LLP in New York, New York. Woods was
very pleased with the work of the firm,
including attorney David Fink.
"He was always available to me, 24/7,
by phone. He would dispatch an accident
reconstruction team to an accident site to
preserve evidence for us," Woods said. "You
don't always find a law firm that's willing to
respond 24/7, but they always were."
Because he was so pleased with
Lewis Johs, Woods took advantage of the
opportunity to meet other Primerus firms
by attending Primerus events, including
the Primerus Defense Institute (PDI)
Convocation in April 2016 in Napa,
California.
"I was very impressed with the caliber
of the presentations and meeting similar
minded firms to Lewis Johs," Woods said.
"From meeting people at Convocation, we
started expanding our network of Primerus
firms around the country."
Now, he looks to Primerus to help as
he builds his litigation team. "My litigation
manager regularly looks up Primerus
firms to find good panel defense firms,"
Woods said.
Working with Primerus has been such
a positive experience that he welcomed
the opportunity to join the PCRI. "If
there's something I can do to help
Primerus, and vice versa, I would love
to do it, so I signed up," he said.
Woods thinks the institute will be
helpful in many ways, as it allows Primerus
law firms and clients to learn from one
another and work together on important
issues facing the legal profession today.
"Any time you put together similar
minded people, it's a real benefit," he said.
In the legal world, according to Woods,
there are not a lot of opportunities to sit
down for true collaboration that's not
overly focused on marketing. "I think it's
high time we stop marketing and focus on
relationship building," he said.
Buchanan and Manley agree and
that's exactly the hope behind the institute.
litigation management for Global Indemnity
Group in Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania,
joined the PCRI in hopes of strengthening
his relationship with Primerus, which has
proven a great resource for hiring local
attorneys when he needs them.
His connection to Primerus started with
Edward Murphy, a partner of Primerus
member firm Lipe Lyons Murphy Nahrstadt
& Pontikis in Chicago, who was on the
attorney panel for Global Indemnity Group
when he started his job there in 2008. He
later learned a longtime friend, Thomas
Paschos of Thomas Paschos & Associates
in Haddonfield, New Jersey, was also a
Primerus member.
"For a long time, when I would need
counsel in different states, I would call Ed
or Tom," DiGiovanni said.
He then became more involved in
Primerus, including speaking on a panel at
the 2015 PDI Insurance Coverage & Bad
Faith seminar in New York City and at the
2016 PDI Convocation in Napa, California.
"I keep meeting good lawyers and adding
them to the panel," said DiGiovanni, who
now has worked with about 12 Primerus
firms across the country.
DiGiovanni said he likes hiring local
attorneys to work on cases, and he always
needs good litigators. He also said that
he needs attorneys who can find creative
solutions and "look at things out of the
box."
Before Primerus, when he needed
an attorney in a new area, he would call
an attorney in a neighboring state, go
to Martindale Hubbell, or even use an
internet search.
"Primerus is a great organization,"
DiGiovanni said. "I have been really
pleased. It's the ultimate resource. Now if I
need someone quick, I don't have to waste
time going through all those steps."
members, with more joining every month.
The PCRI will gather at the Primerus
Global Conference October 13-16 in
Washington, D.C. for a seminar including
lunch and a cocktail party.
take advantage of the perks they receive
for joining:
phone call with any Primerus
member, anywhere in the world
free, but now the offer is more public,
Manley said. Buchanan said this benefit
also gives clients the freedom to call
any Primerus attorney, anywhere in the
world not just a Primerus member
they might have met at an event.
thought they had access to, but were
not so comfortable asking for," Manley
said. "Now they know it is available,
and hopefully they will take advantage
of the offer."
available in various legal specialties
valuable access to inquiries about
expert witnesses, as well as advice
from Primerus members about other
legal matters.
committee membership meetings in
various practice areas
in areas including: bad faith defense
litigation, corporate transactions,
defense litigation, employment law,
governmental affairs, health law,
intellectual property, international law,
medical liability defense litigation,
mergers and acquisitions, product
liability defense litigation, real estate
and transportation defense litigation.
educational webinars
topics for free.