(a) Covered attorneys shall maintain the highest standards of professional ethical conduct. Loyalty and fidelity to the United States, to the law, to clients both institutional and individual, and to the rules and principles of professional ethical conduct set forth in subpart B of this part must come before private gain or personal interest.
(b) Whether conduct or failure to act constitutes a violation of the professional duties imposed by this part is a matter within the sole discretion of JAG or officials authorized to act for JAG. Rules contained in subpart B of this part are not substitutes for, and do not take the place of, other rules and standards governing DON personnel such as the Department of Defense Joint Ethics Regulation, the Code of Conduct, the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ), and the general precepts of ethical conduct to which all DON service members and employees are expected to adhere. Similarly, action taken per this part is not supplanted or barred by, and does not, even if the underlying misconduct is the same, supplant or bar the following action from being taken by authorized officials:
(1) Punitive or disciplinary action under the UCMJ; or
(2) Administrative action under the Manual for Courts-Martial, U.S. Navy Regulations, or under other applicable authority.
(c) Inquiries into allegations of professional misconduct will normally be held in abeyance until any related criminal investigation or proceeding is complete. However, a pending criminal investigation or proceeding does not bar the initiation or completion of a professional misconduct investigation (subpart C of this part) stemming from the same or related incidents or prevent the JAG from imposing professional disciplinary sanctions as provided for in this part.