“practice of law”as used in this section means full-time private or public practice as a licensed attorney, and includes being actively engaged as a full-time teacher of law in an aba- approved law school, and may be construed in the board's discretion as being actively engaged in other full-time employment requiring interpretation of law and application of legal knowledge (in which event the board shall consider such evaluative criteria as time devoted to legal work, the nature of the work, whether legal training or a law license was a prerequisite of employment, and other similar matters);

2. special or limited exception. an attorney who is enrolled or employed in a clinical program in an approved tennessee law school or who, after graduation from an approved law school, is employed by or associated with an organized legal services program operated by an approved tennessee law school providing legal assistance to indigents in civil or criminal matters, and who is a member of a court of last resort of another state (the term “state”including territories and the district of columbia) shall be admitted to practice before the courts of this state in all causes in which that attorney is associated with a legal clinic operated in conjunction with an approved law school. admission to practice under this rule shall be limited to the above causes and shall become effective upon filing with the secretary of the board of bar examiners of the state of tennessee.

application deadline: not applicable

application/admission fees: $1,000.00

with bar examination: examination required for all other applicants.

examination components:
1. academic: mbe and 12 state essays.
2. ethics: mpre

examination dates:
february examination (deadline: november 15 of the preceding year)
july examination (deadline: april 15)

application/admission fees:
$80.00 notice of intent fee; $500.00 examination fee.

other state bar requirements:

1. minimum age: 18

2. character check by the tennessee state board of law examiners and the ncbe.

3. bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution.

4. graduate of a law school approved by the aba or the state board of law examiners.

5. intent to actively practice law in tennessee.

6. required annual fees: $310.00 state licensing fee; $400.00 state professional tax.


regulation of in-house counsel:

tennessee does not have a rule exempting in-house counsel from the bar admission requirements described above.


bar association status:

[ ] mandatory

[x] voluntary
annual dues: $195.00 (or optional fee based on income level).


specialty certification:

the tennessee supreme court commission on continuing legal education and specialization is authorized to establish programs and to accredit programs that certify lawyers in designated areas of law.

areas of specialization include:

1. accounting malpractice
2. business bankruptcy
3. civil trial
4. consumer bankruptcy
5. creditors rights
6. criminal trial
7. elder law
8. estate planning
9. family law
10. legal malpractice
11. medical malpractice

the attorney must be certified in the appropriate field by the appropriate national agency, and must must apply to the commission, meet additional requirements and then be certified.

to advertise as a certified specialist, an attorney must be certified by the commission. certification by a national agency alone is not sufficient. attorneys who are not certified must disclose that fact in any unsolicited communication to a prospective client, such as yellow pages or newspaper ads, radio or tv commercials or direct mail pieces.

disciplinary rule 2-101 provides that lawyers certified as specialists by the supreme court commission may state, "certified as a (area of practice) specialist by the tennessee commission on continuing legal education and specialization." lawyers certified by the commission may also reference other certifications, provided that the certifying entity is accredited by the commission and that "such listing is in type not larger than that used to list certification from the commission." lawyers who are not certified in a practice area that is available through the commission and who wish to communicate information regarding their qualifications in the area must include the statement in their communications: "not certified as a (area of practice) specialist by the tennessee commission on continuing legal education and specialization." disciplinary rule 2-101 includes additional provisions for areas in which certification is not offered and where the field of practice is part of a larger area of specialization [dr 2-101(c)].