TBA offers optional dues levels to meet your individual circumstances. Instead of joining at the standard $315 level, you can choose to use our optional income-based membership levels, which are based on law-related income. With dues that match your income, you can take full advantage of all TBA benefits for access to unlimited legal research, three hours of free CLE, daily legal news with TBA Today, TBA's Law Firm in a Box, insurance options and much more. Start your membership today. Here are the dues options available:

• $0 - $25,000 = $150
• $25,001 - $50,000 = $210
• $50,001- $75,000 = $270
• $75,001 - $100,000 = $315
• Over $100,000 = $350

Staying connected to colleagues, as well as developments in your practice area, legislation impacting the profession, recent court opinions and relevant legal news is easy with the TBA. Events such as the TBA Annual Convention, Big Shrimp Legislative Reception and opportunities for public and pro bono service provide invaluable opportunities for connecting and networking with fellow lawyers. The TBA Today daily newsletter, daily court opinions and unlimited free legal research in all 50 states keep you informed and better equipped to help clients. Members also can customize their membership by joining one or more of TBA’s 33 sections focused on education, practice area expertise and more. Get started here!

Practicing law can be expensive. Being a lawyer is more than just the law — it’s a business. Use TBA membership benefits to help you save money and access the insurance options you need. Immediate savings include unlimited legal research in all 50 states, three free hours of CLE, member discounts, student loan refinancing, and access to group health insurance, life insurance and preferred providers for malpractice insurance. These benefits will help your bottom line and keep costs low to help you focus on the practice of law. Members also have access to leadership programs, hundreds of resources for law practice management, and receive daily legal news and court opinions. Start your membership here.

The Tennessee Bar Association (TBA) and Tennessee’s American Inns of Court are now accepting nominations for the 2026 Judge Pamela L. Reeves Tennessee Professionalism Award. The annual award is presented to a lawyer or judge whose life and practice display sterling character and unquestioned integrity, coupled with ongoing dedication to the highest standards of the rule of law and the highest standards of the legal profession in Tennessee. This year's award will be presented to a lawyer or judge residing in the Eastern Grand Division. Nominees must be alive when nominations are submitted but they need not be an active member of an American Inn of Court or the TBA. The award will be presented at the TBA's Annual Convention, which will be held in Knoxville June 10-13. The deadline for submitting nominations is May 8. See past recipients of the award.

Save the date for the TBA's 2026 Business Law Forum! The full-day program will take place on May 5 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. CDT at the new TBA office in Nashville. This year’s program will focus on artificial intelligence and its impact on business law, offering sessions on AI fundamentals, legal and cybersecurity considerations, contract drafting and ethics. Designed for attorneys at all experience levels, the forum will provide practical insights and strategies for integrating AI into legal practice. For featured speakers and registration information, visit the TBA website.

Legislation to limit lawsuits challenging the constitutionality of new state laws has passed both the House and Senate and was signed into law by Gov. Bill Lee yesterday. HB1971 passed the House on March 31. The Senate passed the House bill on April 2. The bill repeals a provision the legislature passed eight years ago that allowed Tennesseans to challenge the constitutionality of new state laws before they suffer any harm. The Tennessean reports that Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti — whose office defends new laws in court — requested lawmakers repeal the measure and reinstate barriers removed in 2018. If signed into law, the measure would require challengers to prove actual damage had been done to have standing to sue. The Tennessean has more on the legislation.

Tipton County General Sessions Court Judge M. O. Eckel III on April 1 swore in the three founding members — Dondi O. Albritton, David Bitzer and J. Houston Gordon — of the county Veterans Court Board, a first-of-its-kind advisory body dedicated to serving veteran defendants in the community. According to a press release, rather than establishing a resource-intensive formal treatment court, Eckel designed an independent advisory board modeled after the Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) framework. The board will review cases and provide fact-based advisory reports to the court, the district attorney and defense counsel, ensuring transparency and due process at every step. "Every veteran who stands before us deserves more than a one-size-fits-all approach to justice," Eckel says. This Board ensures that we will always have the expert, veteran-centered insight needed to reach the most informed decision possible for each of them." See photos from the event.

In March 2026, President Donald Trump issued an executive order concerning diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) practices among federal contractors, prohibiting what the order defines as "racially discriminatory DEI activities." An article from JD Supra focuses on the order's practical impacts, including requiring new contract clauses, expanded reporting and compliance obligations and potential penalties (like contract termination or debarment) for noncompliance. Read more in the article.

Jones Day said hackers breached the law firm and accessed the files of 10 clients, Bloomberg Law reports. A prolific cybercriminal group known as Silent took credit for the attack, listing Jones Day among its victims on an extortion website. “Jones Day recently experienced a cyber ‘phishing’ incident in which an unauthorized third party accessed a limited number of dated files for 10 clients,” a spokesperson said in a statement. “All impacted clients have been notified.” The identities of the affected clients were not immediately clear. Silent specifically targets U.S. law firms, taking advantage of the “the highly sensitive nature of legal industry data,” according to a 2025 FBI alert. Jones Day was also hit by a cyberattack in 2021.