Getting Involved
for new members to get involved and
enjoy the benefits of membership with
a new program called the Primerus
Ambassadors. Under the leadership of an
early Primerus member, Donald Winder
of Winder & Counsel in Salt Lake City,
Utah, about 50 Primerus members will
serve as Ambassadors. They're charged
with mentoring new Primerus members
and encouraging greater participation
from all members.
Their first step will be to host a First
Time Attendee Breakfast at the Global
Conference, where each Ambassador will
be matched with a first time attendee
based upon Institute membership and
geographic proximity.
"To use [Primerus President and
Founder] Jack Buchanan's language,
we should put an arm around each new
member and that's what we're going to
do," Winder said.
Winder and other members know
that the more you get involved, the more
Primerus will work for you.
"I have been in Primerus for over
20 years, and it's easy to observe what
happens if you become active. All kinds
of good things happen," Winder said. "If
you think all you have to do is send in
an application form and good things will
come your way, that's not realistic of our
organization or any organization."
Having a society of highly active
members is what benefits clients as well,
according to Buchanan.
"Primerus is a great matchmaker
of our members and clients around the
world," Buchanan said. "We provide
wonderful opportunities for them to meet
and then the rest is up to them to engage
and develop the relationships and trust
Those relationships give corporate
clients leverage to compete in an
increasingly competitive global business
world, Buchanan said.
Clients Together
Estate Committee and chief international
counsel for Fidelity National Financial,
Inc., will be among the clients attending
the Global Conference in Amsterdam.
Rivera said his company has worked
with six Primerus firms, and he values
the benefits Primerus offers.
"Hiring a law firm to me is very
precarious. It's hit or miss," Rivera said.
"What I like about the Primerus model
is that the firms are already vetted.
There is a screening process, and if
something goes wrong with a firm, I need
to contact someone who can hold the firm
accountable. That to me is the value."
When hiring a lawyer, Rivera looks
for legal expertise, experience with
foreign clients and the firm's ability
to handle complex matters. Personal
relationships are also important, and
that's one reason why Rivera values
events like the ACC Annual Meeting.
"Fidelity sold title policies
throughout the world. The company
never knows from which country the
litigation will come, and I must act
quickly to retain a law firm," Rivera said.
"It is also human nature to do business
with people you like and people you have
a relationship with. We look at a case
as a partnership. A lawyer has to tell
me what he's doing and why he's doing
it, and not just, `I'm doing this.' It's like
having a colleague or another partner
working with them on the case. We treat
litigation as a team effort."
Rivera also sees positive aspects of
working with smaller firms like Primerus
are entrepreneurial. You're generally
dealing with the person in charge and
decisions can be made quickly."
Rivera looks forward to his trip to
Amsterdam to meet more Primerus
lawyers. "These travel trips are not just
a way to vacation," he said. "It's just a
really good opportunity for me to meet
lawyers in Europe."
Buchanan said Primerus is excited to
showcase itself as a truly international
society in Amsterdam as well as at future
client events around the world.
"Primerus adds tremendous value
for clients and members alike in the
international sphere," Buchanan said.
"It is hard enough for clients to find
good law firms in the U.S or their local
country, but the difficulty is magnified
when companies try to find quality law
firms internationally."
That, Buchanan said, is why clients
sometimes turn to the mega law firms
with a well-known brand and higher
fees, when they don't need to. He said
it's also why the small and mid-sized
international law firms, like Primerus
firms, sometimes get passed over by
these premium clients.
"That's where Primerus comes
in and changes the whole equation,"
Buchanan said. "We give the small and
medium-sized high quality law firms
an entrée into the international legal
marketplace for high quality business.
And we take the hard work and worry off
the shoulders of the premier business
clients by helping them find excellent
small or medium-sized law firms that
provide outstanding legal service at a
substantially lower cost. Clients tell us
time and time again that this is a huge
benefit for them."