Tennessee CLE Requirements

Active status attorneys in Tennessee must complete 15.00 CLE credits (including 3.00 ethics/professionalism) every year to maintain good standing with the Tennessee Bar.

Tennessee attorneys must complete all 15.00 required credits by December 31 each year. Attorneys must report compliance for the preceding year by March 31, when filing their Annual Report Statement.

The reporting period is 1 year and ends on December 31 each year.

NBI reports your credit to the Tennessee Commission on CLE.

You will confirm your CLE credits each year by March 31 on your Annual Report Statement. You can access your CLE transcript through your attorney login on the Tennessee Commission on CLE website.

Experienced attorneys can fulfill their Tennessee CLE requirement by completing courses approved and accredited by the Tennessee Commission on Continuing Legal Education. Examples of accepted course formats include:

• Live Streamed
• Webinar
• Pre Recorded online
• Digital audio
• Video presentation

Tennessee attorneys can carry over up to 15.00 credits to the following year. This includes up to 12.00 general credits and up to 3.00 ethics/professionalism credits.

Attorneys in Tennessee can earn all 15.00 CLE credits with distance learning courses.

In-program attendance verification is required for OnDemand courses.

• State Contact Information:
  • Address: 1321 Murfreesboro Pike, Suite 810, Nashville, TN 37219
  • Phone Number: (615) 741-3096
  • Email Address: info@cletn.com
  • Website: http://www.cletn.com/

• Tennessee CLE Rules and FAQ
  • Tennessee CLE FAQ Page
  • Tennessee Accredited Course List searchable by CLE provider
  • Rule 21: Rule for Mandatory Continuing Legal Education

Newly admitted attorneys in Tennessee are generally subject to CLE reporting requirements upon admission to the Tennessee Bar. However, if you are admitted after September 1, you do not have to meet CLE requirements for that year.

You will receive 1 year of CLE credit for passing the bar exam. If you are admitted before September 1, that CLE credit will be applied to the current year. If you are admitted on September 1 or later, any credit earned for passing the bar exam will be applied to the following compliance year.

Newly Admitted attorneys can fulfill their Tennessee CLE requirement by completing courses approved and accredited by the Tennessee Commission on Continuing Legal Education. Examples of accepted course formats include:

• Live Streamed
• Webinar
• Pre Recorded online
• Digital audio
• Video presentation

Your first reporting period ends on December 31. If you are admitted to the bar on or after September 1, you will not be required to report CLE credit until December 31 of the following year. Remember, you can earn up to 1 year of CLE credit for passing the bar.

No. There are no special CLE requirements for newly admitted attorneys in Tennessee. You are subject to CLE requirements as soon as you are admitted to the Tennessee Bar.

• You may earn up to 12.00 general CLE credits by passing the Uniform Bar Exam or the bar exam of any state. In addition, you may earn up to 3.00 ethics/professionalism credits by passing the ethics/professionalism portion of any bar exam or the Multi-State Professional Responsibility Examination.
• You may earn up to 1 year of CLE credit for completing a bar review course, but only if the course otherwise qualifies as a CLE.
• One (1) year of CLE credit may be awarded for completing a bar review course. An attorney shall not receive bar review credit and bar exam credit in the same compliance year. Online bar review courses that do not satisfy the distance learning format criteria will not be approved for CLE credit.