Tennessee rules
How long must a Tennessee lawyer wait to contact someone after an accident or divorce filing?
Tennessee packs its ad rules into RPC 7.1, 7.3 and 7.6: no filing, a 30-day wait that covers divorce filings, a registered specialty, and platform checks.
By Santiago Alvarez, Founder, Ad Hoc Digital
Last updated
The short answer
If you read one part of this page, read this.
Tennessee's lawyer advertising rules are in Tennessee Supreme Court Rule 8, the Rules of Professional Conduct. Three rules do the work: RPC 7.1 on all communications, RPC 7.3 on solicitation and paying for referrals, and RPC 7.6 on intermediary organizations, a term that includes online marketing platforms. RPCs 7.2, 7.4 and 7.5 are marked deleted and reserved. Nothing is filed or pre-approved, but the lawyer keeps a copy of every ad for two years (RPC 7.1(c)).
The rule that stands out is the 30-day wait in RPC 7.3(d)(3). It covers solicitation about personal injury, wrongful death, workers' compensation or an accident or disaster, and also divorce or legal separation filings, so a family law firm can't mail someone named in a new divorce complaint for 30 days.
Tennessee also requires registering any specialty certification before advertising it. This is a plain summary for marketing planning, not legal advice. Check the current rule with your bar or law society. We work with law firms across the US and Canada, and also in Australia and the UK.
Which rules apply
Tennessee folded its ad rules into three RPCs and retired the rest.
The Tennessee Supreme Court publishes Rule 8 on tncourts.gov. The current Rule 8 replaced the old one effective January 1, 2011, and Chapter 7 now centers on RPC 7.1, 7.3 and 7.6.
| Rule | What it covers | Marketing effect |
|---|---|---|
| RPC 7.1(a) | No false or misleading communication | Every ad, page, profile and post |
| RPC 7.1(b) | Advertising through written, recorded or electronic communications; name and contact information | Each communication names a responsible lawyer or firm |
| RPC 7.1(c) | Keep a copy or recording of each ad for two years, with when and where it appeared | A dated archive of every ad version |
| RPC 7.3 | Live solicitation, the "Advertising Material" label, the 30-day rule, records, and paying for recommendations | Targeted letters and emails follow set terms; most payments for referrals are banned |
| RPC 7.6 | Intermediary organizations, including an "online marketing platform" | Check a platform before and while you use it |
| RPC 7.2, 7.4, 7.5 | Deleted and reserved | Specialist and firm name guidance now sits in the comments to RPC 7.1 |
Two later changes matter. An order filed December 15, 2021 (ADM2021-01008), effective January 1, 2022, amended RPC 7.6 and deleted Tennessee Supreme Court Rule 44. An order of May 12, 2022 then amended RPC 7.6(b)(5). Comment [10] to RPC 7.3 still mentions "Tenn. Sup. Ct. R. 44", which the Court's page now shows as "[Deleted and Reserved.]". Our ABA Model Rules guide explains the national model text.
Filing or pre-approval
Tennessee files nothing, but every ad goes into a two-year archive.
Rule 8 sets no filing, fee or review step for ads. RPC 7.1(c) and RPC 7.3(e) set what the lawyer must keep instead.
- Ads to the public (RPC 7.1(c))
Keep a copy or recording of each advertisement for two years after it last ran, with a record of when and where it appeared. Comment [14] says one copy covers ads that are similar in all material respects, and that a lawyer may follow guidelines the Board of Professional Responsibility adopts for websites, email and other electronic communications.
- Messages to specific people (RPC 7.3(e))
Keep each written, audio, video or electronic communication sent to a specific recipient for two years, with when and to whom it was sent. Comment [9] allows one copy plus a list of names and addresses for identical messages.
- Compared with Kentucky
Tennessee's neighbor Kentucky offers an optional advisory opinion for $75 an ad. Tennessee's rules have no equivalent.
What every ad must include
A responsible lawyer or firm with contact information, and a firm name that doesn't mislead.
RPC 7.1(b) says any communication "shall include the name and contact information of at least one lawyer or law firm responsible for its content." The comments to RPC 7.1 handle firm names.
- Name and contact (RPC 7.1(b)): a firm name with a phone number or website meets the rule text; it doesn't require the office city.
- Trade names (comment [11]): a trade name or distinctive website address is fine if not misleading; a geographic name like "Springfield Legal Clinic" may need a disclaimer that the firm isn't a public legal aid agency.
- Lawyers in public office (comment [12]): a lawyer serving in the General Assembly can stay in the firm name if they expect to return to practice after the session.
- Shared offices (comment [13]): lawyers who share space but aren't a firm can't call themselves "Smith and Jones".
- Letters and emails to specific people (RPC 7.3(c)): "Advertising Material" on the outside envelope and at the beginning and end of any recorded or electronic message, and the subject of the representation kept off the envelope.
Because the requirement is short, search ads meet it with the firm name in a pinned headline; Google's help page says Headline 1, Headline 2 and Description 1 "will always show" when pinned. Our ad copy rules guide shows how we write around stricter states.
Results, testimonials and awards
Tennessee treats results and testimonials under the misleading standard, with one rule for awards.
RPC 7.1's comments set the tests. There is no testimonial checklist or set disclaimer wording in Rule 8's Chapter 7.
- Past results (comment [3])
A truthful report of results may mislead if it leads a reasonable person to expect the same result for others "without reference to the specific factual and legal circumstances of each client's case." A disclaimer or qualifying language may prevent that finding.
- Comparisons (comment [3])
An unsubstantiated comparison of your services or fees with other lawyers' may mislead if it's specific enough that a reader would think it can be proved.
- Awards and designations (comment [8])
A lawyer may advertise a subjective characterization an organization conferred, as long as the organization "has made inquiry into the lawyer's fitness and does not issue or confer such designations indiscriminately or for a price." A badge you paid for doesn't qualify.
- Testimonials and reviews
Judged by RPC 7.1 like any statement. Paying a person for recommending you falls under RPC 7.3(f). Our testimonials guide covers states with set testimonial conditions. Alabama added its own in 2026, covered in our Alabama guide.
Specialist and certified
A Tennessee specialty claim needs an ABA-accredited certifier and registration first.
Comment [9] to RPC 7.1 bars saying a lawyer is a "specialist", practices a "specialty" or "specializes in" a field, except for patent and admiralty practice or under comment [10].
Hold the certification
Comment [10] allows the claim when an organization accredited by the American Bar Association's House of Delegates has certified or recognized the lawyer as a specialist.
Register it before advertising
Before communicating the specialty, the lawyer must register the certification with the Tennessee Commission on Continuing Legal Education under Tennessee Supreme Court Rule 21.
Don't credit the Commission
A lawyer shall not state or imply that the certification came from the Tennessee Commission on Continuing Legal Education.
Everyone else may list practice areas and say they accept only certain matters (comment [9]). "Our practice is limited to workers' compensation" works; "workers' comp specialists" doesn't, without the certification and registration.
Direct contact and paying for clients
Tennessee's 30-day rule reaches family law and workers' compensation, not only injuries.
RPC 7.3 sets the contact rules and the list of permitted payments. RPC 7.6 adds conditions for platforms that connect consumers with lawyers.
- Live contact (RPC 7.3(b)): no live person-to-person solicitation for pecuniary gain, by the lawyer or by employees or agents, unless the person is a lawyer, a routine business user of the service, part of a court-ordered class action notice, or has a family, close personal or prior professional relationship with the lawyer.
- 30 days (RPC 7.3(d)(3)): no solicitation about personal injury, divorce or legal separation, workers' compensation, wrongful death, or an accident, divorce or separation filing, or disaster involving the person or family, unless it happened more than 30 days before the mailing or transmission. Comment [6] explains the divorce part: a spouse could get a lawyer's letter before being served, raising the risk of violence before the statutory injunctions apply.
- Other limits (RPC 7.3(d)(1), (2)): no solicitation after the person says no, or involving coercion, duress, fraud, harassment, intimidation, overreaching or undue influence.
- What you may pay for (RPC 7.3(f)): reasonable ad costs, including online group advertising; an intermediary organization's usual charges under RPC 7.6; buying a practice; a sponsorship fee or charitable contribution in return for publicity; and non-exclusive reciprocal referral deals the client is told about.
- Lead generators (RPC 7.3 comment [10]): allowed if the generator doesn't recommend you, the payment fits RPCs 1.5(e) and 5.4, and its messages don't imply a recommendation, a free referral or an analysis of the person's problem.
- Platforms under RPC 7.6
An intermediary organization includes a lawyer-advertising cooperative, referral service, matching service, "online marketing platform" or prepaid legal insurance provider. Before and while participating, the lawyer must be licensed and in good standing in Tennessee and make reasonable efforts to confirm six conditions: no direction of the lawyer's judgment, no improper solicitation, inclusion criteria and payments shown to consumers at the outset, the referral arrangement disclosed to the client at the outset, fees no higher than a proportional share of costs (or a reasonable percentage for a non-profit), and no ownership by the lawyer's firm. If it won't fix a problem, the lawyer withdraws.
North Carolina's Rule 7.4 sets similar platform conditions, and our paying for leads guide covers Illinois and Florida. For family law firms, our family law marketing page covers inbound channels that don't depend on outreach.
Channel by channel
Tennessee's rules applied to search, social, Local Services Ads and AI search.
Comment [1] to RPC 7.3 says ads to the general public and messages "automatically generated in response to Internet searches" aren't solicitation. Beyond that, the rows below apply the rule text.
| Channel | What the rule means there | The rule |
|---|---|---|
| Google search ads | Advertising, not solicitation; name and contact in a pinned position; keep dated copies of each version | RPC 7.3 comment [1]; 7.1(b), (c) |
| Local Services Ads | Google charges per valid lead; RPC 7.6 names "online marketing platform", but no Tennessee rule page we read says whether the program is one | RPC 7.6; 7.3(f) |
| Facebook and Instagram ads | Results and awards in creative must pass comment [3] and comment [8]; a paid ad to a broad audience isn't solicitation | RPC 7.1 |
| Social media posts | DMs to someone you know needs help with a new divorce filing or accident wait 30 days | RPC 7.3(d)(3) |
| Website and AI search content | Bios, FAQs and profiles that AI search tools may quote can't claim a specialty without certification and registration | RPC 7.1 comments [9], [10] |
Our Local Services Ads vs Google Ads guide explains the two pricing models. How we set up profiles is on our Local Services Ads service page.
What we check
Our Tennessee checklist for ads, letters and lead sources.
When we onboard a Tennessee firm, we check its lead sources and any direct outreach first, because RPC 7.3 and RPC 7.6 set Tennessee's most specific limits.
Map every outreach list
Any mail, email or text built from accident reports, court filings or divorce dockets gets a 30-day hold from the event or filing date.
Label targeted messages
"Advertising Material" on the envelope and at the start and end of electronic messages; nothing on the envelope about the matter.
Review each platform against RPC 7.6
We list the six conditions for each directory or lead platform and note what the firm confirmed, and when.
Check specialty wording
If the copy says "specialist", we ask for the ABA-accredited certificate and the Rule 21 registration before it runs.
Archive every version
Each ad version is saved with dates and placements for the two-year period in RPC 7.1(c).
One family law firm's case study is $37,000 Closed in Month One. Our Google Ads service builds Tennessee campaigns on this checklist.
Common mistakes
Where firms go wrong.
Tennessee mistakes we look for in accounts and outreach firms bring to us.
Mailing new divorce defendants
RPC 7.3(d)(3) bars solicitation about a divorce or legal separation filing until more than 30 days after the filing.
Unregistered specialty claims
Comment [10] to RPC 7.1 requires registering an ABA-accredited certification with the Tennessee Commission on Continuing Legal Education before advertising it.
A paid "top lawyer" badge
Comment [8] allows advertising a designation only when the organization didn't issue it indiscriminately or for a price.
Using a platform no one checked
RPC 7.6(b) requires reasonable efforts, before and during participation, to confirm the six conditions.
No ad archive
RPC 7.1(c) requires a copy or recording of each ad for two years with when and where it appeared.
Real results
What this looked like for real firms.
Published results in practices Tennessee's 30-day rule covers, from firms whose stories don't name their state.
Identifying details are anonymized to protect our clients. Individual result, not a promise or prediction of any specific outcome for your firm.
FAQ
Questions lawyers ask us.
Straight answers to the questions that come up most.
Do Tennessee lawyers file ads with the Board of Professional Responsibility?
Not under Rule 8's text. There's no filing or pre-approval step. The lawyer keeps a copy or recording of each ad for two years after it last ran, with when and where it appeared (RPC 7.1(c)).
Does Tennessee's 30-day rule apply to divorce cases?
Yes. RPC 7.3(d)(3) covers solicitation about divorce or legal separation and about the filing of a divorce or legal separation, unless the filing was more than 30 days before the communication or the lawyer has a family, close personal or prior professional relationship with the person.
Do Tennessee letters to prospects need "Advertising Material"?
Yes, for written, recorded or electronic solicitations to someone known to need legal services in a particular matter: on the outside envelope and at the beginning and end of recorded or electronic messages (RPC 7.3(c)).
Can a Tennessee lawyer advertise as a specialist?
Only with a certification from an organization accredited by the ABA's House of Delegates, registered with the Tennessee Commission on Continuing Legal Education under Rule 21 before advertising, or for patent and admiralty practice (RPC 7.1 comments [9] and [10]).
Can Tennessee lawyers use lead generation platforms?
Yes, within RPC 7.3 comment [10] and RPC 7.6. A platform that refers consumers, including an online marketing platform, must meet six conditions the lawyer checks before and during participation, and the lawyer withdraws if a problem isn't fixed.
Can I advertise awards and rankings in Tennessee?
Yes, under comment [8] to RPC 7.1, if the organization made inquiry into your fitness and doesn't confer the designation indiscriminately or for a price.
Where can I compare Tennessee with other states?
Our rules by state list gives each state's regulator and filing rule. The rules hub compares the states with extra requirements. Our Georgia guide covers a neighbor that rewrote its rules in 2026.
Where we do this
The services this guide touches.
What this looks like when we run it for a firm, with a demo for your practice on each page.
Sources
Where these facts come from.
Official pages we read when writing this page. We couldn't open the Board of Professional Responsibility's website on October 18 or October 25, 2026, so this guide doesn't cover the Board's ethics opinions or any advertising guidelines it has adopted. Platforms and rules change, so check the current version before you act on any of it. This is marketing guidance, not legal advice.
- Tennessee Supreme Court, Rule 8: Rules of Professional Conduct (RPC 7.1, 7.3, 7.6; RPC 7.2, 7.4, 7.5 deleted and reserved)
- Tennessee Supreme Court, Rule 44 (deleted and reserved, effective January 1, 2022)
- Tennessee Supreme Court, Order Amending Rule 8, RPC 7.6 and Rule 44, ADM2021-01008 (filed December 15, 2021)
- Tennessee Courts, Archived Proposed Rules & Amendments (May 12, 2022 order amending RPC 7.6(b)(5))
- Google Ads Help, About responsive search ads
- Google Local Services Help, How leads and charges work
Written by
Founder of Ad Hoc Digital. Leads strategy and works directly with every client firm on AI search, Local Services Ads, Google Ads and Meta ads.
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