Learn more about TBA sections

Learn more about TBA sections

As a member of the Tennessee Bar Association, you have the opportunity to join sections — smaller, more specialized groups focusing on particular areas of law practice. Sections were established by the TBA Board of Governors to investigate, discuss and evaluate trends and activities in specialized areas and make appropriate recommendations to the Board of Governors regarding legislation and to provide continuing legal education in regard to specialized areas of the law. Each section offers a variety of educational opportunities, publications and networking opportunities. Many sections now offer their members electronic networking capability through TBA’s section e-forums.

If you have any questions about section activities, please contact TBA Programs Administrator Lynn Pointer by email at lpointer@tnbar.org or by phone at (615) 383-7421 or (800) 899-6993.

A brief description of the Tennessee Bar Association's sections are below:

Administrative Law: This Section provides members with opportunities to exchange information with other practitioners regarding administrative law. The Section will produce annual CLE programming and news to the members.

Appellate Law: This is TBA's newest Section and was created by TBA leadership to provide members the opportunity to come together for the purposes of exchanging information and to provide CLE on appellate practice issues.

Bankruptcy Law: The Bankruptcy Law Section focuses on issues involving bankruptcy law. The Section's executive committee develops projects for its members ranging from legislative proposals to their annual Bankruptcy Forum and associated social events.

Business Law: The Business Law Section furthers the knowledge of its members in the law of the Uniform Commercial Code, banking law, corporate law, partnership law, matters of debtor and creditor relations, and litigation practice related to such law. This Section produces newsletters, seminars and other on-going projects.

Construction Law: This Section was formed to serve the needs of Tennessee attorneys practicing in the area of construction law. Its purpose is to further the knowledge of its members in construction law and to act as an advocate for those attorneys in the legislature and the courts.

Corporate Counsel: The Corporate Counsel Section is a resource for Tennessee lawyers practicing as in-house counsel. This Section was formed by the TBA in recognition of the need to create a venue for corporate counsel to share views and develop relationships with colleagues. The Section also offers CLE on issues impacting corporate counsel.

Creditors Practice: This Section was created for attorneys who are in the creditors practice field and provides the members the opportunity to exchange information with other practitioners in this area of practice. The Section provides timely CLE to the members and updates the members of legislative activity that affects creditors practice issues.

Criminal Justice: The Criminal Justice Section was established to serve all elements of the Tennessee criminal justice system, including state, federal and municipal prosecutors, judges with criminal jurisdiction, state and federal public defenders, and those lawyers in private criminal practice. The Section produces newsletters that report changes in Tennessee criminal law. The Section also has an e-forum for members who wish to participate.

Disability Law: The Disability Law Section is a resource for Tennessee lawyers practicing in the area of disability rights or who have an interest in building a disability rights practice. The Section offers continuing legal education, updates on new developments in disability rights law, and an e-forum, through which lawyers in Tennessee can network professionally to advance disability civil rights.

Dispute Resolution: This Section provides members with opportunities to exchange information with other practitioners regarding alternative dispute resolution, including annual CLE and co-sponsored CLE programs with other Sections that use mediation in their areas of practice. The Section produces a regular e-newsletter that helps members stay up-to-date on mediation and arbitration issues and has an e-forum for its members.

Elder Law: The Elder Law Section provides services and opportunities for involvement on issues relating to elder law. The Section provides education to its members, makes recommendations to seek improvement in the law, and undertakes projects to increase the understanding of senior citizens, their families and the general public concerning legal issues affecting the elderly. This Section has an active e-forum.

Entertainment and Sports Law: The Entertainment and Sports Law Section was created in recognition of an increasing number of practitioners in entertainment and sports law. This Section offers an annual CLE program that offers members an opportunity to learn of trends and activities in this specialized area of practice.

Environmental Law: The Section informs its members of local, state and national environmental laws and regulations. The Section coordinates annual substantive continuing legal education programs on environmental law and produces a quarterly newsletter that communicates the latest trends in the industry to Section members. This Section has an active e-forum.

Estate Planning and Probate: This Section was formerly part of the TBA Tax Section. TBA created a separate Estate Planning and Probate Section after it was determined that there was a need for a separate and distinct estate planning and probate Section. The Section provides annual CLE programming and an e-forum where members can discuss estate planning and probate issues.

Family Law: One of the goals of the Family Law Section is to bring practitioners together who share a common interest in family law. The Section newsletter keeps practitioners abreast of changes taking place in the law. The Section sponsors an annual seminar on the latest developments in Tennessee family law practice and hosts a Section e-forum for its members.

Federal Practice Law: This Section was formed to serve the needs of Tennessee attorneys whose primary practice is in the federal courts. Its purpose is to further the knowledge of its members and to act as an advocate for those attorneys. The Section also provides CLE programming for the members.

General, Solo & Small Firm Practitioners: The TBA's General, Solo & Small Firm Practitioners Section provides its members with programs designed to further the professionalism, prestige and effectiveness of the general practitioner. Members will receive notice of legislation and other issues affecting the general, solo and small firm practitioner through periodic Section e-newsletters.

Health Care Law: This Section works to further the knowledge of its members in federal, state and local law pertaining to the provision of health care services and the operation of health care facilities. Each year, the Section sponsors a two-day Health Law Forum that provides timely information to members about all facets of health care law and an annual Health Law Primer for attorneys who are new to the health law practice.

Immigration Law: This Section provides members with the opportunity to exchange information with other immigration law practitioners through the Section's e-forum. The Section also provides periodic news to the members on both Federal and State immigration laws and provides annual CLE programming for the members of this Section.

Intellectual Property: The Intellectual Property Section is a resource for Tennessee lawyers who practice in the area of intellectual property or have an interest in building an intellectual property practice. The practice areas of trademark, copyright, trade secret and patent law fall within this Section. In addition to offering high-quality continuing legal education and periodic updates on new developments, the Section serves as a forum for Tennessee intellectual property lawyers to meet and build relationships.

Juvenile and Children's Law: This Section provides a forum for lawyers who deal with juvenile and children's law issues. It produces CLE courses related to juvenile and children's law, distributes a newsletter to Section members, and works toward improving juvenile justice and children's law in Tennessee.

Labor & Employment Law: The Section focuses on all areas of traditional labor relations issues and matters arising in individual employment rights. A continuing legal education seminar on employment law issues is sponsored annually by the Section. Members stay abreast of recent developments in the law by reading the Section newsletter.

Law Office Technology & Management: Issues relating to law practice management and computer technology are the focus of this Section. The Section informs its members on the latest in technology and practice management and also offers members the opportunity to exchange information through the Section's e-forum.

Litigation: This Section provides the trial attorney with information on the most recent trends in trial techniques through annual seminars and its newsletter. A membership benefit of this Section is receiving up-to-date information about pending legislation affecting trial practitioners and an e-forum for members to seek practice-specific advice from experienced trial practitioners.

Real Estate Law: The Section promotes continuing legal education each year through the sponsorship of a seminar dealing with various aspects of real property law. The Section also monitors, studies and proposes statutory developments in property law and keeps its membership updated on current issues by sending periodic e-newsletters.

Tax Law: This Section provides continuing legal education to its members in the areas of state and federal taxation law. The Section maintains a liaison with the Tennessee District of the Southeast Region of the Internal Revenue Service and the Tennessee Department of Revenue.

Tort & Insurance Law: This Section was formed by the TBA in recognition of the need to create a venue for attorneys to share views and to develop relationships with colleagues in this area of practice. The Section also offers CLE on issues impacting both tort and insurance law.