Primerus is a society of top-rated, independent, small to medium size law firms that have earned the right to display the Primerus seal of quality. As one of the most respected law firm societies, Primerus has become the size of some of the world’s largest law firms. Primerus is growing at an unprecedented pace and is expanding throughout the U.S., Asia, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean. With thousands of lawyers in the society, Primerus members, collectively, offer the breadth of expertise and jurisdictional coverage that only the world’s largest law firms can offer to their clients, but at more reasonable rates. Law firms in the U.S. and Canada must be AV-rated using the Martindale-Hubbell peer review service.
For firms outside of North America, consideration is given to respected resources, such as Chambers Global Guide, Legal 500 EMEA, and IFLR 1000. Additionally, once approved for membership, every Primerus firm is audited, annually, to ensure that the legal services they continue to provide to clients are of consistently high quality, year after year. Each member is committed to the following standards: Integrity, Excellent Work Product, Reasonable Fees, Continuing Legal Education, Civility, and Community Service.
Duncan Manley received the Primerus Outstanding Service Award at the 2005 Primerus National Conference. Duncan served as Chair of the Primerus Defense Institute, the Defense Litigation Practice Group, and Chairman Emeritus.
THE 6 PILLARS OF PRIMERUS:
1. Integrity
Integrity is one of the top qualities sought by corporations when choosing legal counsel. Litigation is a sensitive matter; clients need to be able to trust their lawyers completely.
2. Excellent Work Product
Excellent work product means all client work is of a consistent, high quality. Records, as well as communication with clients, are detailed and clear. It means phone calls are returned, deadlines met and promises kept. Primerus ensures the quality of members’ work product in two ways. First, we choose members with expertise in certain areas of law, such as product liability, employment, or transportation law. Secondly, Primerus conducts strict pre-screening of member reputations by checking with clients, judges and other lawyers within their communities.
3. Reasonable Fees
Primerus members recognize that clients are under pressure to control outside counsel costs. All Primerus firms are committed to charging fees that are reasonable based on what is customary in their geographic location and on the individual attorney’s knowledge and experience.
Primerus attorneys are required to complete an average of 30 hours of continuing legal education (CLE) each year. This is more than twice the typical state bar CLE requirement.
5. Civility
Primerus members hold the courtroom to be a place of honor. Primerus attorneys pledge courtesy and civility, in accordance with the profession’s noblest traditions. Primerus members show respect to their clients and are responsive to their needs.
6. Community Service
Primerus members believe law, in its purest sense, is community service. The law, fundamentally, exists to hold communities together. Primerus members pledge themselves to a high standard of community service.