NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Board of Trustees of Practising Law Institute, the premier continuing legal and professional education organization, has selected Anita Carr Shapiro to be its fifth President. She will serve as President-Elect until PLI’s Annual Meeting on April 15, 2015, when she will be formally installed as President and will report to the Chair of the Executive Committee, Samuel W. Seymour. Victor Rubino, the President of PLI since 1983, will serve as President Emeritus.
Founded in 1933 as a nonprofit to train lawyers how to apply their education to be more effective practitioners, PLI has expanded its offerings significantly to include accredited events for legal and compliance practitioners, particularly in the accounting field. Programs feature high-profile speakers including prominent lawyers, judges, investment bankers, corporate counsel, and U.S. and international regulators. PLI also acquired The SEC Institute, considered the gold standard in SEC Compliance education, in early 2014.
“We are grateful for Vic’s 30-plus years of dedication to PLI and his role in creating the most prestigious continuing legal and professional education organization in the country. Under his leadership, PLI has served the educational needs of more than three million lawyers and affiliated professionals by providing the highest quality products and services," said William P. Frank, Chair of PLI’s Board. “Anita, selected after an extensive national search, is uniquely qualified for this position and brings to PLI more than 25 years of extensive leadership experience.”
"On behalf of the entire Board of Trustees at PLI, we are extremely pleased with Anita’s appointment, as she brings a wealth of knowledge, a strategic vision for PLI’s future and a commitment and passion for both PLI’s mission and values,” said PLI Board member Samuel W. Seymour.
Ms. Shapiro has served PLI for more than 14 years both as a Program Attorney from 1999-2004 and as Director and Executive Vice President of the Program Division since 2006. In coordination with PLI’s Chief Financial Officer, Frank DeVivo, she was responsible for PLI's recent corporate relocation to 1177 Avenue of the Americas, as well as the design of the company’s state-of-the-art conference center. Ms. Shapiro also worked closely with Mr. DeVivo and PLI’s Strategic Committee on the acquisition of The SEC Institute. Prior to her PLI tenure, she served in both sales and management capacities with West Group for more than 10 years and managed business development responsibilities for the national litigation practice at Mayer Brown.
"It is an honor and privilege for me to take on the role of President of PLI. I look forward to continuing PLI’s tradition of excellence, working closely with PLI’s staff, our exceptional volunteer faculty and our loyal attendees and customers,” said Ms. Shapiro. “It is an exciting time for PLI, and I envision working on many new product and service initiatives in the coming years. I thank Victor Rubino for setting such tremendously high standards and for serving as a mentor and guide to me."
Ms. Shapiro obtained her Bachelor of Arts from the University of Pennsylvania, her Juris Doctor degree from Temple University School of Law, and was recently awarded a Certificate in Business Excellence (CIBE) from Columbia Business School.
Practising Law Institute is a non-profit continuing legal education organization chartered by the Regents of the University of the State of New York. Founded in 1933 by Harold P. Seligson, PLI is dedicated to providing the legal community and allied professionals with the most up-to-date, relevant information and techniques through seminars, treatises, live webcasts, course handbooks, and on-demand learning. PLI holds programs in its offices in New York and California, and elsewhere throughout the US, as well as in London, Hong Kong and Latin America. PLI annually awards more than 40,000 scholarships to its programs, and its more than 4,000 speakers include the most prominent lawyers, judges, investment bankers, corporate counsel, and U.S. and international regulators. Learn more about PLI at www.pli.edu.
