for our annual Primerus Global Conference
in Asheville, North Carolina. We had
attendees from Brazil, Canada, Dominican
Republic, Germany, Mexico, the
Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland, Taiwan,
the United Kingdom and the United States.
As we spent the weekend attending
continuing legal education programs,
official Primerus board and institute meet-
ings, and social events, I was reminded of
the countless success stories represented
by the work of Primerus, its members and
its clients. Sure, there are the referrals
made and cases won, but the stories go
far beyond that to clients who have found
trusted advisors and lifelong friends, law
firms that have made a profound difference
in their communities, cultures that have
been bridged and positive changes that
have current and future impact on the
legal profession.
In this issue, you will read some of
those stories, coming directly from our
clients and Primerus members. And there
are undoubtedly hundreds more success
stories out there.
One of the highlights of the Global
Conference was when every Primerus
member joined together to take the Six
Pillar Pledge. Voices united, they stated:
As a member of the International Society
of Primerus Law Firms, I pledge myself
and my firm:
service and an excellent work product
at a reasonable fee;
and its importance to our society;
serve my community;
professional education and improvement;
members of the bench and bar;
in all decisions, large and small.
Primerus attorneys do such a good job for
their clients. Whenever an organization
of people, working together as a team,
renders outstanding service or makes great
products, the secret is in the culture of the
organization. Does the organization have
very high values and expectations that all
of its members must meet?
Businesses such as the Ritz-Carlton
hotel chain or the Rolex watch company
are examples of organizations with very
high expectations, and that is the primary
reason their services and products are out-
standing. Everyone on the team is working
very hard to make sure that happens. Like-
wise, the Primerus pledge that all members
are expected to live by is the primary
reason so many members and clients have
a positive experience with Primerus.
I think another reason Primerus is the
respected global organization we are is
because we are comprised of small to mid-
sized firms. I can assure you the caliber of
the lawyers in all Primerus firms is equal
to those at the world's largest law firms. In
fact, many of our attorneys left the largest
own high quality boutique firms. At these
firms, clients receive a higher level of per-
sonalized, partner level service, at a much
lower cost. Small and mid-sized firms have
lower overhead, charge lower hourly rates,
and they do not use their clients cases as a
training ground for their young associates.
If the client's matter is very large,
requiring many lawyers to work on it, such
as a large merger or a major intellectual
property law suit, then the mega firms are
the clients' best choice. But for the vast
majority of other legal matters, the best
choice for competence, value and service
is a high quality, small to mid-sized firm
like those in Primerus who have been
very carefully screened and must meet
our Six Pillar standards.
But we all know it's tough to be a small,
unaffiliated law firm without international
connections in an increasingly global
marketplace. That's where Primerus comes
in. By joining together as nearly 200 firms
in 45 countries around the world, we offer
clients the advantages of small and mid-
sized law firms combined with the global
connections of big law firms.
I look forward to seeing our members
continue to revolutionize the legal profes-
sion of the 21st century and create new
success stories every day.