September 1, 2020 – Practising Law Institute (PLI), a nonprofit provider of authoritative legal training and continuing education, is pleased to announce that Kara O'Brien, VP of Programs, and David Pinke, Digital Online Product Owner, have been named to legal publisher Fastcase's prestigious "Fastcase 50" list for 2020. This list honors those Fastcase has identified as "the most fascinating trailblazers and architects of the future of law and legal technology."
Fastcase notes that PLI "took their wealth of knowledge to new heights" during the coronavirus pandemic, "in no small part due to Kara O'Brien's efforts." In particular, the publisher emphasizes the strength of PLI's pro bono programming, with timely programs on topics ranging from housing law for low-income communities to voting rights to the representation of veterans. "As needs resulting from the pandemic continue to arise, we know Kara and her team at PLI will be ready to prepare attorneys for the challenges ahead," Fastcase writes.
As Digital Online Product Owner, Dave has worked with the greater PLI team to make the organization’s website "more intuitive and accessible," Fastcase says. The publisher points to Dave’s work developing the My Credit Tracker tool, which is helping tens of thousands of attorneys and CPAs track their state's CLE and CPE credits to conform to each state’s requirements, adding: "Dave's leadership, along with his mighty team, is helping PLI transform the business model and has positioned PLI to take on the challenges of remote learning and remote work simultaneously."
"We are incredibly proud of the creativity, flexibility and innovation our teams demonstrated as our business, and those of our users, transitioned on short notice to the remote environment," says PLI Senior Vice President Craig Miller. "During this challenging year, we have focused on ensuring seamless access to our programming through the intuitive, accessible designs that Dave and his team have spearheaded. At the same time, thanks to Kara's thoughtful leadership, we have continued to fulfill our mission, as a nonprofit organization, of providing programming that equips lawyers to serve those in need. The fact that our customers have turned to us in record numbers over the past six months is a testament to the dedication of Kara, Dave and all of our teams here at PLI."
Selected from online nominations, the Fastcase 50 includes the year's "smartest, most courageous innovators, techies, visionaries, and leaders in the law." To learn more, visit http://www.fastcase.com/fastcase50/
About Practising Law Institute (PLI)
Practising Law Institute is a nonprofit learning organization dedicated to keeping attorneys and other professionals at the forefront of knowledge and expertise. PLI is chartered by the Regents of the University of the State of New York, and was founded in 1933 by Harold P. Seligson. PLIprovides the highest quality, accredited, continuing legal and professional education programs in a variety of formats. This content is delivered by more than 4,000 volunteer faculty, including prominent lawyers, judges, investment bankers, accountants, corporate counsel, and U.S. and international government regulators. PLI publishes a comprehensive library of treatises, course handbooks, answer books and journals, also available through the PLI PLUS online platform. The essence of PLI's mission is its commitment to the pro bono community.