We Are Primerus
Articles
We are Primerus
When Primerus™ was founded in 1992, it was done so with two notable principles in mind:
“Actions speak louder than words” and “All for one and one for all.”
In a sense, those two proverbs tell the the story of Primerus™, helping illustrate the “why” and the “how” that an international alliance of law firms came about.
A fictional literary character named Atticus Finch, in many respects, served as the inspiration for Primerus™.
Finch was the small-town Alabama lawyer in Harper Lee’s 1960 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, “To Kill a Mockingbird.” In the best-selling book, Finch stood as one of the most beloved characters in American literature, becoming a folk hero in legal circles for his willingness to speak out for racial justice at a time and in a place where such talk was decidedly dangerous and unpopular.
His desire to right legal wrongs in the Jim Crow South, of course, would have broader implications for generations of lawyers to come, many of whom embraced Finch’s morality and fairness in ways intended to ensure that the law is color-blind.
The story of a principled man like Finch dovetailed neatly with the birth of Primerus™, which was created to help restore honor and dignity to the legal profession during a time when it was the subject of disdain and public ridicule. The profession had been the butt of bad jokes for years and found itself at a crossroads in terms of public perception soon after the Supreme Court opened the doors to legal advertising in the 1977 case of Bates v. State Bar of Arizona.
The ruling in that case proved to be a bellwether of change, ultimately allowing those in the legal profession to tell their respective stories in a compelling and informative fashion, and to market themselves to an audience in need of competent, convenient, and trustworthy legal help.
Primerus™, as a growing alliance, benefitted from that change, giving us the opportunity to spread our message that we are a select group that is bound together under the umbrella of “Good People Who Happen to Be Good Lawyers.”
The phrase is part of the Primerus™ DNA and reflects each member’s unwavering commitment to our Six Pillars, which include Integrity, Excellent Work Product, Reasonable Fees, Continuing Legal Education, Civility, and Community Service.
The Six Pillars are the backbone of the organization and have enabled us to develop a network of small to midsize law firms around the globe that can service virtually any legal need at an affordable cost. In fact, the Primerus™ name over the past 30 years has become synonymous around the world with delivering high quality legal services at a fair price.
Our belief in teamwork and our commitment to a code of professional conduct are the ties that bind us, providing comfort in the context of another enduring proverb: “Man is known by the company he keeps.”