gets invited to many events with outside
attorneys.
She's picky about which ones she
attends. And when she does go, sometimes
the meetings feel a bit like "speed dating,"
with attorneys working hard to impress
clients.
So when she attended the 2018 Primerus
Defense Institute (PDI) Convocation in
Scottsdale, Arizona, she was pleasantly
surprised.
"I just felt a sincere camaraderie and
strong relationships and connections among
the members," Stephenson said. "It was a
different vibe ... I felt like the group truly
likes each other and was excited to see
each other."
for CRST International, Inc. in Cedar
Rapids, Iowa, attended the Convocation as
the guest of Duncan Manley, partner with
Primerus member firm Christian & Small
in Birmingham, Alabama. She has worked
with the firm for years and has come to
trust them.
That kind of relationship is what she's
looking for with outside counsel. "I'm
just a relationships person," Stephenson
said. "Some corporations look at outside
counsel as commodities ... The only
metric they use to measure success is
`whether you can decrease my legal
spend.' For me, it's about having people
who know me, know my company, and
know that as long as they get great results,
I want to be a partner with them."
with Primerus, according to Primerus
President and Founder John C. "Jack"
Buchanan.
"Trusted relationships form the
bedrock of the Primerus community,"
Buchanan said. "They're the reason
Primerus member firms are able to serve
their clients with resources even the
world's largest law firms may not offer:
personal connections with high quality
lawyers who charge reasonable fees
around the world."
Primerus works hard to create the
strong community that Stephenson
experienced firsthand. The society offers
many opportunities for members and