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Tennessee Rules for Licensing of Attorneys – 2026

How a lawyer becomes licensed in Tennessee — Supreme Court Rule 7, one hundred sections in seventeen articles. Article I sets the prerequisites to engaging in the practice of law and the certificate of eligibility; the articles that follow cover the Board of Law Examiners, the application and examination and the dates that cannot be waived, admission by transferred UBE score, admission without examination for attorneys licensed elsewhere, the character and fitness investigation, and the oath. Later articles govern the specialised licences a practitioner may need: limited practice by law students and by attorneys employed full-time by a single client, pro hac vice admission, registration of in-house counsel, and the licensing of foreign legal consultants. The final articles cover fees, confidentiality of application records, review of Board decisions, and conflicts of interest.

Browse all 100 rules of the 2026 edition below. Each rule includes the full text, a plain-English summary, committee notes, amendment history, and cross-references to related rules. Use the search box to find rules by keyword or number.

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Article I: Admission to the Bar of Tennessee Article II: Educational Requirements for Admission Article III: Application for Admission by Examination Score Article IV: The Examination Article V: Persons Admitted in Other Jurisdictions Seeking Waiver of Examination Article VI: Character and Fitness Investigation Article VII: Foreign-educated Applicants Article VIII: Commitment to Serve the Administration of Justice in Tennessee Article IX: Issuance of License—Effective Date of Admission Article X: Special or Limited Practice Article XI: Fees Article XII: Organization and Powers of Board Article XIII: Formal Proceedings Before the Board Article XIV: Review of Board Decisions Article XV: Surrender of Law License Article XVI: Reinstatement of Law License Article XVII: Tennessee-approved Law Schools

Article I: Admission to the Bar of Tennessee

Section 1.01 Prerequisites to Engaging in Practice of Law or Law Business Section 1.02 License; Certificate of Eligibility Required Section 1.03 Criteria for Issuance of the Certificate of Eligibility Section 1.04 Waiver of Examination Section 1.05 Status of Persons Admitted Section 1.06 Existing Licenses Section 1.07 Tennessee Law Course

Article II: Educational Requirements for Admission

Section 2.01 Bachelor’s Degree Section 2.02 Legal Education Degree Requirements

Article III: Application for Admission by Examination Score

Section 3.01 Application for Admission by Examination Section 3.02 Obligation to Amend Section 3.03 Date for Filing Application for Examination or Reexamination Section 3.04 Expiration of Application for Admission on Exam Score Section 3.05 Admission by Transferred Uniform Bar Examination Score Section 3.06 [Reserved] Section 3.07 [Reserved] Section 3.08 [Reserved] Section 3.09 [Reserved] Section 3.10 No Discretion to Waive Filing Dates Section 3.11 Applicants Requiring Non-Standard Testing Accommodations

Article IV: The Examination

Section 4.01 The Purpose of the Examination Section 4.02 The Structure of the Examination Section 4.03 The Dates and Places of Giving the Examination Section 4.04 [Reserved] Section 4.05 Re-examination Section 4.06 Effect of Taking Examination on Eligibility for Admission Section 4.07 Grading the Examination and Score Expiration

Article V: Persons Admitted in Other Jurisdictions Seeking Waiver of Examination

Section 5.01 Minimum Requirements for Admission Without Examination of Persons Admitted in Other Jurisdictions Section 5.02 Additional Considerations Section 5.03 Expiration of Application for Admission Without Examination Section 5.04 Obligation to Amend

Article VI: Character and Fitness Investigation

Section 6.01 Character and Fitness Standard Section 6.02 Investigatory Committees Section 6.03 Investigating Procedures Section 6.04 Duty of Candor and Failure or Refusal to Furnish Information Section 6.05 False Information Section 6.06 Certificate of Character and Fitness

Article VII: Foreign-educated Applicants

Section 7.01 Eligibility to Take Examination Section 7.02 Additional Information from Applicants Licensed in a Foreign Country

Article VIII: Commitment to Serve the Administration of Justice in Tennessee

Section 8.01 Evidence of Commitment to Administration of Justice Section 8.02 [Reserved] Section 8.03 [Reserved.]

Article IX: Issuance of License—Effective Date of Admission

Section 9.01 Certificate of Board Section 9.02 Issuance of License Section 9.03 Effective Date of Admission Section 9.04 Duty of Applicant to Inform Board of Subsequent Events Section 9.05 Disapproval by the Supreme Court Section 9.06 Replacement License Section 9.07 Denial of License

Article X: Special or Limited Practice

Section 10.01 Registration of In-house Counsel Section 10.02 Approval of Experiential Learning Programs and Attorneys in Experiential Learning and Related Law School Programs Section 10.03 Law Student Practice Section 10.04 Practice before Admission by Examination Score Section 10.05 Conditional Admission Section 10.06 Temporary License of Spouse of a Military Servicemember Section 10.07 Practice Pending Admission by Applicant Licensed in Another Jurisdiction

Article XI: Fees

Section 11.01 Schedule of Fees Section 11.02 Payment Mandatory Section 11.03 Refunds

Article XII: Organization and Powers of Board

Section 12.01 Composition of Board and Term Section 12.02 Officers and Allocation of Responsibilities Section 12.03 Official Seal Section 12.04 Formal Actions; Quorum Section 12.05 Policy and Procedure of the Board Section 12.06 Docket of Proceedings Section 12.07 Appointment and Duties of Executive Director Section 12.08 Administrative Assistance Section 12.10 Salaries Section 12.11 Confidentiality of Board Records and Files Section 12.12 No Power to Waive or Modify Rule of the Supreme Court Section 12.13 Subpoena Power Section 12.14 Counsel for Board Section 12.15 Immunity

Article XIII: Formal Proceedings Before the Board

Section 13.01 Show Cause Orders Section 13.02 Petitions to Board Section 13.03 Hearings Before the Board Section 13.04 Default Section 13.05 Costs Section 13.06 Decisions of Board Section 13.07 Informal Disposition Section 13.08 Motions and Other Matters Preliminary to Hearing

Article XIV: Review of Board Decisions

Section 14.01 Petition for Review Section 14.02 Costs Section 14.03 Exhaustion of Board Remedies Section 14.04 No Review of Failure to Pass Bar Examination

Article XV: Surrender of Law License

Section 15.01 Surrender of Law License Section 15.02 Supreme Court Decision Section 15.03 Effect of Order Accepting Surrender of License

Article XVI: Reinstatement of Law License

Section 16.01 Section 16.02 Section 16.03

Article XVII: Tennessee-approved Law Schools

Section 17.01 Tennessee Law Schools Section 17.03 Site Evaluation of Tennessee-Approved Law Schools Section 17.04 Action Concerning Apparent Noncompliance with Standards or Deficiencies in Mission Section 17.05 Fact Finder Section 17.06 Hearing on Show Cause Order Section 17.07 Confidentiality of Approval and Evaluation Procedures Section 17.08 Supreme Court Consideration of Board Recommendation for Imposition of Sanctions Section 17.09 Maximum Period for Compliance with Remedial or Probationary Requirements Section 17.10 Conflicts of Interest