Admission Without Examination (Comity)

Admission by Comity allows experienced attorneys licensed in other U.S. jurisdictions to be admitted to practice law in Tennessee without taking the Tennessee bar exam. 

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Qualifications & Requirements

To qualify for Admission by Comity in Tennessee,you must:

  • Meet the educational requirements in Rule 7, Sections 2.01 and 2.02.
  • Have a J.D. from an ABA-accredited or Tennessee-approved law school located in the U.S.
  • Have been admitted by bar examination to practice law in one or more U.S. jurisdictions.
  • Have been primarily engaged in the active practice of law in one or more U.S. jurisdictions for five of the seven years immediately before submitting the application.
  • Be a current member in good standing in every jurisdiction where admitted.
  • Not be subject to lawyer discipline or any pending disciplinary matter in another jurisdiction.
  • Meet the character and fitness standard under Rule 7, Section 6.01.
  • Submit the application before establishing an office or other continuous presence in Tennessee for the practice of law, as required by Tennessee Supreme Court Rule 8, RPC 5.5(b)(1).
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Rules Governing Admission

Admission by Comity is governed by Tennessee Supreme Court Rule 7 Article V and Board Policy P-5.01.

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Application Process

Create Your NCBE Account

Go to www.ncbex.org and create a secure NCBE account. The NCBE number is required on all forms completed for the NCBE and the TBLE application process.

CREATE ACCOUNT

Complete the NCBE Character & Fitness Application

Login to your NCBE account at www.ncbex.org and complete the online NCBE character and fitness application for background investigation. When you have completed the NCBE application form online, save the application and any attachments you may have already uploaded to NCBE as a .pdf file, which you will need for your Tennessee application. You do not need to submit the materials and payment to the NCBE at this time but will need to do so by the Final Deadline.

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Create Your Synergy Account

  1. Navigate to https://synergy.tnble.com/Login.aspx
  2. Select “Register Now” to create your account.
  3. Complete the new user registration
  4. You will receive an email to confirm your registration.  Check your spam if you do not receive the email and be sure to add “@tncourts.gov” to your trusted senders.
CREATE ACCOUNT

Submit the Tennessee Application

  1. Login to your Synergy account: https://synergy.tnble.com/Login.aspx
  2. From the dashboard select “Application for Comity Applicants.”
  • You will have a chance to review your answers before you submit and finalize the application.
  • Be sure to read and answer each question fully. Failure to provide complete information may result in denial of your application.
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Pay the Tennessee Application Fee

  • If paying by credit card, select the online payment option.  You will be routed to a third-party provider to pay the application fee. 
    • A credit card service fee is collected from the vendor in a separate credit card transaction at the same time as the filing fee is paid.
  • If you are paying by check or money order: Skip the online payment. Send a check or money order for the filing fee payable to the TN Board of Law Examiners to 511 Union Street, Suite 525, Nashville, TN 37219.  Your full name and NCBE number must be included on the check or money order.  Please do not mail cash.

 

Fee Schedule

Upload Required Documents

Upload the following documents in Synergy:

  • PDF of your completed NCBE application
  • Completed Affidavit of Past Practice
  • Certificates of admission from the highest court of each U.S. jurisdiction where you are or have been licensed (dated within the past six months)
  • Certificates of good standing with disciplinary history from the highest court in every U.S. jurisdiction where you are or have been licensed.
  • Current resume (.pdf format only)
  • Official undergraduate transcript
  • Official law school transcript

Note that certain applicants (e.g., foreign‑licensed attorneys or those with unaccredited degrees) have additional requirements.

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Reminders & Notices

NCBE and TN BLE are separate entities. The NCBE conducts background investigations for the TBLE. Submitting documents only to the TBLE or only to the NCBE will not meet the filing requirements and will not constitute a complete application. You MUST submit your NCBE Application to the NCBE and upload a .pdf of your complete NCBE Application to your Tennessee Application.

Additional Requirements

If you have been admitted by diploma privilege and have never been admitted in any U.S. jurisdiction by bar examination, you must submit a petition as set forth in Rule 7 § 5.01(b). 

If you are admitted in a foreign (non-U.S.) jurisdiction, you must submit the following for each foreign jurisdiction in which you are admitted:

  • Certified copy of the record or license of the court which admitted you to practice, and
  • Three letters from attorneys in each country in which you are licensed who can verify that you are licensed and attest to your practice in that country (see Rule 7 § 7.02), provided: 
    • The letter must relate to your work with the recommender in the practice of law and,
    • If the letter is from a relative, the relationship must be disclosed in the letter. (Note that letters from an Applicant’s parents, grandparents, siblings or spouse who are practicing attorneys are not permitted). 

Documents not in English must include a translation to English by a certified translator and be provided with the original document.

If your undergraduate degree is from a school not on the approved list of the Southern Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools (SACS) or equivalent regional accrediting association or is from a school located in a foreign country, you must provide a request for waiver with evidence that your undergraduate education is substantially equivalent to an undergraduate degree from a regionally accredited school. See Rule 7 § 2.01(c) and Policy P-2.01.

If you received your legal education in a foreign country and did not receive a J.D. from an ABA-accredited or Tennessee-approved law school, you are not eligible for admission by comity. See Rule 7 § 7.01.

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Practice Pending Admission

If you want to practice in Tennessee while your application is pending, you must register for Practice Pending Admission under Rule 7 § 10.07. See: Tennessee Supreme Court Rule 8, RPC 5.5 regarding unauthorized practice of law and exceptions.  

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Frequently Asked Questions

The “active practice of law” includes a wide range of legal work performed while you were licensed, in active status, and in good standing in at least one jurisdiction. Qualifying activities include:

  • Private or public practice of law;
  • Teaching at a law school
  • Serving as a judicial law clerk or staff attorney
  • Serving as a judge in a federal, state, or local court of record
  • Working as an Attorney General, Assistant Attorney General, Public Defender, U.S. Attorney, District Attorney, or as an attorney/general counsel for a government agency (including military service)
  • Working as in‑house counsel (if properly registered in that jurisdiction, when required)
  • Practicing under a military‑spouse license comparable to Tennessee’s Rule 10.06.
    • In some cases, the Board may also count other employment that requires legal training, such as roles involving interpretation of law or application of legal knowledge. In evaluating these roles, the Board considers factors such as the nature of the work, how much time was devoted to legal tasks, and whether a law license or legal training was required. Work does not count toward the active‑practice requirement if:
      • You were not licensed, active, and in good standing at the time (unless covered by a specific exception),
      • The work constituted the unauthorized practice of law, or
      • The work was performed under a practice‑pending‑admission or supervised‑practice rule similar to Tennessee’s §§10.04 or 10.07.

No- you must have been engaged in the active practice of law for at least 5 of the 7 years immediately preceding the date of your paid Tennessee application. The Board does not have the authority to waive the time in practice requirement.

Yes; you must provide official undergraduate transcripts and official law school transcripts. Only upload transcripts from schools where a degree was awarded.