Practising Law Institute

Practising Law Institute (PLI) is an American nonprofit continuing legal education organization serving lawyers and other legal professionals. Chartered by the Regents of the University of the State of New York, it was created to address the practical gap between formal legal education and the day-to-day demands of legal practice. The organization traces its origins to a series of lectures known as the Practising Law Courses, developed in New York by lawyer Harold P. Seligson. Those courses were intended for lawyers who had recently been admitted to the bar as well as practitioners who needed a practical grounding in particular areas of law. The institute was established in 1933 and formally chartered by New York State in 1939. PLI emerged during a period in which the legal profession was moving away from apprenticeship-based preparation toward university law schools and more structured professional education. The expansion of federal regulation during the New Deal era also created new areas of legal specialization. In particular, the Securities Act of 1933 and Securities Exchange Act of 1934 contributed to demand for specialized instruction in securities, corporate, and regulatory practice. PLI developed as an institution focused on translating developments in legislation, regulation, litigation, and professional practice into practical educational programs. Its principal activity is continuing legal education, commonly abbreviated CLE. PLI organizes programs across a broad range of practice areas and delivers them through in-person events, live webcasts, on-demand video, audio and MP3 formats, and digital services available through its website and mobile application. Programs have been offered in locations including New York, California, Illinois, Washington, D.C., Georgia, Massachusetts, Texas, Pennsylvania, London, Hong Kong, and Singapore. The organization maintains its headquarters in New York City and an additional office in San Francisco. PLI's educational portfolio extends beyond individual courses. Through PLI Press, it publishes legal treatises, periodicals, practice-oriented reference works, and other professional materials. It also produces podcasts and video series intended to help practitioners follow changes in legal doctrine, regulation, procedure, and professional standards. Its subject coverage spans dozens of practice areas, including securities law, intellectual property, litigation, corporate law, tax, employment law, compliance, and legal ethics, although the precise program portfolio changes over time. A significant part of PLI's nonprofit mission is access to legal education. It provides pro bono programming and scholarships for lawyers, legal-services organizations, nonprofit groups, students, and other individuals who need assistance. The organization reported awarding more than 2,700 scholarships annually and having 870 Pro Bono Members at the end of 2024. These activities distinguish PLI from a conventional commercial training provider: its educational model combines paid professional programming with subsidized access for public-interest and financially constrained participants. PLI's faculty and authors include practitioners, government officials, academics, judges, and specialists from major areas of legal practice. Notable contributors associated with its programs or publications include Robert Khuzami, Preet Bharara, Mary Schapiro, Burt Neuborne, and Ted Wells. In 2021, Sharon L. Crane became president, succeeding Anita Carr Shapiro, who had been the organization's second woman president and died in 2020. PLI remains an active legal-education institution with a hybrid delivery model combining live instruction, digital media, publishing, and pro bono support.

Practising Law Institute began in New York during a transition in the preparation of American lawyers. As formal law-school education became more prominent, many practitioners still needed instruction that connected legal doctrine with the realities of practice. Harold P. Seligson, a New York lawyer, responded to that need by developing a lecture series called the Practising Law Courses. The courses supplied practical instruction for recently admitted lawyers and for established lawyers seeking to develop competence in a new field. The organization that grew from those lectures was founded in 1933. Its development coincided with a major expansion of federal regulation and business law. New Deal legislation and the creation of modern federal securities regulation increased the need for lawyers who understood newly developing statutory and administrative regimes. The Securities Act of 1933 and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 were especially important in creating demand for specialized continuing education. PLI's model addressed that demand by bringing experienced practitioners and subject-matter specialists into structured educational programs. In 1939, Practising Law Institute was formally chartered by the Regents of the University of the State of New York. The charter established its identity as a not-for-profit educational organization rather than a conventional commercial training company. Over time, the institute broadened its coverage beyond its early emphasis on practical legal instruction and securities-related developments. Its programs came to span numerous legal disciplines and professional responsibilities, including corporate practice, litigation, intellectual property, tax, employment, compliance, regulation, and ethics. PLI also developed a publishing function through PLI Press. Its books, treatises, periodicals, and practice materials complemented live instruction by giving lawyers continuing access to detailed explanations, procedural guidance, and updates. As communications technology changed, the organization added webcasts, on-demand video, audio and MP3 content, podcasts, and mobile access through PLI.edu and its application. This hybrid model allowed PLI to serve participants who could attend events in person as well as lawyers seeking remote or self-paced education. The institute's geographic footprint expanded beyond its New York base. Programs have been held across the United States, including in California, Illinois, Washington, D.C., Georgia, Massachusetts, Texas, and Pennsylvania, and internationally in London, Hong Kong, and Singapore. PLI maintains its headquarters in New York City and an office in San Francisco. A continuing feature of PLI's history is its public-interest mission. In addition to fee-based professional programming, it offers pro bono courses and scholarships for lawyers, legal-services providers, nonprofit organizations, and students. By the end of 2024, the organization reported 870 Pro Bono Members and more than 2,700 scholarships awarded annually. This support extends legal education to people and institutions that might otherwise lack access to specialized training. PLI's faculty and authors have included prominent lawyers, regulators, public officials, academics, and litigators, among them Robert Khuzami, Preet Bharara, Mary Schapiro, Burt Neuborne, and Ted Wells. Leadership also reflects the institution's changing professional profile. Anita Carr Shapiro served as its second woman president and died in September 2020. Sharon L. Crane became president in 2021. PLI continues to operate as an active nonprofit provider whose principal activities are continuing legal education, legal publishing, digital professional content, and pro bono access.

• 2024

  Reported pro bono participation and scholarships

  [1]Practising Law Instituteen.wikipedia.org

  PLI reported more than 2,700 scholarships awarded annually and 870 Pro Bono Members at year-end.

• 2021

  Sharon L. Crane becomes president

  [1]Practising Law Instituteen.wikipedia.org

  Sharon L. Crane became president, succeeding Anita Carr Shapiro.

• 1939

  Formal New York charter

  [1]Practising Law Instituteen.wikipedia.org

  The organization was chartered by the Regents of the University of the State of New York.

• 1933

  Institute founded

  [1]Practising Law Instituteen.wikipedia.org

  Practising Law Institute was established after Harold P. Seligson's practical legal lecture series, the Practising Law Courses.

A nonprofit, practice-oriented legal education and publishing institution that combines professional CLE programming with broad digital access and a public-interest mission.

• Professional education · 1933

  Continuing Legal Education Programs

  PLI's core offering consists of practice-oriented courses, seminars, conferences, and related educational programs for lawyers and other legal professionals. Programs cover a wide range of legal and regulatory subjects and are designed to help practitioners satisfy continuing legal education requirements while keeping current with changes in law, procedure, and professional practice.

• Digital education

  Digital Webcasts and On-Demand Learning

  PLI distributes legal education through live webcasts, on-demand video, audio and MP3 formats, and digital access via PLI.edu and its mobile application. These formats extend the institute's courses beyond physical venues and support live, recorded, and self-paced participation.

• Legal publishing

  PLI Press Publications

  PLI Press publishes legal treatises, periodicals, and practical reference materials. The publishing arm complements the institute's educational events by providing more detailed and durable resources for lawyers working in specialized areas of law and regulation.

• Access and public-interest education

  Pro Bono Scholarships and Programs

  PLI provides pro bono educational programming and scholarships for individuals and organizations, including legal-services providers, nonprofit groups, and students who need financial assistance. The offering supports the institute's nonprofit mission and broadens access to specialized legal education.

• 2021

  Leadership transition under Sharon L. CraneStrategy

  Background

  Following the death of former president Anita Carr Shapiro in 2020, PLI appointed Sharon L. Crane as president in 2021.

  Action taken

  Crane assumed leadership of the nonprofit legal-education organization.

  Aftermath

  The transition preserved PLI's continuing education, publishing, digital learning, and pro bono activities.

  Source

1. 1Practising Law Instituteen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Practising Law Institute official websitepli.edu