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T H E P R I M E R U S P A R A D I G M | C e l e b r a t i n g 2 5 y e a r s w i t h t h e w o r l d ' s f i n e s t l a w f i r m s
A History of Integrity Drives
Primerus into the Future
One of my favorite things to do as
president of Primerus ­ and there are
many things I enjoy ­ is to travel around
the world to meet with law firms who are
considering joining the society. In these
meetings, I hear one question over and
over: Why did you create Primerus? It's a
question I have reflected upon numerous
times as Primerus celebrates its 25
th
anniversary this year.
In those meetings with law firms, I
often mention Atticus Finch, the lawyer
in Harper Lee's 1960 Pulitzer Prize-
winning novel To Kill a Mockingbird.
When I think of Atticus Finch, various
qualities come to mind: upstanding
character, highly moral, honest, willing
to fight for justice even in the face of
great personal costs.
When we founded Primerus 25 years
ago, it was at a time when myself and a
group of other attorneys were watching
sadly as the ideals Atticus Finch
embodied for the legal profession were
deteriorating. So we formed Primerus
to do something about it. We sought
out principled lawyers in small and
medium-sized law firms who were
shaped in the mold of Atticus Finch ­
those who were standing up for what
was right and holding themselves to the
highest standards of the profession. At
Primerus, we call these standards the
Six Pillars: integrity, excellent work
product, reasonable fees, continuing
legal education, civility and community
service. They have been at our core from
day one.
After years of slowly and carefully
selecting only the best lawyers in the
world as Primerus members, we now have
180 member firms with 2,500 lawyers in
nearly 50 countries around the world, as
well as 48 U.S. states. I am confident we
will grow in the future, while still holding
true to the values we hold dear.
As we search the world for the finest
law firms, we are doing this for you, our
clients ­ so that you don't have to. We
search for high quality boutique law
firms who are committed to performing
excellent work for reasonable fees, and
to following our high ethical standards.
We submit potential firms to careful
screening before they are admitted to
the society, and then continue to review
their performance every year they remain
members. We bring these firms together
into a society to work for you.
In this issue, you will hear from
several clients who have benefitted from
this service. They're clients who now
come to Primerus first when they need
a lawyer.
As I reflect on 25 years with
Primerus, I am grateful and proud that
I am surrounded by the highest quality
lawyers available today ­ the Atticus
Finches of the legal world. We strive
to adhere to the highest professional
standards and offer excellent service to
clients. Together, we have accomplished
more than I dreamed, and yet, there is
still work to do.
President's Podium
John C. Buchanan
When we founded Primerus 25 years ago, it was at a time when myself and a group of
other attorneys were watching sadly as the ideals Atticus Finch embodied for the legal
profession were deteriorating. So we formed Primerus to do something about it.