INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY OF PRIMERUS LAW FIRMS
Primerus Member Benefits and Services
Primerus lawyers represent plaintiffs and defendants, businesses and consumers. They are the oil in the economic engine of our nation—facilitating the resolution of conflict and expediting constructive business and personal relationships. Primerus lawyers are “GOOD PEOPLE WHO HAPPEN TO BE GOOD LAWYERS!” Members benefit from an array of services and products specifically tailored to the needs of small and medium-sized law firms. Learn more about the benefits of membership by scrolling down or selecting one of the following links.
Common ValuesAssurance of Quality
3rd Party Endorsement
Member Announcements
Building the Brand
Building Relationships
Practice Groups Primerus Defense Institute Business/Corporate/International Practice Group Plaintiff/ Consumer Practice Group Exclusive Territories The Internet Internet Optimized Page Testimonial Marketing Services
National Public Radio
Management Services
Group Buying Power
Affinity Relationships
Paradigm Magazine
Customized Client Newsletters
Press Release Service
Client Satisfaction Survey Service
Community Service
CLE-Continuing Legal Education
Common Values: The Six Pillars
Common Values—The Six Pillars
The soul of Primerus and every lawyer and law firm in Primerus is six core values —
1. Integrity
2. Excellent work product
3. Reasonable fees
4. Continuing legal education
5. Civility and professionalism
6. Community service sm
Assurance of Quality
Primerus seeks out, accepts, and retains only the best firms for membership. Starting with the 5% of U.S. law firms that have earned an Av rating from Martindale-Hubbell, candidates are comprehensively scrutinized to find those that subscribe to Primerus’ Six Pillar values. Primerus audits each member firm, annually, to assure continued compliance to these high standards and we have an independent accreditation board that has the final word on which firms shall become and which firms shall remain a Primerus member firm.
3rd Party Endorsement
The name, Primerus, was created from a combination of two Latin words meaning "First among equals. "With excellence at the core of Primerus, an effective membership screening process, and an independent accreditation board, Primerus has established a solid foundation upon which to build the Primerus brand. The high quality of each new firm added to Primerus, strict adherence by all members to the Six Pillar standards, and a sincere effort to help restore honor and dignity to the legal profession, will ensure that the Primerus name represents “the best of the best” to consumers and users of legal services.
Member Announcements
Membership in the prestigious Primerus organization calls for announcements to key constituents in the firm's community. A press release is generated by Primerus and distributed to media identified by the member. One hundred classic panel card announcements are also made available to each member firm at no charge.
Building the Brand
Primerus’ mission includes making well known the Primerus brand so that it becomes synonymous with high-quality legal services throughout the world. Primerus builds the brand in many ways, including;
Building Relationships and Networking
Quality business comes from relationships. Primerus fosters and facilitates relationships by providing multiple opportunities throughout the year for members to meet and network with one another. Primerus also promotes relationship building within the network through its quarterly Paradigm magazine, email newsletters, member listservs, and the Primerus website(s).
Practice Groups
Practice groups bring together firms that share common areas of practice. Primerus has three major practice groups: Primerus Defense Institute (Web Site), Plaintiff/Consumer, and Business/Corporate/International. Primerus has developed specific benefits available to member firms which are practice group specific. To learn more, click here: Primerus Defense Institute | Plaintiff Consumer | Business Corporate International practice group benefits. Within these major groups, sub-specialty groups are being formed to further help members develop client business.
Exclusive Territories
In order to maintain a certain level of exclusivity in a given market, Primerus currently requires that each member firm be licensed in one of the three practice groups. Primerus divided the U.S. into geographic territories, each of which is a Designated Territory ("DT"). Primerus created the DTs after a careful study of the legal markets in each state, taking into account such factors as geography, population density, the nature of the practice of law in a given area, and the number of firms in an area. As Primerus continues to grow and build its reputation, the Primerus license will become a highly valuable and important asset for member firms.
The Internet
The internet gives small law firms the opportunity to compete effectively against large law firms and helps level the playing field. If created and optimized properly, websites can be a great source of new business. Primerus continuously works to update its website(s) and keep up with optimization trends as search engines evolve. In addition to the primary member page on our sites, all member firms receive two optimized practice area web pages that focus on specific areas of practice for the firm. In addition to this ongoing optimization, these practice area pages are also optimized separately to concentrate on the practice area experience of the firm. These pages are then linked to the members’ own website and have the effect of optimizing or increasing the exposure of the member’s firm and site by association. As the only nationwide network of law firms that takes this online approach, the focus on areas of practice for our firms has often resulted in having the pages returned on not only the first page of search engine results, but often as the #1 or 2 return! In addition to the two practice area pages per firm members may purchase additional practice area pages for a nominal one-time fee of $250.00 per page.
"Christian & Small, LLP is a member of both the PDI (Primerus Defense Institute) and BCI (Business Corporate International) sections of Primerus. Primerus provides Search Engine Optimization (SEO) services as a member benefit. As a result, Christian & Small is routinely listed either at the top or in the top five firms in response to an internet search for “Birmingham Alabama Tax Attorneys” on Google. Other search engines yield different results. SEO is a constantly evolving process and the Primerus SEO program provides a benefit that works and for which you would pay thousands of dollars to a private provider. As a result of the placement potential clients regularly contact me and I have gained several new clients over the past few months."
Steven A. Benefield, Esq.
Christian & Small LLP
Visit Christian & Small's Tax Page
Marketing Services
Primerus started its existence with an innovative, award winning marketing program that was featured in publications such as the The Wall Street Journal, where the Primerus seal was hailed as a kind of “Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval.” Over the years, Primerus has developed a portfolio of high-quality marketing and advertising materials, including brochures, broadcast commercials, and print ads, which are made available for use by members for the nominal cost of customization. Members pay for their own media placement. To ensure a continual flow of contemporary marketing tools for use by member firms, Primerus regularly reviews and updates these marketing tools for the membership.
National Public Radio (NPR)
NPR sponsorships are an effective way for member firms to reach community leaders and business decision-makers. To help firms make the most of this marketing opportunity, Primerus offers the services of an independent media planning professional to develop specific recommendations for each firm.
Management Services
Primerus has long worked with some of the nation’s leading legal management consulting firms to provide management seminars for our members. Primerus’ base of management expertise has been expanded to include insurance advisors, law firm management consultants, law firm marketing experts, business consultants and coaches, and technology consulting firms.
Group Buying Power
Primerus is using the group buying power of over 1,200 lawyers to negotiate purchasing discounts for various products and services. The current group purchasing arrangement with Professionals Direct Insurance Company helps member firms reduce the annual cost of professional liability insurance up to 12%. Actual savings depend on location and practice area of each firm.
Read About Our Affinity Relationships!Paradigm Magazine
The Primerus Paradigm is a quarterly magazine containing news and information for and about members. Click here for the most recent copy:
Primerus Paradigm Winter 2010 issue
Primerus Paradigm Fall 2009 issue
Primerus Paradigm Spring 2009 issue
Primerus Paradigm Winter 2009 issue
Primerus Paradigm Winter 2008 issue
Primerus Paradigm Spring 2008 issue
Primerus Paradigm Summer 2008 issue
Primerus Paradigm Fall 2008 issue
Customized Client Newsletters
Primerus offers members an opportunity to market their law firms to current and prospective clients utilizing a professionally designed newsletter service.
Press Release Service
Primerus recently launched a new service which provides member firms an unlimited number of press releases, each year, that are sent to a variety of media outlets throughout the country.
Client Satisfaction Survey Service
For most law firms, obtaining new work from existing clients is the most productive type of marketing. Therefore, more firms are developing and utilizing client satisfaction surveys to obtain feedback regarding; attorney/support staff service, timeliness of work, responsiveness to clients, value of work performed, and need for additional services. Law firms that have undertaken client satisfaction surveys have found their clients to be impressed that the firm cares about their opinions. Survey results may detect misunderstandings, which if not brought to light and clarified can result in dissatisfied “former” clients. In an ongoing effort to provide Primerus members with valuable services, we have developed this new member benefit which is completely voluntary and available to all members firms. Primerus staff is available to facilitate surveying your clients. Please contact Primerus to utilize this valuable service.Community Service
Doing good is good business. It’s a triple win — good for the community, good for the law firm, and good for the profession. To recognize our members generosity to their respective communities, Primerus founded the Primerus Community Service Award Program.. Annually, winners are honored at the Primerus National Conference for their community service initiatives The winning firm is awarded a full page ad in their state’s bar journal, a press release announcing their accomplishment, and a plaque to be proudly displayed in their office.
CLE-Continuing Legal Education
Primerus offers Continuing Legal Education opportunities to our members at a variety of events including the National Conference and practice group Mid-Year meetings. Continuing Legal Education is one of the Six Pillars of Primerus and members are encouraged to complete, on average 30 hours of CLE annually, which is more than twice the typical state bar CLE requirement.