Can I earn CLE credits by means other than taking an approved and accredited CLE course or attending an approved activity?
Yes, you can receive credit for: teaching at a law school or teaching law-related courses at the undergraduate or graduate level or at a community college judging or coaching moot court or mock trial at an approved law school enrollment of a post-graduate nature at an approved law school service as a bar examiner bar […]
Does Tennessee award credit for published legal writing?
Yes, attorneys may receive up to 1/2 of the annual CLE requirement (6 General hours and 1.5 Ethics/Professionalism hours), at a rate of 1 hour per every 1,000 words, for published writings concerning substantive law, the practice of law, and the ethical and professional responsibilities of attorneys if the article is published in an approved […]
Can I get extra CLE credit for teaching a CLE course?
Yes, you earn credits equal to 4 times the amount of time you teach if you distribute 5 or more pages of hand-out materials to the participants. If you distribute less than 5 pages, you receive 2 times the number of hours you teach. For second and subsequent presentations of the same materials, you get […]
Does Tennessee use a 60-minute CLE hour?
Yes. To earn one hour of CLE credit, the attorney must complete sixty minutes of instruction not counting breaks, etc. See Regulation 3A.
I earned CLE credits in a year that I was exempt. Will any or all of my credits carry forward?
Credits earned in a year during which you were exempt will carry forward only to the extent that they would have if you were not exempt. For example, if you submitted 16 General credits and six Ethics/Professionalism credits in a year you were exempt, then four of the General credits and three of the Ethics/Professionalism […]
Can I get CLE credit for watching a CLE program on YouTube or listening to an audio file of a CLE program from another state’s bar association?
No. Listening to a podcast or a downloaded audio file or watching a CLE on YouTube, even from a state bar association, is considered self-study in Tennessee and is not eligible for CLE credit. The provider/course sponsor must be able to track and verify the time you spent taking the course and provide a method […]
Why doesn’t the CLE course I took recently show up on my account?
Providers have 30 days to report attendance. If the course has not posted within 30 days of completion, please contact the provider and request that the hours are reported. Compliance is not based upon when the providers submit attendance, but when a course is completed. See Tenn. Sup. Ct. R. 21, § 8.02.
What does it mean if a course shows “Dual” credits?
“Dual” credits are hours of CLE that can be used either toward the General or toward the Ethics/Professionalism requirement. However, Dual credits do not count twice! (In other words, you cannot receive 2 hours of credit for 1 hour of attendance). Dual credits are first applied toward Ethics/Professionalism requirements, and any remaining hours are applied […]
What types of courses qualify for Ethics/Professionalism credit?
Courses dealing with the disciplinary rules or ethical considerations applicable to attorneys receive Dual credit (which counts toward either the Ethics/Professionalism (E/P) or the General requirement, as needed by the attorney). Law practice management topics, stress management, time management, staff training and supervision, substance abuse awareness and action, general skills (e.g., speed reading), budgeting, and […]
Is an in-house seminar or a law firm-sponsored course eligible for CLE credit?
In general, an “in-house activity” (defined as an activity conducted primarily for the benefit of attorneys in a single firm, corporation, or governmental entity) does not qualify for CLE credit. Courses sponsored by law firms that are strictly limited to in-house counsel and/or clients and primarily for the benefit of attorneys are not eligible for […]
