Frequently Asked Questions for Attorneys

Yes. CLE hours may be earned via in-person or distance-learning format. Distance learning includes both online programs and “real-time” or “streamed” seminars; the program must have interactive components.

The Commission requires all distance learning to have a tracking mechanism and attendance certification by the provider. This includes webinars, recorded online sessions, and audio-only sessions.

Each attorney must complete a total of 15 hours of CLE per year, consisting of no less than 12 General hours and three Ethics/Professionalism (E/P) hours. All E/P credit is designated as Dual credit. Dual credit is first applied as E/P credit, and any remaining credit is applied as General credit.

Tennessee no longer requires a minimum number of in-person hours. All hours may be earned online.

Absolutely! The Commission must receive a completed Annual Report Statement (ARS) and any fees due by March 31 each year. Failure to file an ARS may result in financial penalties.

The Commission will file an ARS for any attorney who has earned all required hours and paid all outstanding fees. 

Yes, attorneys on any inactive status with the Board of Professional Responsibility, or who are otherwise exempt from Tennessee Supreme Court Rule 9 under Section 10.3, are automatically designated as inactive with the CLE Commission during the time they are inactive or exempt, unless otherwise ordered by the Tennessee Supreme Court. 

YES! Ignoring pending attendance can cost you money.

CLE compliance means you have earned your hours or claimed an exemption, AND all fees have been paid.

If you owe posting fees for pending attendance ($2 per credit hour), you are not in compliance and will be assessed noncompliance fees if deadlines pass.

Log into your account. You have three choices:

(1) Pay the $2/hour attendance fees and receive credit for all the hours. Please keep in mind that you can carry forward only one year’s worth of hours.

(2) Reduce the number of hours by editing the hours in your online account and then pay the corresponding attendance fee.

(3) Delete all of the pending attendance hours, and the fees due will also be deleted.

Please note that pending attendance is NOT counted toward the 15-hour requirement, nor is it eligible to be carried forward, until is it paid for and becomes attendance rather than pending attendance.

If you were sworn in prior to September 1, you must complete the full 15-hour CLE obligation for the year.

If you were sworn in on or after September 1, your CLE obligation begins the year after you were activated.

Yes, up to one full year’s worth of both General hours (12) and Ethics/Professionalism hours (3) can be carried forward to the next compliance year.

Yes. Please pay all noncompliance fees and ensure that the hours included on your Affidavit are reported by the provider and appear on your account. It is the attorney’s responsibility to ensure attendance is timely and accurately reported in order to avoid fines and possible suspension of their license.

Non-accredited courses submitted by attorneys for approval are not eligible for an Affidavit of Compliance.

Yes. There are a few ways to report out-of-state CLE.

If the course you’ve taken is accredited in Tennessee, just ask the provider to report your hours to Tennessee. Providers of accredited courses are required to report and pay for CLE hours.

If the course has not been accredited in Tennessee, you or your provider will need to get the course accredited for you to receive CLE credit. First, confirm that your provider has not sought and will not seek accreditation of the course. If the provider won’t accredit the course, follow these steps to seek accreditation.

Courses may be accredited after the attorney has participated in the session.

Finally, if you are licensed in another state and in compliance there, you may qualify for “comity compliance.” This allows you to use your compliance from another approved state to meet Tennessee’s CLE obligation. The list of jurisdictions that are eligible for comity compliance may be found here.

The Supreme Court typically enters the final Suspension Order in mid-August. Attorneys have until August 10 to submit compliance records to the Commission. The Court enters the Order at its discretion. See Tenn. Sup. Ct. R. 21 § 7.07.

Tennessee’s compliance year for CLE runs from January 1 through December 31.   See Tenn. Sup. Ct. R. 21 § 3.01.

Please do not confuse the compliance year with the Board of Professional Responsibility’s licensing year, which is based on your birthday. The CLE Commission and the BPR are separate agencies of the Tennessee Supreme Court.

The CLE compliance year runs from January 1 to December 31. Hours must be completed by 11:59:59 p.m. on December 31, or you will be assessed a $100 penalty.

Your provider will report your attendance based on when you COMPLETE a course. If you begin a one-hour course at 11:45 p.m. on 12/31 and complete it at 12:45 a.m. on 1/1, that hour is considered earned on 1/1. The Commission defers to the provider for confirmation of when a course is completed. Please keep in mind that providers in different time zones may have varied reporting policies.

If you are assessed the $100 noncompliance fee but qualify for an exemption, you can avoid the penalty by claiming the exemption on your Annual Report Statement, which you will receive in February after the close of compliance year. Your exemption must be received by March 31 to avoid the $100 late penalty.

• December 31 – Deadline for earning hours without $100 late fee.
• February 28 – The Annual Report Statement (“ARS”) is emailed to attorneys.
• March 31 – The ARS must be completed and submitted to the Commission via the website for attorneys reporting hours or claiming an exemption. 
• April 30 – Notices of Non-Compliance sent certified mail to noncompliant attorneys who have  insufficient hours or owe fees.
• May 31 – Deadline for establishing compliance by filing the Affidavit of Compliance or claiming a valid exemption.  Compliance means the hours necessary for compliance have been earned or a valid exemption has been claimed and all fees have been paid.  Failure to comply with this deadline will result in the imposition of the $200 continuing noncompliance penalty.
• June 1 – $200 late fee assessed to noncompliant attorneys who have not filed Affidavit of Compliance and paid all fees due.
• June 28 – Draft Suspension Order sent by certified mail to noncompliant attorneys.
• August 10 — Deadline for filing Affidavit of Compliance and paying all fees to avoid being included on the Suspension Order submitted to the Tennessee Supreme Court.
• August 15 – Commission submits Suspension Order to the Tennessee Supreme Court. Attorneys not in active status with BPR are placed in suspended status and assessed a $500 suspension fee. Upon entry of the Suspension Order by the Court, a $500 suspension fee is assessed to noncompliant, active status attorneys, and those attorneys are moved to suspended status.

Yes, attorneys on any inactive status with the Board of Professional Responsibility, or who are otherwise exempt from Tennessee Supreme Court Rule 9 under Section 10.3, are automatically designated as inactive with the CLE Commission, unless otherwise ordered by the Tennessee Supreme Court. 

Before resuming the practice of law in any U.S. jurisdiction, attorneys are required to make up any CLE missed during the last two years. 

“The Commission shall recognize the following exemptions:

(a) Nonresident attorneys from other jurisdictions who are temporarily admitted to practice for a case or proceeding shall not be subject to [Rule 21];

(b) Members of the Armed Forces on active duty shall not be subject to this Rule. Any attorney claiming active duty military exemption shall provide to the Commission a copy of his/her military orders in order to qualify for exemption. An attorney who leaves active duty military service prior to September 1st of the compliance year shall not be entitled to the military exemption for that year. This exemption shall be claimed by completing the pertinent section on the Annual Report Statement and filing the Statement with the Commission;

(c) An attorney shall not be subject to the requirements of the Rule after age seventy (70), upon claiming application of the exemption. This exemption shall not include the calendar year in which the attorney becomes seventy (70) years of age. However, any attorney who reached age sixty-five (65) on or before December 31, 2014, shall also be eligible for exemption from the requirements of this Rule pursuant to the age-related exemption granted by the version of Rule 21 in effect on December 31, 2014 upon filing an application with the Commission. This exemption shall be claimed by completing the pertinent section on the Annual Report Statement and filing the Statement with the Commission;

(d) An attorney who is licensed to practice law in Tennessee but who resided outside of the State and did not practice Tennessee law during the compliance year may request an annual exemption from [Rule 21]. This exemption shall be requested annually by completing the pertinent section on the Annual Report Statement and filing the Statement with the Commission;

(e) Full time Tennessee law school professors who did not engage in the practice of law during the compliance year shall not be subject to [Rule 21].

This exemption shall be claimed annually by completing the pertinent section on the Annual Report Statement and filing the Statement with the Commission;

(f) An attorney holding an elective office in the Executive or Legislative branches of government and who is prohibited by law from practicing law or who certifies that s/he has not practiced law during the compliance year is exempt while holding such office.

This exemption shall be claimed annually by completing the pertinent section on the Annual Report Statement and filing the Statement with the Commission.

(g) All Justices, Judges, and Magistrate Judges of the federal system shall not be subject to the requirements of [Rule 21] in view of their required comparable continuing legal education programs.

This exemption shall be claimed annually by completing the pertinent section on the Annual Report Statement and filing the Statement with the Commission.”

Tenn. Sup. Ct. R. 21 § 2.03

PLEASE NOTE THAT THESE EXEMPTIONS WILL NOT BE AVAILABLE FOR THE 2026 COMPLIANCE YEAR.

Yes. Exceptional relief is provided only for the compliance year(s) specified in the Commission’s grant of such relief. It is not ongoing.

No, attorneys on inactive status are not required to earn CLE.

Before resuming the practice of law in any U.S. jurisdiction, attorneys are required to make up any CLE missed during the last two years. 

Attorneys are not automatically exempt, but may be eligible to claim one of the exemptions enumerated in Tennessee Supreme Court Rule 21, Section 2. Other than the age exemption, exemptions must be claimed annually after the December 31 close of each compliance year by filing an online Annual Report Statement (ARS). Failure to timely file an ARS may result in financial penalties or suspension of an attorney’s law license.

The Commission recognizes the following exemptions:

“(a) Nonresident attorneys from other jurisdictions who are temporarily admitted to practice for a case or proceeding shall not be subject to [Rule 21];

(b) Members of the Armed Forces on active duty shall not be subject to [Rule 21]. Any attorney claiming active duty military exemption shall provide to the Commission a copy of his/her military orders in order to qualify for exemption. An attorney who leaves active duty military service prior to September 1st of the compliance year shall not be entitled to the military exemption for that year. This exemption shall be claimed by completing the pertinent section on the Annual Report Statement and filing the Statement with the Commission;

(c) An attorney shall not be subject to the requirements of [Rule 21] after age seventy (70), upon claiming application of the exemption. This exemption shall not include the calendar year in which the attorney becomes seventy (70) years of age. However, any attorney who reached age sixty-five (65) on or before December 31, 2014, shall also be eligible for exemption from the requirements of [Rule 21] pursuant to the age-related exemption granted by the version of Rule 21 in effect on December 31, 2014 upon filing an application with the Commission. This exemption shall be claimed by completing the pertinent section on the Annual Report Statement and filing the Statement with the Commission;

(d) An attorney who is licensed to practice law in Tennessee but who resided outside of the State and did not practice Tennessee law during the compliance year may request an annual exemption from [Rule 21]. This exemption shall be requested annually by completing the pertinent section on the Annual Report Statement and filing the Statement with the Commission;

(e) Full time Tennessee law school professors who did not engage in the practice of law during the compliance year shall not be subject to [Rule 21].

This exemption shall be claimed annually by completing the pertinent section on the Annual Report Statement and filing the Statement with the Commission;

(f) An attorney holding an elective office in the Executive or Legislative branches of government and who is prohibited by law from practicing law or who certifies that s/he has not practiced law during the compliance year is exempt while holding such office.

This exemption shall be claimed annually by completing the pertinent section on the Annual Report Statement and filing the Statement with the Commission.

(g) All Justices, Judges, and Magistrate Judges of the federal system shall not be subject to the requirements of [Rule 21] in view of their required comparable continuing legal education programs.

This exemption shall be claimed annually by completing the pertinent section on the Annual Report Statement and filing the Statement with the Commission.”

Tenn. Sup. Ct. R. 21 § 2.03.

PLEASE NOTE THAT THESE EXEMPTIONS WILL NOT BE AVAILABLE FOR THE 2026 COMPLIANCE YEAR.

No, if you practiced Tennessee law, even briefly, you cannot claim the exemption for the year. Remember that providing counsel and advice counts as the practice of law.

PLEASE NOTE THAT THE NON-RESIDENT EXEMPTION WILL NOT BE AVAILABLE FOR THE 2026 COMPLIANCE YEAR. 

Attorneys who have reached the age of 71 are exempt from Tennessee Supreme Court Rule 21 and are no longer required to earn CLE. However, they may continue to earn as much CLE as they wish. The age exemption is applied automatically.

If you qualify for an exemption, you may claim it after the compliance year ends (on December 31) when you file your Annual Report Statement. The Commission sends out Annual Report Statements by the end of February each year.

To avoid penalty, you must claim your exemption by March 31. If you fail to claim your penalty by the deadline, you will be assessed a $100 noncompliance fee.

To avoid further penalty, you must pay the $100 noncompliance fee and claim your exemption (or complete your hours) by May 31. If you fail to do so, you will be assessed an additional $200 continuing noncompliance fee.

Attorneys who remain noncompliant after the May 31 deadline may be placed on the draft Suspension Order, submitted to the Tennessee Supreme Court on July 1, and ultimately may be suspended in August.

PLEASE NOTE THAT DUE TO AMENDMENTS TO TENNESSEE SUPREME COURT RULE 21, MANY CURRENT EXEMPTIONS WILL NO LONGER BE AVAILABLE FOR THE 2026 COMPLIANCE YEAR.

Attorneys on disability inactive status with the Board of Professional Responsibility are automatically placed on disability inactive status with the CLE Commission is exempt from CLE requirements. To return to active status, they must make up CLE credits missed while inactive, up to a maximum of two years of credit. Only credits earned in the two years immediately preceding reinstatement shall be counted.

To be eligible for active status, inactive attorneys are required to complete up to 2 years of CLE missed while inactive. Only credits earned in the two years immediately preceding reinstatement shall be counted.

A suspended attorney is required to complete up to 5 years of CLE. Thus, if an attorney is suspended for 2 years, they must make up 2 years of CLE credit. If an attorney is suspended for 10 years, they must make up 5 years of CLE credit. Only credits earned in the five years immediately preceding reinstatement shall be counted.

Because the CLE Commission and the Board of Professional Responsibility are separate agencies, attorneys are also advised to check independently with the Board of Professional Responsibility on applicable provisions of the rules administered by that organization.

If you are not practicing in Tennessee, you may go inactive with the Board of Professional Responsibility. This will automatically make you inactive with the CLE Commission and exempt you from CLE requirements. To return to active status, you will need to complete up to two years of CLE credits.

If you live outside Tennessee and are licensed in another state, you may be eligible for comity compliance. This allows attorneys to use compliance in another state toward Tennessee CLE requirements. More information may be found here.

You may report out-of-state CLE to Tennessee. If you’ve taken a course that is accredited in Tennessee, just ask the provider to report the course. Providers of accredited courses are required to report and pay for CLE hours. If you’ve taken a course that is not accredited in Tennessee, please follow this process.

Attorneys who assume active military exempt status with the Board of Professional Responsibility pursuant to Tennessee Supreme Court Rule 9, Section 10.3(c) are automatically exempted from CLE requirements. See Regulations of the Tennessee Commission on Continuing Legal Education, Section 2D(1)(a).

When your miliary service has ended and you wish to return to regular, active status, Section 2D(2)(c) applies. It states, “Attorneys wishing to return to active status from inactive or exempt status under Tennessee Supreme Court Rule 9, Section 10.3(a), (c), or (d) will not be required to earn or report CLE to become active if they certify that their occupation involved the application of legal principles, the practice of military law, or the study or instruction of law at a law school during the last two years they were inactive.

Of course, you may also remain active and continue to earn yearly CLE.

If you assume federal inactive status with the Board of Professional Responsibility under Tennessee Supreme Court Rule 9, Section 10.3(a), you will be designated as inactive with the CLE Commission and thus exempt from CLE requirements, unless otherwise ordered by the Tennessee Supreme Court.

Section 2D(2)(c) of the Regulations of the Tennessee Commission on Continuing Legal Education states, “Attorneys wishing to return to active status from inactive or exempt status under Tennessee Supreme Court Rule 9, Section 10.3(a), (c), or (d) will not be required to earn or report CLE to become active if they certify that their occupation involved the application of legal principles, the practice of military law, or the study or instruction of law at a law school during the last two years they were inactive.

Of course, you may also remain active and continue to earn CLE each year.

“CLE Commission” is sufficient.  Please include your BPR number on the check or in the correspondence accompanying the check so funds are properly applied.

You will owe a $100 non-completion fee, and you will still be required to complete the required hours.  The hours you earn following the close of the compliance year will first go toward your prior year shortage, then will count toward the new compliance year.

The CLE compliance year runs from January 1 to December 31. Hours must be completed by 11:59:59 p.m. on December 31, or you will be assessed a $100 penalty.

Your provider will report your attendance based on when you COMPLETE a course. If you begin a one-hour course at 11:45 p.m. on 12/31 and complete it at 12:45 a.m. on 1/1, that hour is considered earned on 1/1. The Commission defers to the provider for confirmation of when a course is completed. Please keep in mind that providers in different time zones may have varied reporting policies.

If you are assessed the $100 noncompliance fee but qualify for an exemption, you can avoid the penalty by claiming the exemption on your Annual Report Statement, which you will receive in February after the close of compliance year. Your exemption must be received by March 31 to avoid the $100 late penalty.

Whether payment is required by the provider or an attorney, the two dollar ($2.00) per credit hour posting fee must be paid before the attendance will be counted toward compliance. 

Absolutely, but attorneys must complete all CLE hours for the previous compliance year and pay all outstanding fees.

If CLE hours are not immediately reported by the provider, the Commission will accept an Affidavit of Compliance (AOC) from the attorney to hold a suspension in abeyance until the provider reports the hours. If hours listed on an AOC are not reported within 30 days of attendance, the attorney will be subject to suspension.

The Affidavit of Compliance is acceptable only for courses that are previously accredited in Tennessee. Unaccredited courses may not qualify for credit and are not permissible on the AOC.

• December 31 – Deadline for earning hours without $100 late fee.
• February 28 – The Annual Report Statement (“ARS”) is emailed to attorneys.
• March 31 – The ARS must be completed and submitted to the Commission via the website for attorneys reporting hours or claiming an exemption. 
• April 30 – Notices of Non-Compliance sent certified mail to noncompliant attorneys who have  insufficient hours or owe fees.
• May 31 – Deadline for establishing compliance by filing the Affidavit of Compliance or claiming a valid exemption.  Compliance means the hours necessary for compliance have been earned or a valid exemption has been claimed and all fees have been paid.  Failure to comply with this deadline will result in the imposition of the $200 continuing noncompliance penalty.
• June 1 – $200 late fee assessed to noncompliant attorneys who have not filed Affidavit of Compliance and paid all fees due.
• June 28 – Draft Suspension Order sent by certified mail to noncompliant attorneys.
• August 10 — Deadline for filing Affidavit of Compliance and paying all fees to avoid being included on the Suspension Order submitted to the Tennessee Supreme Court.
• August 15 – Commission submits Suspension Order to the Tennessee Supreme Court. Attorneys not in active status with BPR are placed in suspended status and assessed a $500 suspension fee. Upon entry of the Suspension Order by the Court, a $500 suspension fee is assessed to noncompliant, active status attorneys, and those attorneys are moved to suspended status.

Fees can be waived only when they were erroneously assessed and the attorney was in CLE compliance by the stated deadline. Compliance means all hours were earned and all fees were paid.

An attorney may request a waiver of fees in exceptional circumstances by completing the Exceptional Relief Request. See Tenn. Sup. Ct. R. 21 § 2.04.

To initially register your legal specialization, send a copy of the letter you received from the certifying agency to: info@cletn.com (or mail it to our office).

You do not need to complete any other forms initially, but you will need to renew your registration annually with us.  

You can advertise your specialization as long as you remain current with the Certification Board and annually register your certification with the CLE Commission.

You cannot advertise that you are certified by the Tennessee Commission on CLE because the Commission no longer certifies attorneys in legal specialties.

All changes to your mailing address, email address or telephone number must be made through the Board of Professional Responsibility’s attorney portal. The Commission cannot update your contact information.

The Commission receives weekly updates from the Board of Professional Responsibility (BPR). If attorney contact information is correct with the BPR, the Commission will automatically import the changes.

Under Tennessee Supreme Court Rule 9, attorneys must update contact information with the Board of Professional Responsibility within 30 days of any change.

Incorrect contact information does NOT mitigate your CLE obligation.

The Commission sends mail and email messages to the correspondence addresses registered with the Board of Professional Responsibility. Attorneys must maintain current contact information with the BPR. Also, attorneys should consider adding info@cletn.com to their address books to avoid messages going into junk mail folders.