Practising Law Institute is a 501(c)(3) organization based in New York, New York, registered in 1940, with $114,306,643 in FY2024 revenue. CharityIndex grades it A+, and it directs about 92% of spending to programs.
Revenue (FY2024)
$114.3M
▼ 0.4% vs prior year
Education median: $200K
Expenses (FY2024)
$112.3M
Net assets
$110.8M
Employees
360
Measures how much of every dollar spent actually reaches programs, plus what it costs to raise $100 of donations. The worse of the two measures sets the letter (85%+ to programs is an A; under $15 to raise $100 is an A), averaged over the three most recent filings. For Practising Law Institute: 92% to programs earns a A+ on this criterion. See the exact thresholds →
Measures whether the organization is built to last: how many months its reserves would cover expenses (3+ months earns an A-range score, but hoarding 5+ years of budget is capped) and whether it runs a surplus or a deficit. For Practising Law Institute: 12 mo reserves · +2% margin earns a A on this criterion. See the exact thresholds →
Checks how the organization is run, from its own Form 990: an independent board majority, a board of five or more, conflict-of-interest, whistleblower and document-retention policies, and independently audited financials. The share of disclosed checks that pass sets the letter. For Practising Law Institute: 6 of 6 checks met earns a A+ on this criterion. See the exact thresholds →
Counts five disclosure signals: a recent filing, a mission statement, program descriptions, a listed website, and the full expense breakdown. More disclosure, better letter. For Practising Law Institute: 5 of 5 disclosure signals earns a A+ on this criterion. See the exact thresholds →
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Practising law institute is a nonprofit learning organization dedicated to keeping attorneys and other professionals at the forefront of knowledge and expertise, as well as preparing them to fulfill their pro bono responsibilities.
Publishing services supplement the seminars offered by the institute to provide the most up-to-date, relevant information and resource materials. annually the institute provides course handbooks, treatises, and supplements which are important in providing the legal community and allied professionals with the tools to stay abreast of new legal developments. in 2024, there were 283 course handbooks, 33 treatises and answer books, and 93 treatise supplements released. 139 treatises were available for download on the kindle digital reader. other revenue includes subscription to pli plus (an online database).
Revenue grew from $66.3M (FY2013) to $114.3M (FY2024) across 12 reported years.
Financial snapshot
Operating margin
1.7%
Revenue exceeded expenses in the latest fiscal year.
Total assets
$208.0M
Total liabilities
$97.2M
Net assets
$110.8M
Salaries & benefits
$56.0M
50% of expenses
Board members
21
21 independent
| Fiscal year | Revenue | Expenses | Net assets | Total assets | Form |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $114,306,643▼0.4% | $112,333,414▲7.6% | $110,781,520▲11.5% | $207,984,144▲2.8% | 990 |
| 2023 | $114,795,383▲10.1% | $104,353,364▲4.9% | $99,370,140▲23.7% | $202,302,388▲10.0% | 990 |
| 2022 | $104,241,520▼4.5% | $99,504,040▲5.5% | $80,310,673▼12.5% | $183,860,951▲8.5% | 990 |
| 2021 | $109,173,484▲11.7% | $94,288,607▲3.5% | $91,808,592▲22.5% | $169,437,578▲12.0% | 990 |
| 2020 | $97,703,423▲17.1% | $91,088,481▲13.3% | $74,919,364▲17.0% | $151,296,767▲15.1% | 990 |
| 2019 | $83,439,702▼20.3% | $80,362,044▼23.9% | $64,041,551▲29.5% | $131,421,368▲13.2% | 990 |
| 2018 | $104,647,888▼0.5% | $105,554,765▲2.7% | $49,464,211▼18.6% | $116,115,613▼7.1% | 990 |
| 2017 | $105,152,241▲18.9% | $102,828,730▲11.0% | $60,769,834▲9.1% | $125,053,019▲9.5% | 990 |
| 2016 | $88,419,179▲4.7% | $92,670,549▲5.8% | $55,687,846▲0.7% | $114,195,540▲7.6% | 990 |
| 2015 | $84,427,326▲6.4% | $87,574,966▲7.5% | $55,294,437▼13.1% | $106,176,824▼6.0% | 990 |
| 2014 | $79,382,671▲19.7% | $81,465,143▲14.3% | $63,646,750▼7.8% | $112,938,726▼2.1% | 990 |
| 2013 | $66,333,111 | $71,259,674▲18.4% | $69,026,255▲9.3% | $115,410,887▲24.8% | 990 |
| 2012 | — | $60,191,104▲13.7% | $63,124,737▲13.8% | $92,448,065▲12.7% | 990 |
| 2011 | — | $52,942,658▲11.6% | $55,490,210▼2.5% | $82,007,985▲0.8% | 990 |
| 2010 | — | $47,418,754 | $56,919,492 | $81,363,388 | 990 |
Original Form 990 PDFs (the Form column) are served by ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer, as filed with the IRS. Create a free account to download the CSV report.
Highest-paid: Sharon L Crane — $788,230 (0.70% of total expenses)
| Name | Title | Hours/week | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sharon L Crane | President | 40 | $788,230 |
| Craig A Miller | Chief Customer Officer | 40 | $521,199 |
| Christopher Rousseau | Chief Information Officer | 40 | $446,696 |
| David M Smith | Chief Marketing Officer | 40 | $401,381 |
| George M Wilson | Director, Sec Institute | 40 | $387,279 |
| Emilia Sima | Cfo & Treasurer (as of 05/24) | 40 | $364,988 |
| James Scafidi | Vp, Memb. Sales & A/c Svcs. | 40 | $361,208 |
| Kara O'brien | Chief Content Officer (as of 05/24) | 40 | $361,155 |
| Joan D Sternberg | Sr Vp, Hr & Facilities (thru 08/24) | 40 | $320,141 |
| Sylvia M Abadier | Dir, Membership Sales | 40 | $290,748 |
| Kirsten Talmage | Svp, Strategic Planning & B.a. | 40 | $280,380 |
| David Thau | Sr. Manager, Membership Sales | 40 | $273,012 |
| Alan G Cohen | Chief Business Officer (thru 06/24) | 40 | $262,886 |
| Samantha Goldsberry | Secretary To the Board & Exec Asst | 40 | $88,911 |
| Adrian E Dollard | Chair of the Board | 1 | — |
| Carmen J Lawrence | Board of Trustees | 1 | — |
| Dawson Horn III | Board of Trustees | 1 | — |
| Devereux Chatillon | Board of Trustees | 1 | — |
| Ellen M Cosgrove | Board of Trustees | 1 | — |
| Hon Diane Gujarati | Board of Trustees | 1 | — |
| Contractor | Services | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Work & Co International Inc | Consulting | $3,502,060 |
| The Verndale Corp | Consulting | $1,889,438 |
| Saralux | Consulting | $1,623,100 |
| Microsoft Corp | Software Licenses | $1,480,169 |
| Azirio Inc | Consulting | $674,173 |
3 grants totaling $112K in FY2016. All grants made by Practising Law Institute →
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Safe Passage Project Corporation | Providing support | $40,000 |
| Legal Services Nyc | Providing support | $38,846 |
| Legal Services of the Hudson Valley | Providing support | $33,063 |
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Data for Practising Law Institute (EIN 13-5562321) comes from the IRS Business Master File and e-filed Form 990 returns, via CharityIndex. Figures reflect what the organization reported to the IRS for each fiscal year.