privilege will continue with respect to that information whether or not representation is provided, and even if the employee's representation is denied or discontinued.