TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Stacey Shrader Joslin on Mar 20, 2023

An attorney from Kansas City is seeking to do away with Tennessee’s professional privilege tax according to the Tennessee Journal. Thomas West has filed suit in Sumner County challenging the $400 tax for lawyers, investment advisers and lobbyists. He argues in the suit that the annual fee is “arbitrary, capricious and wholly unreasonable.” In 2021, Sumner County was designated as the court of origin for civil cases in which the plaintiff lives out of state. The case will be heard by a three-judge panel. In recent years, the state has eliminated the tax for other professions. The TBA is continuing its lobbying efforts to have the tax eliminated for Tennessee-licensed lawyers.