Work Product, Reasonable Fees,
Continuing Legal Education, Civility,
and Community Service. Before
becoming a member of Primerus,
every law firm must have a reputation
of following these standards, and
once they are admitted to Primerus,
every lawyer commits to following
them in every interaction.
never wavered from them, and
we never will. Primerus attorneys
are united in our commitment to
them, and clients immediately
know what we are all about simply
by considering the Six Pillars,"
Buchanan said.
seeks out, accepts and retains only
the best firms for membership. After
a firm completes a basic membership
application form, Primerus conducts
a more extensive investigation
gathering information about the firm's
policies and practices related to the
Six Pillars, as well as references
including clients, lawyers and judges.
The firm also must sign a release of
information request to be submitted
to the firm's malpractice insurance
carrier. Primerus also conducts an
internal review, including sending a
letter or email to all current member
firms requesting any information
they may have about a prospective
member firm.
The final decision about a firm's
membership falls to the Accreditation
Board. The board functions as an
independent body with final authority
on the application of the rules of
admission of firms and retention
of membership. This removes any
politics and personal preferences
from the process of attracting and
retaining members, resulting in a
high quality standard that's applied
year in July, Primerus audits every
member firm to determine whether
it is qualified to retain membership.
Firms must complete a form
indicating any change in status which
could reflect a lack of continued
commitment to the Six Pillars. The
Accreditation Board reviews every
audit and further investigates all
irregular audits.
For Clients
Accreditation Board, the Six Pillars and
a stringent application and retention
policy all work together to ensure that
Primerus firms are the world's finest,"
Buchanan said. "We do the hard work of
finding, screening and auditing law firms
so that clients don't have to."
That's a service that has proven valu-
able to one high level risk management
executive of a large global company.