Practising Law Institute

Practising Law Institute

Logo of Practising Law Institute
Formation 1933
Type Non-Profit CLE Provider
Headquarters New York City
President
Anita Carr Shapiro
Website http://www.pli.edu

Practising Law Institute (PLI) is a non-profit continuing legal education (CLE) organization chartered by the Regents of the University of the State of New York. Founded in 1933, the company organizes and provides CLE programs around the world. Its programs are held in multiple locations including New York, California, Illinois, Washington D.C., Georgia, Massachusetts, Texas, Pennsylvania, London, and Hong Kong.

Programs are also offered in various formats, including live webcasts, MP3s, and on-demand videos. PLI's headquarters are located in New York City, New York; it also maintains an office in San Francisco, California.

History

Founded in 1933, PLI was established to offer courses in the practice of law for lawyers recently admitted to the bar and/or those seeking to learn the elements of practicing in the field. As the country was seeing a transition from apprenticeship to formal law school education,[1] a New York City lawyer by the name of Harold Seligson recognized the need for practical training in law and originated a series of lectures called “Practising Law Courses.” These lectures would be the germination of the full-fledged Institute that exists today under the banner of the Practising Law Institute (PLI).

By 1939, the Institute had been formally chartered by the Regents of the State of New York. It was able to take advantage of certain historical forces, including the New Deal and the federal regulation of business activity it inspired. The Securities Act of 1933 and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, for example, initiated a new specialization in the law. This new specialization in turn created a need for a new kind of continuing legal education, which we see in practice today.[2][3]

As a not-for-profit educational organization, PLI continues to offer pro bono programs and scholarships to lawyers and student in need of assistance. In 2012, PLI awarded over 26,000 scholarships.[4]

On April 27th, 2015 the PLI Board of Trustees formally installed Anita Carr Shapiro as its fifth president. She succeeded Victor J. Rubino who was unanimously approved as President Emeritus after serving as PLI's President since 1983. [5]

Mission

Practising Law Institute’s mission statement, as stated on its website:

To enhance the professionalism of attorneys and other qualified persons by providing, in a cost effective manner, the highest quality and most innovative programs, publications and other services to enable them to practice law competently and ethically, and to fulfill pro bono responsibilities.[6]

Notable faculty and authors

References

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 10/14/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.