About the Commission

The Tennessee Commission on Continuing Legal Education (TCCLE) was created by the Supreme Court of Tennessee under Supreme Court Rule 21.

The Commission:

• Tracks CLE attendance and compliance for over 24,000 Tennessee attorneys using an integrated tracking system with modules for attorney compliance, course accreditation, attendance reporting and accounting.
• Reviews and awards or denies CLE credit to over 9,000 continuing legal education courses across the country each year.
• Registers over 300 Tennessee attorneys as specialists in 14 areas of law.
• Provides regular reporting and notifications to attorneys and providers on compliance, accreditation, and accounting.
• Adopts with Court approval Regulations consistent with Rule 21.
• Reviews Rule 21 and proposes updates and revisions to the Court.
• Monitors state-wide developments in the operation of Rule 21.
• Designs, tests, and recommends to the Court modifications to the CLE program in Tennessee.
• Maintains a website with various CLE resources for Tennessee attorneys to include Q&As, personalized attorney accounts with up-to-date compliance information, useful forms, and links to governing CLE rules and regulations.
• Develops and provides introductory materials on Tennessee’s CLE programming to new attorneys and new CLE providers.

STRUCTURE AND MANAGEMENT OF THE COMMISSION

• The TCCLE is managed by six full-time, six-member staff to include an Executive Director, Associate Director, Executive Assistant for Attorney Services, Executive Assistant for Provider Services, Bookkeeper, and Administrative Secretary. The Executive Director is responsible for the day to day operations of the organization and is authorized to engage staff as necessary to conduct the business of the Commission within the scope of Rule 21.
• Oversight is provided by an eleven-member Commission composed of attorneys and lay persons. The Commission meets as a board on the third Thursday of each month. The board reviews compliance information, monthly financial reports, and any other matters needing board approval or attention. The board also reviews and decides the outcome of requests for Exceptional Relief submitted by attorneys.

Eleven Commission members (9 attorneys and 2 lay members) are appointed by the Tennessee Supreme Court to oversee the functions of the Commission. The Supreme Court also assigns a Justice as liaison. Those Commissioners and the Liaison Justice are: