Biography
Sharon L. Crane is President of Practising Law Institute (PLI), a nonprofit learning organization that produces accredited CLE programs and related educational resources for attorneys and other professionals. She joined PLI in 2021 and has led the organization through a period of innovation, expanding its AI and legal technology offerings, launching innovative educational formats, forging strategic partnerships, and modernizing the learner experience through new digital platforms, including a redesigned mobile app recognized by Fast Company.
A champion of innovation across the legal profession, under Sharon’s leadership, PLI established an Innovation Council, bringing together leaders from law firms, legal departments, academia, and technology to help shape the future of legal learning and practice, and developed the AI-Ready Lawyer Framework, a first-of-its-kind resource designed to help legal professionals build practical AI competencies.
Before joining PLI, Ms. Crane spent nearly 20 years at Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP, first as a corporate associate and then moved from law practice into law firm management, spending her last seven years as the firm’s global Executive Director. A member of the New York State Bar, Ms. Crane received her J.D. from Columbia Law School where she was a Senior Editor of Columbia Law Review, and her A.B. in psychology, magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, from Georgetown University.
