for a company doing business nationwide
or internationally. You don't have to go
with the 3,000-lawyer firm, you can go
with the 50-lawyer firm that is associated
with 3,000 lawyers around the world."
He described a scenario he saw
repeatedly when he was a full-time
practicing litigator: walking into the
courtroom, and on the other side, seeing
five or six people the lead lawyer who
was a senior partner, the junior partner
who had done most of the work on the
case, an associate and a legal assistant.
Meanwhile, on his side, it was just him,
and possibly a legal assistant.
Most times, he would win, as he, the
lead litigator, was familiar with every
detail of the case.
"It's not good for the client or the
client's case when you overstaff, you
don't get the senior partner very often,
and the client is subject to training the
youngest lawyers at their expense."
2008, Primerus doubled in size to 80
law firms. Then, Primerus watched along
with the rest of the world as the global
financial crisis of 2008 took hold.
Many economists have referred to
this as the worst financial crisis since
the Great Depression of the 1930s. For
Primerus, though, late 2008 and 2009
was a time of tremendous, unprecedented
growth, with Primerus adding 46 new
firms. While that might seem surprising
given the state of the economy, it actually
makes perfect sense, according to
Buchanan. The Primerus brand, which
he summarizes as high quality legal
work for reasonable fees, was never
more attractive to clients during those
uncertain times.
of layoffs and cutbacks" (The New York
Times) and "Big-firm partners go small
to keep and attract frugal clients" (The
National Law Journal).
"Given the economic challenges of
the time, it was never more important for
clients to develop trusted relationships
with law firms that offered significant
value through high quality legal services
at reasonable fees. Primerus offers
partner-level services at the fees large
firms charge for their associates. That
resonated with a lot of corporate decision
makers," Buchanan said. "It also
resonated with a lot of small to medium-
sized law firms who wanted to join with
Primerus to help get the word out about
their firm."
80 firms, doubling in five years.
year, coinciding with the global financial
crisis a time when corporate clients were
seeking more value for their money in the
delivery of legal services.
first annual Primerus Defense Institute
Convocation in Key Largo, Florida. Fifty
Primerus members and 20 national
corporate clients attended.