Introduction

With my first post on the Arborvitae Group website, I would like to welcome you to this small corner of the internet and tell you what we do here.

I’m Ben, the founder of The Arborvitae Group. At the time of this writing, this is a “Group” of one company, Arborvitae Osaühing (OÜ) along with a basket of projects which are non-profit, low-profit, or not-really-about-profit. This includes some free legal clinics and some ad hoc networks for information and training.

I have had a number of vocations. However, first and foremost, I am an educator. I have long struggled with the question of how to effectively reach – and teach – more people without simply burning myself out. I started Arborvitae OÜ as part of the answer to that question. Through this company, I now professionally edit, teach, write, consult, and create as well as distribute courses and teaching materials on a growing range of subjects – some free, some paid. Much of my work takes place online, particularly in light of the restrictions on gatherings through much of 2020.

My goal, with this company and this blog, is to share knowledge and equip people to make effective use of it. To that end, I will use this blog to share information, links, and thoughts, which will remain free and available for everyone. The blog will be a repository for any issues affecting The Arborvitae Group, or any issues which happen to be weighing on my mind. This means that you can expect to see an ongoing discussion of Higher Education and Universities, legal education, legal practice, technology, energy, knowledge commerce, marketing, business, and finance.

Much of my work is designed to specifically support law students, business students, entrepreneurs, and social enterprises. Although all of these audience are to varying degrees “specialists”, I will try to keep all blog posts at a “generalist” or “layperson” level, meaning that anyone who is interested will be able to read, understand, and gain something from the article. Law articles will not be solely for lawyers and law students, and technology articles will not be solely for engineers or developers. If you have specific questions or think of something you believe I can help you with, get in touch and I will see what I can do.

I will generally try to share some version of core materials from my paid-for courses here, so that nobody is excluded from accessing them. Please feel free to make a donation if any of these help you. If you want the full experience, with audio/video/other rich media, quizzes, certificates, and access to some direct instruction, then you will probably want to check out my list of courses.

If you want bespoke training or to engage me as a speaker, please contact me directly to discuss your needs and get a quote. For press enquiries, similarly please send a message.

If you want to learn more about the company and our story, you can visit the About Arborvitae Group page.

Thanks very much for stopping by, and I hope to see you here again soon.