The landscape of privacy for legal professionals in Tennessee has shifted. Following a recent ruling by the Tennessee Supreme Court, personal contact information provided by attorneys to the Board of Professional Responsibility will soon be under lock and key. This decision, which alters Tennessee Supreme Court Rule 9, Section 10.1, ushers in a new era where such details are deemed confidential and excluded from the public record.
Rooted in a petition from June 18, by the Board, this change didn't come out of thin air. It was the subject of a public comment period and revisions suggested by prominent legal entities like, the Tennessee Bar Association and the Knoxville Bar Association among others. By following through with this amendment, the Court has mandated that while attorneys' private contact info will be protected, they must still furnish some form of contact that can be accessible to the public.
As reported by Tennessee Courts, the effective date for this ruling is scheduled for January 1, 2025. This lead time provides lawyers a window to arrange which contact details they choose to make available publicly, a move likely intended to ease the transition while safeguarding attorney privacy.
This new regulation in Tennessee aims to balance transparency and privacy for lawyers. Attorneys will need to adjust to these rules by the end of the year, when Rule 9, Section 10.1, goes into effect.
