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The Office of Administrative Hearings shall schedule hearings to provide thirty (30) days notice of the hearing date to the parties, unless waived by them. Because of issues of attachment and the best interests of the child, requests for hearings regarding the placement of children shall receive priority over other appeal cases. (2) The notice of hearing shall include the following: (a) Date, time, and place of the hearing; (b) Statement of the issues; (c) Notice of the right to appoint a representative; (d) Notice that the claimant/petitioner’s failure to appear without good cause will result in dismissal of the appeal; (e) Request to notify the OAH if special accommodations or a translator will be needed at the hearing. (3) Pre-Hearing Conferences (a) Upon request of a party or a hearing officer/committee member, a pre-hearing conference may be held prior to the hearing to simplify the issues to be determined; to obtain stipulations as to the admissibility of evidence, undisputed facts or the application of a particular law; to identify and exchange documentary evidence intended to be introduced at the hearing; to determine deadlines for the completion of any discovery and, if possible, to reach a settlement. (b) A pre-hearing conference shall be an informal proceeding conducted by the hearing officer and may be conducted via telephone, in the discretion of the hearing officer/presiding committee member. (c) Any agreement reached may be the subject of an order issued by the hearing officer. (4) Motions (a) All pre-hearing motions shall contain the caption of the case, title of the motion, the name, address and signature of the person preparing it, the grounds for relief and the relief sought. (b) All motions shall be filed and served upon the opposing party not later than ten (10) days before the hearing date, unless otherwise ordered by the hearing officer. (c) A party may file and serve a response to a motion within ten (10) days unless the time is extended or shortened by the hearing officer. (d) A motion for a continuance shall state the reasons for the request and whether the opposing party has consented to the request; however, no such motion may be made ex-parte except in an emergency when notice to the opposing party is not feasible. (e) Any motion regarding discovery shall state that the moving party has made a good faith attempt to resolve, with the other party, the issues raised by the motion. (f) The hearing officer may rule on the basis of the written motion and any response thereto or may order argument on the motion. The decision to hold oral argument is within the discretion of the hearing officer. (5) Discovery Discovery shall be permitted as provided in S.C. Code Ann. Section 1–23–320 (1976 & Supp. 1993); however, each party shall be limited to taking three depositions, except for good cause shown. (6) Pre-Hearing Exchange of Information Upon notice, the hearing officer may, in appropriate cases, require the parties to exchange prior to the hearing: (a) a final list of witnesses the party reasonably expects to testify; (b) a final list of all exhibits expected to be offered at the hearing; (c) a final list of all facts that the party intends to request judicial notice of, with supporting documentation. H. Dismissals