What Are the CLE Requirements for Tennessee Attorneys?
Tennessee attorneys need 15 CLE hours each compliance year, ending December 31, under Tennessee Supreme Court Rule 21.
Three of the 15 hours must be approved for ethics/professionalism credit — designated Dual credit — and the remaining 12 are general.
Hours may be earned in person or by distance learning, with no cap stated in the rule, and up to 15 excess hours carry into the next year.
The Tennessee Commission on Continuing Legal Education and Specialization administers the rule; missing the deadline triggers a $100 non-compliance fee.
Verify before you rely on this
At a glance
The Tennessee Commission on Continuing Legal Education and Specialization, which administers Supreme Court Rule 21.
15 hours each compliance year: 3 in ethics/professionalism and 12 general.
The compliance year ends December 31 each year.
3 hours of ethics/professionalism credit, designated Dual credit, plus 12 general hours; our research found no separate bias, wellness or technology hour named in Rule 21.
Hours may be earned in person or by distance learning, with no cap stated in Rule 21.
Our research found no newly-admitted rule in the Rule 21 text we read — check with the Commission.
A $100 Initial Non-Compliance Fee is assessed January 1, payable by March 31; further delay adds $200, and suspension a $500 fee.
How many CLE hours does Tennessee require?
Tennessee lawyers must obtain a minimum of 15 hours of continuing legal education by December 31 of each compliance year.
Of those 15 hours, 3 must be approved for ethics/professionalism credit — designated Dual credit — and the remaining 12 are general hours.
The requirement comes from Rule 21 of the Tennessee Supreme Court, which the Tennessee Commission on Continuing Legal Education and Specialization administers.
The 15 hours are an annual minimum under the rule, not a multi-year total.
“shall obtain by December 31st of that compliance year a minimum of fifteen (15) hours of continuing legal education.”
What specialty credits are required (ethics, bias, wellness, tech)?
Tennessee's specialty requirement is ethics/professionalism: 3 of the 15 annual hours must be approved for ethics/professionalism ("EP") credit, designated Dual credit, and the remaining 12 hours are general.
The Rule 21 text we read names no separate bias, wellness or technology requirement.
Credit designations can change, so confirm the current categories with the Commission before you plan a compliance year around a non-ethics credit.
When is the deadline and how do you report?
The compliance year ends December 31, and the 15 hours — 3 ethics/professionalism and 12 general — must be obtained by that date.
The Tennessee Commission on Continuing Legal Education and Specialization administers Rule 21, and providers of approved courses pay a fee of $2.00 per approved credit hour for each attorney licensed in Tennessee who attends.
Our research did not establish the attorney reporting or certification process itself, so confirm how to report or verify your hours with the Commission.
What are the rules for newly admitted attorneys?
Our research did not find a newly-admitted-lawyer CLE requirement in Rule 21 as we read it.
That is a gap in our research, not a finding that Tennessee has no such rule: the pages we read do not confirm the question either way.
Direct newly-admitted questions to the Tennessee Commission on Continuing Legal Education and Specialization before you plan a first year of compliance.
Can you complete CLE online or on demand?
Under Rule 21, CLE hours earned for compliance may be earned via in-person or distance learning format, and the text we read sets no cap on distance-learning hours.
Our research did not separately address on-demand or recorded formats, so whether a specific on-demand course qualifies is a question for the course provider or the Commission.
“CLE hours earned for the purpose of compliance with this Rule may be earned via in-person or distance learning format.”
Can you carry over CLE hours in Tennessee, and who is exempt?
Up to 15 hours of credit earned in a compliance year in excess of the 15-hour annual requirement may be carried forward for credit in the succeeding compliance year — one year only, so extra hours do not bank indefinitely.
Rule 21 as we read it also names two exemptions: attorneys who have reached the duty age of 71 are not subject to the rule, and an attorney licensed to practice law in Tennessee who resides outside the state may request an exemption annually — our research recorded it for non-residents who comply with CLE in another approved U.S. jurisdiction.
“Up to fifteen (15) hours of credit earned in a compliance year in excess of the fifteen (15) credit annual requirement may be carried forward for credit in the succeeding compliance year”
What happens if you miss the deadline?
A Tennessee attorney who misses the December 31 requirement is assessed an Initial Non-Compliance Fee of $100 on January 1 immediately following the end of the compliance year, payable by March 31.
Further delay adds a $200 fee, and suspension a $500 fee, under the schedule recorded in Rule 21.
Amounts and process can change, so confirm the current schedule with the Commission.
“shall be assessed an Initial Non-Compliance Fee of One Hundred Dollars ($100) on January 1 immediately following the end of the compliance year.”
What This Page Does, and Doesn’t, Cover
This page summarizes the Tennessee court rules, board and bar pages and other sources listed below, as read for this state-by-state CLE requirements series, current as of October 2026.
It is not a substitute for the instructions the Tennessee Commission on Continuing Legal Education and Specialization publishes.
For the rest of the picture in Tennessee, see bar admission rules in Tennessee.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Dual credit in Tennessee CLE?
Dual credit is how Tennessee designates its ethics/professionalism hours.
Rule 21 requires 3 of the 15 annual hours to be approved for ethics/professionalism credit — designated Dual credit — while the other 12 hours are general credit.
A compliance year therefore splits into 3 Dual hours and 12 general hours, all due by December 31.
At what age are Tennessee attorneys exempt from CLE?
Rule 21 stops applying at duty age 71: attorneys who have reached the duty age of 71 are not subject to the rule.
Our research did not establish how duty age is determined, so questions about a specific situation belong with the Tennessee Commission on Continuing Legal Education and Specialization.
I live outside Tennessee — do I still owe Tennessee CLE?
An annual exemption exists.
An attorney licensed to practice law in Tennessee who resides outside the state may request an exemption from Rule 21 each year; our research recorded it for non-resident lawyers who comply with CLE in another approved U.S. jurisdiction.
The exemption is requested annually rather than automatic, so confirm the current request process with the Commission.
Is there a grace period for Tennessee CLE?
Our research did not establish whether Rule 21 provides a grace period.
What it records is a fee schedule: a $100 Initial Non-Compliance Fee is assessed on January 1 immediately following the end of the compliance year, payable by March 31, with further delay adding a $200 fee and suspension a $500 fee.
Confirm the current schedule, and whether any grace period applies, with the Commission.
Who runs CLE in Tennessee?
The Tennessee Commission on Continuing Legal Education and Specialization administers Supreme Court Rule 21.
One visible piece of that administration sits on the provider side: course providers pay a fee of $2.00 per approved credit hour for each attorney licensed in Tennessee who attends.
The Commission is the body to ask about credit, reporting and exemption questions.
More Tennessee Resources
Sources
- Tennessee Supreme Court Rule 21 (tncourts.gov) (retrieved 2026-10-02)
Sourced from the documents listed above.
Verified October 2026.
This is career information, not legal advice.
Confirm current rules with the Tennessee Commission on Continuing Legal Education and Specialization.