Primerus values serve as blueprint for a better society
Articles
From the President’s Desk
Primerus values serve as blueprint for a better society
One of our goals in the coming year is to further advance the Primerus mission in terms of brand, influence, growth, and global prominence. Growth alone has never been our purpose. From the very beginning, Primerus has stood for something larger than scale or market share. It has stood for values – values that define not only who we are as an organization, but also what the legal profession can and should represent in a civilized society.
Central to that mission is what we have long called the “Primerus Concept.” Early in our history, that concept gave rise to a trademarked phrase that continues to resonate today: “Good People Who Happen to Be Good Lawyers.” Those eight words were never intended as a slogan for marketing alone. They reflect a belief system grounded in the Six Pillars of Primerus: integrity, quality, value, competency, civility, and community service. Together, those principles form the foundation on which Primerus was built and the standard by which our members continue to be measured.
Primerus firms, by their very nature, are entrepreneurial, highly skilled, and deeply committed to the art of relationship-building with clients and with one another. Membership in our alliance has never been automatic or transactional. Firms are invited to join Primerus only after a rigorous vetting process that evaluates not just legal ability, but character. The Six Pillars are not aspirational talking points; demonstrating a commitment to them is a requirement. Melded together, they comprise the backbone of Primerus and serve as guideposts that set us apart in an increasingly crowded and impersonal legal marketplace.
Those principles, in turn, have delivered real value. They have helped countless clients find the right lawyer, with the right skills, in the right location, and at the right cost. They have fostered trust across borders and practice areas. And they have created a network where collaboration is rooted in mutual respect rather than hindered by competition or self-interest.
As Primerus continues to expand, the fruits of that growth can further fuel our ability to serve members more effectively. A broader network allows us to offer a wider range of services, deeper subject-matter expertise, and more efficient solutions for increasingly complex legal challenges. In doing so, we move closer to our ultimate goal: to become the largest and finest provider of legal services in the world – one defined not merely by size, but by a shared commitment to integrity, civility, and service ingrained in the culture of every member firm.
That commitment matters now more than ever. We live in a time when honesty, integrity, and respect for institutions are under sustained assault. Around the world – and here in the U.S. – we see political leaders motivated primarily by self-interest, aided and enabled by others who have been bullied into complacency or complicity. The unfortunate result is an overall erosion of trust, the normalization of incivility, and growing skepticism toward the rule of law itself.
Primerus stands in stark contrast to that chaos. Founded more than three decades ago, Primerus was created to help restore faith in the legal profession and to rebuild trust in the justice system. It was formed to educate the public about the essential role lawyers play – not as combatants, but as peacemakers. Lawyers help resolve disputes peacefully, administer justice fairly, and uphold the structures that allow free societies to function. In that sense, we can rightly take pride in our profession’s highest calling.
The responsibility does not stop at the courthouse door, however. The nation’s Founding Fathers placed in the hands of citizens the solemn duty of self-governance. That responsibility requires thoughtful, informed decision-making – not only in pursuit of individual interests, but for the good of the nation and future generations. Preserving democracy, liberty, justice, equality, and the rule of law is not optional. It is the price of freedom; a necessity, truth be told.
Defending those principles begins at here in the U.S., where extremism and disinformation seek to undermine confidence in democratic institutions. America, for all its imperfections, remains a beacon of opportunity and freedom. It is a nation where ideas can flourish, businesses can grow, and disputes can be resolved through law rather than violence. In a world grappling with war, displacement, and inequality, those ideals matter.
Primerus was built on the belief that values matter – and that when they are practiced consistently, they can shape professions, institutions, and ultimately society itself. The Six Pillars are more than a framework for legal excellence. They are a blueprint for a better society, one grounded in trust, civility, service, and the enduring belief that doing the right thing still matters.
Best regards,
Jack Buchanan, President