Yes.
Pro Bono: You may earn an annual maximum of 3 hours of CLE credit for pro bono work, at a rate of 1 hour of CLE credit for every 5 hours of pro bono representation. You may receive credit only if the work was done through court appointment, an organized bar association, an approved legal assistance organization, or of pro bono mediation services as required by Tennessee Supreme Court Rule 31 or the Federal Court Mediation Programs. A list of Approved Legal Assistance Organizations for Pro Bono Representation may be found at the bottom of the drop-down menu under the “Attorneys” tab on our website.
To receive credit, please submit to the Commission a statement from the court stating that you represented the client pro bono and that you did not seek compensation for the hours you served. Please specify how many billable hours you spent on the representation. This language may be included in the court’s Order. If the Order has already been entered, you can ask the judge/chancellor to write a short letter to the CLE Commission on their court letterhead saying that you were appointed to represent ________________(enter your client’s name) in the case on a pro bono basis and served without financial compensation for the ________(enter the number of hours you worked).
Your CLE credit is based on the number of hours you served so make sure the letter identifies your time. Typically, the judiciary appreciates your stepping up for pro bono and will be glad to write a short letter to the CLE Commission so that you may receive CLE credit.
Indigent Representation: You may receive a maximum of 3 hours of Ethics/Professionalism credit for indigent representation work in any given compliance year. Attorneys may report up to 6 hours and carry forward up to 3 credits to the next compliance year. Credits are calculated based on the 1 hour of CLE for every 5 hours of uncompensated work.
To receive credit for indigent representation, please complete the Request for Indigent Representation Credits form. Attach the sheets you submitted to the ACAP system showing the number of in-court and out-of-court hours worked and send everything to the Commission. See Tenn Sup. Ct. R. 21 § 4.08(d).