Since the coronavirus caused us to quarantine and shelter at home, Jack Buchanan has offered our Primerus Community a series of weekly inspirational video messages. As always, Jack was informative, thoughtful and inspirational. Since then Jack has asked Primerus members to host the Primerus Weekly magazine. Jack has asked me to host this week’s installment. I am Frank Szilagyi, and I practice law in Hartford, Connecticut. I am a member of the Primerus Defense Institute. It is my honor and my privilege to share with you, my Primerus friends, colleagues, and family, some thoughts about our Primerus Community. I would like to share a quote with you from Helen Keller that is fitting for my message.
“Alone, we can do little; together, we can do so much.”
Recently we heard from Fred Johs who shared his family’s connection to D-Day and the Normandy Invasion. That effort was an undertaking by a community of nations and armies that collaborated to achieve perhaps the greatest military invasion in history. That partnership preserved the freedom and democracy in Western Europe that was jeopardized by the Russians’ march towards the English Channel.
Just last week we heard from Joel Collins about the history of the Magna Carta. It was agreed to by King John of England in 1215, after the efforts of a community of Barons, and established certain rights and protection of personal liberties, which ultimately led to the Rule of Law.
Even today the power of community, under the “Black Lives Matter” banner, is bringing global attention to long standing issues that will hopefully continue to move the United States towards greater equality.
In my role as the Chairman of the Primerus Ambassadors and the Primerus Community initiative of the Long-Range Planning Committee I have seen firsthand what our Primerus Community has done and recognize what we are capable of doing in the future.
Since being accepted for membership in this society in 2009, I have had the pleasure of meeting so many good people who are also great lawyers. The Primerus Community makes up the finest group of lawyers I know and includes some of my best friends in the legal community.
As we know, the Primerus firms are relatively small to medium in size and each firm is essentially local. Despite being high quality firms with excellent lawyers, each firm is constrained by its size and limited reach within the framework of a very large global legal industry. We all know of legal referral networks that may provide a potential source of new business to a law firm, much like a single line in the water, but they cannot match what is possible through a great community like Primerus. Over the years Primerus has offered outstanding opportunities to learn, to collaborate with colleagues, and to meet clients that seek our advice and counsel. Jack’s work with our Primerus Board, the Long-Range Planning Committee, and our members in developing the Five-Year Plan will be the blueprint for our future.
Every crisis presents opportunities. This one is no different. As members of our Primerus Community, I urge each of you, and every member of your firm, to look beyond your territory. Yes, as firms adhering to our Six Pillars, including community service, we are all an integral part of our local community, but we are so much more. Primerus is a global partnership of firms.
As part of the Five-Year Plan, Primerus will be investing heavily in our collective futures, particularly in technology. As Jack has mentioned in the past, Primerus is redesigning its website. This redesign will bring together the entire Primerus Community in the truest sense. Local firms, as an integral part of their local communities, will also become a part of a global partnership with all Primerus firms throughout the world.
What can you do to realize this goal? Think Primerus first when looking to refer legal business. Look for opportunities to collaborate with your Primerus colleagues. The legal resources within Primerus are among the best in the world. Get to know each other. At this point in time this is happening virtually, but soon we will return to meeting face to face. Make it a priority to attend local, regional, and global conferences. Offer to speak or write on your area of expertise. Get involved. This is the best strategy for succeeding in Primerus and maximizing your investment.
These are exciting times for Primerus. Join me, and our Primerus friends and colleagues, side by side, as we plan for, and move into the future, to make Primerus the largest and most prestigious provider of legal services in the 21st century.
Remember, “Alone, we can do little; together, we can do so much.”