Practising Law Institute
Encyclopedia
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. Their programs are held in multiple locations including New York, California, Illinois, Washington D.C., Georgia, Massachusetts, Texas, Pennsylvania and the U.K.
Programs are also offered in various formats including live webcasts, MP3s and on-demand videos. Its headquarters are located in New York City, New York; it also maintains an office in San Francisco, California.
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.
As a not for profit education organization, PLI continues to offer pro bono programs and scholarships to lawyers and student in need of assistance. In 2010, PLI awarded over 15,000 scholarships.
Continuing Legal Education
Continuing legal education is professional education of lawyers that takes place after their initial admission to the bar. In many states in the United States, CLE participation is required of attorneys to maintain their license to practice law...
(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. Their programs are held in multiple locations including New York, California, Illinois, Washington D.C., Georgia, Massachusetts, Texas, Pennsylvania and the U.K.
Programs are also offered in various formats including live webcasts, MP3s and on-demand videos. Its 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, 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
New Deal
The New Deal was a series of economic programs implemented in the United States between 1933 and 1936. They were passed by the U.S. Congress during the first term of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The programs were Roosevelt's responses to the Great Depression, and focused on what historians call...
and the federal regulation of business activity it inspired. The Securities Act of 1933
Securities Act of 1933
Congress enacted the Securities Act of 1933 , in the aftermath of the stock market crash of 1929 and during the ensuing Great Depression...
and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
Securities Exchange Act of 1934
The Securities Exchange Act of 1934 , , codified at et seq., is a law governing the secondary trading of securities in the United States of America. It was a sweeping piece of legislation...
, 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
Continuing Legal Education
Continuing legal education is professional education of lawyers that takes place after their initial admission to the bar. In many states in the United States, CLE participation is required of attorneys to maintain their license to practice law...
which we see in practice today.
As a not for profit education organization, PLI continues to offer pro bono programs and scholarships to lawyers and student in need of assistance. In 2010, PLI awarded over 15,000 scholarships.
Mission
Practising Law Institute’s mission statement, as stated on its website:Notable faculty and authors
- Robert KhuzamiRobert KhuzamiRobert S. Khuzami is currently the director of the Division of Enforcement of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. He is a former United States federal prosecutor and general counsel of Deutsche Bank AG....
- Preet BhararaPreet BhararaPreetinder S. Bharara , commonly known as Preet Bharara, is U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York.-Early life and education:Bharara was born in 1968 in Firozpur, Punjab, India, to a Sikh father and Hindu mother...
- Mary SchapiroMary SchapiroMary L. Schapiro is the 29th chairperson of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission .She is the immediate past chairperson and CEO of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority , the securities industry self-regulatory organization for broker-dealers and exchanges in the United States, and...
- Burt NeuborneBurt NeuborneBurt Neuborne is a nationally renowned civil liberties defender. Professor Neuborne has acted as lead counsel in the recent Holocaust Litigation against the Swiss Banks. A former National Legal Director of the American Civil Liberties Union, he is currently on the faculty of New York University...
- Ted WellsTed WellsTed Wells is a prominent criminal attorney. A litigation partner at the New York law firm of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP, the National Law Journal has selected Wells as one of America's best white-collar defense attorneys on numerous occasions. Wells received his B.A. from...