Drug Testing Authorized For Tennessee Bar Applicants

The Tennessee Supreme Court has adopted new provisions covering bar admission and regulation

Among the changes the Court adopted today are provisions permitting spouses of those in the military to obtain temporary law licenses here while their active-duty spouse is stationed in Tennessee or at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, provided they are licensed in another state and meet other requirements. Comments to the proposed rule released early this year strongly supported this provision, which accommodates families that move often with their active-duty spouses…

Another change clarifies the requirements for registration of in-house counsel, which permits attorneys licensed in another state that now live in Tennessee and work solely as counsel for a company in the state to practice here if they register with the BLE.

Applicants note

The rule also now explicitly authorizes the Board of Law Examiners or any member of the board to request an applicant submit to a drug test as part of the character investigation and applicants may be denied a law license if they refuse to do so.

(Mike Frisch)