Practicing Law Institute
Practicing Law Institute is a nonprofit continuing legal education organization founded in 1933 that delivers accredited CLE programs and publishes authoritative treatises through PLI Press for attorneys, in-house counsel, law firm leadership, and law students across the United States.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1933
- HeadquartersNew York, United States
- Headcount501–1,000
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Practicing Law Institute does
Practicing Law Institute (PLI) is a New York-based nonprofit continuing legal education organization founded in 1933 and chartered by the Regents of the University of the State of New York. Its core function is delivering accredited continuing legal education programs — in-person, virtual, and on-demand — to attorneys and other legal professionals required to maintain licensure, and publishing authoritative treatises and reference materials through its wholly-owned subsidiary PLI Press. The organization is governed by a Board of Trustees drawn from major U.S. law firms, corporate legal departments, and academic institutions including Simpson Thacher & Bartlett, Stanford Law School, JPMorgan Chase, Freshfields, and PwC, with Lynn K. Neuner of Simpson Thacher serving as Chair as of the May 2026 annual elections.
PLI operates a dual revenue model anchored by program tuition and publication sales. Continuing legal education programs are delivered to a horizontally segmented audience — practicing attorneys, in-house counsel, law firm leadership, and law students — across substantive and emerging topics including AI governance, intellectual property, restrictive covenants, and law firm transformation. PLI Press extends the content moat through books and treatises sold via the organization's own storefront, with partner-channel distribution into platforms such as Paladin for pro bono and student training, and co-developed education series with the American Arbitration Association and Creative Lawyers.
The technology layer consists of a personalized digital learning platform, redesigned in 2025 and recognized at the Transform North America Awards, which sits atop PLI's content library and supports on-demand delivery. A separately launched Innovation Council, comprising legal and corporate sector leaders, advises on technology integration and content strategy, functioning as an advisory ecosystem rather than a product line. PLI does not disclose revenue or membership metrics publicly; headcount is in the 501–1000 range, consistent with a large multi-channel nonprofit education organization.
Practicing Law Institute firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Practicing Law Institute
- Legal name
- Practising Law Institute
- Website
- https://pli.edu
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1933
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 501–1,000 employees
- Short description
- Practicing Law Institute is a nonprofit continuing legal education organization founded in 1933 that delivers accredited CLE programs and publishes authoritative treatises through PLI Press for attorneys, in-house counsel, law firm leadership, and law students across the United States.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Practicing Law Institute industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Continuing Legal Education
- NAICS
- Legal Services (5411), All Other Legal Services (541199), Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (541)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200), Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731), Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Legal & Compliance (CLE, Paralegal CE) (EDAAALAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Law School Continuing Legal Education (CLE) & Executive Programs (EDAHAIAH), Law & Legal Studies (EDAGABAH), Legal & Governance Professional Development (EDAGANAK), Law & Legal Studies Scholarly Publishing (EDAGAFAG)
Keywords
Where Practicing Law Institute is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New York
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
Practicing Law Institute business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels4 records
Practicing Law Institute product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Practising Law Institute is a nonprofit continuing legal education organization that provides accredited CLE programs for attorneys and legal professionals across in-person, virtual, and on-demand formats. It also operates PLI Press, a publishing arm producing books, treatises, and reference materials covering substantive law, law firm management, and emerging areas such as AI and intellectual property.
Product overview
Practising Law Institute operates as a nonprofit learning organization (founded 1933) offering a dual-core product portfolio: (1) PLI Press publications including books, treatises, and educational materials covering substantive legal topics, law firm management, and emerging areas like AI and IP; and (2) Continuing Legal Education programs delivered in-person, virtually, and on-demand. These are supported by the Innovation Council advisory body that guides PLI's technological integration strategy. The organization recently expanded its digital platform with personalized learning features, as recognized by the 2025 Transform North America Awards.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Continuing Legal Education Programs Accredited continuing legal and professional education programs for attorneys and legal professionals delivered across in-person, virtual, and on-demand formats, enabling bar licensure compliance.
- PLI Press Publications Books, treatises, and reference materials produced by PLI's publishing arm covering substantive law topics, law firm management, restrictive covenants, AI and intellectual property, and other emerging legal practice areas.
- Noncompete Agreements and Related Restrictive Covenants Treatise State-by-state reference treatise on noncompete agreements and restrictive covenants covering all 50 states and Washington, D.C., serving as a first-stop resource for attorneys and in-house counsel handling restrictive covenant matters.
- Artificial Intelligence and Intellectual Property Treatise Authoritative treatise from PLI Press examining how artificial intelligence challenges and redefines traditional intellectual property frameworks, covering copyright, patents, trade secrets, and data rights.
- AI Governance Professional Education Series Continuing professional education series developed with AAA and Creative Lawyers providing AI governance training, best-practice guidance, and survey findings for legal leaders navigating AI-related legal issues.
Quantifiable outcome
- Covers all 50 states and Washington D.C. in restrictive covenant guidance
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Practicing Law Institute
Customer profileSegments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Practicing Law Institute technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
Practicing Law Institute partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.
- American Arbitration Association (AAA)coreAAA partnered with Creative Lawyers and PLI to launch a professional education series supporting legal leaders in AI governance. The partnership showcases AI governance best practices and shares preliminary survey findings, providing continuing education on emerging AI-related legal issues.
- Creative LawyerscoreCreative Lawyers collaborates with AAA and PLI to develop and deliver a professional education series on AI governance for legal leaders, combining expertise from arbitration, legal innovation, and professional education.
- PaladincorePaladin and PLI partnered to integrate skills training with pro bono work for law students. The collaboration connects students using Paladin's platform to PLI's training programs, enhancing experiential learning and practical skills development for future legal professionals.
- Innovation Council MembersflagshipPLI launched its first Innovation Council comprising legal and corporate sector leaders who advise on innovation trends, collaborative opportunities, and resource development for technological integration in the legal industry.
Scale indicators1 record
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Practicing Law Institute competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Strafford: Strafford delivers continuing professional education via webinars and on-demand programming for attorneys, accountants, and other professionals. It directly competes with PLI's on-demand CLE offerings.
- National Business Institute (NBI): NBI offers CLE seminars, webinars, and on-demand programs for attorneys nationwide. It directly competes with PLI for CLE-attending attorneys, particularly in regional and mid-market segments.
- Lorman Education Services: Lorman provides on-demand and live continuing education to attorneys, accountants, and HR professionals across all 50 states. It directly competes with PLI in the accredited CLE market for practicing attorneys.
- Center for American and International Law (CAIL): CAIL is a nonprofit provider of continuing legal education programs, particularly in international, comparative, and procedural law. It overlaps with PLI in nonprofit CLE delivery to specialized attorney segments.
- American Law Institute (ALI): ALI is a nonprofit organization producing scholarly legal restatements, model codes, and CLE-eligible programs. It serves a similar attorney audience and overlaps with PLI in authoritative legal content and continuing education.
- BARBRI: BARBRI is a leading provider of bar exam preparation and continuing legal education for attorneys. It directly competes with PLI in the CLE market serving the same attorney and law student customer segments.
Emerging players
- LawPracticeCLE: LawPracticeCLE is an on-demand CLE provider focused on practice management and technology topics for attorneys. It is an emerging player competing with PLI in modern, niche CLE subject areas.
Broad incumbents
- LexisNexis Legal & Professional: LexisNexis provides legal research, publishing, and increasingly CLE/practice guidance content to attorneys globally. As a much larger incumbent, it overlaps with PLI in legal publishing and professional learning.
- Thomson Reuters (West Legal Education): Thomson Reuters operates Westlaw and West Legal Education Center, serving legal professionals with research, publishing, and CLE. It is a broad incumbent with overlapping products in legal learning and treatises.
- Wolters Kluwer Legal & Regulatory: Wolters Kluwer provides legal reference publishing (Aspen, CCH) and practice tools to attorneys. It overlaps with PLI Press in legal treatise publishing and serves the same professional customer base.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Practicing Law Institute social profiles
Digital presencePracticing Law Institute financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Practicing Law Institute leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
Practicing Law Institute subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Practicing Law Institute funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Practicing Law Institute M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Practicing Law Institute
What does Practicing Law Institute do?
Practising Law Institute is a nonprofit continuing legal education organization that provides accredited CLE programs for attorneys and legal professionals across in-person, virtual, and on-demand formats. It also operates PLI Press, a publishing arm producing books, treatises, and reference materials covering substantive law, law firm management, and emerging areas such as AI and intellectual property.
Is Practicing Law Institute a public or private company?
Practicing Law Institute is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Practicing Law Institute founded?
Practicing Law Institute was founded in 1933. It employs 501 to 1,000 people.
Where is Practicing Law Institute based?
Practicing Law Institute is headquartered in New York, United States, in the North America region.
Who are Practicing Law Institute's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Strafford, National Business Institute (NBI), Lorman Education Services, Center for American and International Law (CAIL), American Law Institute (ALI) and BARBRI. LawPracticeCLE is listed as an emerging player. Broad incumbents are LexisNexis Legal & Professional, Thomson Reuters (West Legal Education) and Wolters Kluwer Legal & Regulatory.
Does Practicing Law Institute have an API?
No public API is recorded for Practicing Law Institute.
What industry is Practicing Law Institute in?
Practicing Law Institute's product category is Continuing Legal Education. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAAALAB, Legal & Compliance (CLE, Paralegal CE), with a secondary code of EDAHAIAH, Law School Continuing Legal Education (CLE) & Executive Programs. Its NAICS code is 5411 and its SIC code is 8200.