I got another dues statement from the Tennessee Board of Professional Responsibility today, with a copy of my Tennessee bar card (printed, as usual, on cheap paper). Rather than procrastinate and incur another damned tax this year, I’m just going to resign my membership in the bar of the state of Tennessee. I have no intention of ever moving back to Tennessee or practicing law there again. Keeping up my membership in the bar there is a waste of my time and money.
The whole thing makes me appreciate the California Bar all that much more that there is an “inactive” status I could put my license on here if I were going to be away from California and my practice here for an indefinite period of time. I’m also very glad that I never let my California license lapse after my move to Tennessee; it turns out that yes, I did need it after all.
I don’t owe Tennessee my efforts and as I recall, my services weren’t that much in demand, anyway. So walking away from the Tennessee bar seems like a mutually acceptable resolution to the mutual dissatisfaction we felt for one another.
Here’s my imaginary conversation with Tennessee: “I’m not going to pay your damn tax.” “You have to pay the tax, it’s a tax, not a suggestion.” “Oh yeah? Well, I resign.” “Fine!” “Fine.” “Go ahead, then!” “I will!” “Fine.” “Fine!”
