The Tennessee Supreme Court recently changed Rule 21 or the Rule for Mandatory Continuing Legal Education. Attorneys will now receive continuing education credits at no cost for pro bono legal and mediation services as outlined in Rule 21.
The change will allow more attorneys and mediators to get CLE credit for their volunteer efforts that are helping citizens receive free legal assistance. The rule was changed to further the Tennessee Supreme Court’s goal of ensuring all Tennesseans have Access to Justice. The Court’s Access to Justice Commission was involved in and fully supports the amendment to the Rule.
The Access to Justice campaign was created in Dec. 2008 by the Tennessee Supreme Court. This was in response to a growing legal needs gap in Tennessee as indigent and working poor families faced more legal problems caused by unemployment, predatory loans, uninsured medical bills, domestic violence, evictions and foreclosures.
For more information on the Access to Justice campaign and the Access to Justice Commission, visit www.justiceforalltn.com/.
For more information on Rule 21, visit http://www.tncourts.gov/rules/supreme-court/21.