Supreme Court Appoints Commission Member, Chair
The Tennessee Supreme Court has appointed attorney Laura Durbin to the Tennessee Commission on Continuing Legal Education. Durbin, who is an attorney with Eastman Chemical Company in Kingsport, TN was appointed to a three-year term beginning January 1, 2026. The Court also appointed Judge Tiffany Gentry Gipson to a one-year term as chair of the […]
Supreme Court Amends Rule 21 to Align BPR, CLE Statuses
As attorney mobility continues to increase and more lawyers practice in multiple states, the Tennessee Supreme Court has amended Tennessee Supreme Court Rule 21 and its accompanying regulations to ease the requirements for attorneys who hold a Tennessee law license but may not have an active practice here. Starting with the 2026 compliance year, the […]
CLE Commission Files Petition to Modify Rule 21, Regulations
The eleven-member Tennessee Commission on Continuing Legal Education filed a petition with the Tennessee Supreme Court April 3, asking the Court to revise Tennessee Supreme Court Rule 21 and to approve the Commission’s overhaul of the regulations that guide the Commission in administration of the Rule. As noted in the petition, the Commission’s goal in […]
March 31 Compliance Deadline
Attorneys who did not complete the required 15 hours of CLE (3 ethics and 12 general) during 2024 must earn the hours and pay a $100 compliance fee by March 31, 2025 to avoid additional penalties. Any hours earned in 2025 will be applied to 2024 compliance if necessary, but a $100 fee will apply. […]
December 31 Completion Deadline & March 31 Reporting Deadline
Attorneys have until 11:59 p.m. on December 31 to earn their 2024 CLE hours – 3 ethics (or dual) and 12 general. However, the deadline for reporting the hours to the Commission or clearing up any errors is March 31, 2025, when attorney annual report statements are due to the Commission. The vast majority of […]
Court Appoints CLE Commission Members
The Tennessee Supreme Court appointed three attorneys and a bar association executive to the Tennessee Commission on Continuing Legal Education. The appointments are: Amy J. Farrar Tennessee Center for Estate & Elder Law Murfreesboro Joseph W. Smith Miles Mason Family Law Group Memphis Mary Ann UpchurchMemphis Bar AssociationMemphis Wencke WestWencke West Attorney at LawCleveland The […]
Progress Reports & Year-end Compliance
All attorneys should have received via email a copy of their 2024 Progress Report, listing the courses that have been reported to the Commission for 2024 Compliance. If a course you took is not listed on the report and it has been more than 30 days since you completed the course, please reach out to […]
Final Attorney Compliance Deadline
The names of all attorneys who remain noncompliant after August 10, 2024 will be placed on a Suspension Order delivered to the Tennessee Supreme Court on August 15. The Court is expected to file the Suspension Order on or shortly after August 15. To avoid being listed on the Suspension Order, attorneys who remain noncompliant […]
Draft Suspension Order
All Tennessee-licensed attorneys who remain noncompliant for their 2023 CLE obligation are included on a draft suspension order mailed June 28 via certified mail to all attorneys listed on the order. Any attorney listed on the order must, by August 10, 2024, complete compliance to avoid suspension of their Tennessee law license. Steps may include: […]
Attorney Notices of Noncompliance
Attorneys who remain noncompliant after the March 31 compliance deadline have been issued a notice of noncompliance via certified mail, detailing the steps required to achieve compliance. These steps may include paying a fee, earning hours, claiming an exemption, or a combination of these actions. Attorneys must complete the requirements by May 31, 2024, or the Commission will […]