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4
T H E P R I M E R U S P A R A D I G M
Primerus Community
One of the most rewarding aspects of
my role as the founder and president of
Primerus is being part of the Primerus
community and witnessing how it brings
together lawyers and clients from around
the world.
When Primerus members gathered
last October in Boston, Massachusetts,
for the Primerus Global Conference, I
had the pleasure of working alongside a
member from Hong Kong as we sorted food
donations at the Greater Boston Food Bank.
In a few hours' time, about 50 Primerus
members packaged 8,962 pounds of food,
which is enough to feed an American
family of four for two years.
The event was part of our global
community service effort called Primerus
Fights Hunger, launched in 2017 to raise
donations for the World Food Programme
and other local hunger initiatives in the
cities where we have firms around the
world.
It was a tremendously rewarding
experience to work with Primerus members
as we all embraced the value of community
service. The spirit of Primerus was alive
and well that day.
When I founded Primerus more than
25 years ago, I wanted to create a society
filled with high-quality lawyers who hold
themselves to the highest standards of
professionalism and integrity. Over the
years we have proven to clients and the
world that Primerus is exactly that. We
have evolved into an organization of truly
good people, who happen to be lawyers,
who are partners and friends with one
another.
While we benefit from those
connections, the ones who really benefit are
our firms' clients. Our members' work for
clients goes beyond providing an excellent
work product for reasonable fees. Because
of the relationships and connections that
members have developed around the world,
we are able to care for clients like we
would our own family. When a Primerus
member recommends a fellow Primerus
member, they know a client will be treated
with the very best care.
Some organizations keep clients at arm's
length, passing business cards and focusing
on the bottom line. Not Primerus. We invite
clients in, not just to attend our events, but
to be part of us through initiatives like the
Primerus Client Resource Institute.
When members and clients come
to a Primerus event, we want everyone to
feel like they are coming to a family
reunion. We truly care about clients, and
their well-being is our number one priority.
We have developed an organizational
structure to support this philosophy. Our
Accreditation Board ensures that we are
seeking out, accepting and retaining only
the best firms for membership. Our Quality
Assurance Board works to define the
high standards embodied within our core
values ­ the Six Pillars ­ and help our
member firms live by those standards in
everyday practice. They're the guardians
that protect Primerus' high standards and
excellent reputation so that clients can
rely upon our members with confidence.
With 3,000 lawyers in 170 law firms around
the world, Primerus is like a large, virtual
law firm with countless opportunities
for collaboration among members and
with clients. The result is a tight-knit
community that gives back both globally
and locally, raises the standards of the legal
profession and serves clients like family.
I am so glad that each one of you are
part of the Primerus community and hope
you find it as rewarding as I do.
President's Podium
John C. Buchanan
Some organizations keep clients at arm's length, passing business cards and focusing
on the bottom line. Not Primerus. We invite clients in, not just to attend our events, but to
be part of us through initiatives like the Primerus Client Resource Institute.