The Institute for Justice submitted comments in support of the petition of the Network of Enlightened Women in In re: Amendment of Rule 7, Section 5.01(c), Rules of the Tennessee Supreme Court.

Tennessee Supreme Court Rule 7, section 5.01(c) governs the admission of attorneys licensed in other jurisdictions to the Tennessee bar without examination. The current rules require applicants to have practiced full-time for five of the previous seven years.

The Petition proposes ending the full-time requirement and instead adopting a requirement that applicants have engaged in “the representation of one or more clients in the private or public practice as a licensed attorney.”

IJ’s comment is consistent with the constitutionally-recognized right to earn a living. Granting the Petition would also benefit Tennesseans by bringing the state’s rules on admission by comity into greater uniformity with the majority of other jurisdictions.