TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Julia Wilburn on Dec 29, 2025

In the Tennessee Supreme Court’s Sept. 16 order soliciting comments from the legal community, the court asks whether "any legal services currently provided by lawyers could be competently provided by paraprofessionals and, if so, what qualifications, limitations, or subject matter restrictions the court should consider imposing." Some mandatory bar states, such as Arizona and Washington, have created or are piloting programs to license paraprofessionals, often called Legal Paraprofessionals or Limited License Legal Technicians (LLLTs), allowing these individuals to provide legal advice and representation in specific, defined areas of law. Indiana — a voluntary bar state — is piloting a regulatory sandbox program to address legal deserts and more. Feedback on Tennessee's potential modification of the role of paraprofessionals in the practice of law may be sent to TBA's newly formed Legal Access & Regulatory Reform Task Force at townhall@tnbar.org as well as directly to the court. Visit TBA's Legal Access & Regulatory Reform resource page for more information.