18. Secretariat International
Headquarters: Atlanta Number of Billable Consultants: 140 Client Industries Served: Virtually All Consulting Service Lines: Expert & Litigation Consulting
Atlanta-based Secretariat International is another newcomer to the Best Small Firms to Work For rankings this year, an accomplishment that's not lost on Don Harvey, CEO & Managing Director of the firm.
"We have always prided ourselves on our unique employee friendly culture that has distinguished us from our competition," Harvey says. "It is reassuring to receive such positive recognition during a period of substantial growth and reinforces the cultural brand we have established in the marketplace."
Secretariat International is a leading independent expert services practice, specializing in international arbitration and litigation, large scale construction disputes with a focus on delay and quantum analysis, forensic accounting, economic damages, and government contracting.
"Our experts maintain integrity, quality and objectivity when solving complex disputes, delivering detailed analyses in a clear and concise manner," Harvey says. "We are committed to supporting our clients with accurate, unbiased analyses through each stage of the dispute resolution process, allowing clients to fully assess their position and ultimately achieve the best result."
At Secretariat International, the company name represents unmatched performance, which is driven by the firm's corporate values: Integrity, Quality, Objectivity, says Harvey. "These values are paramount in all that we do to deliver custom solutions to our clients and meet the most demanding objectives," he says. "We have assembled a team of the best, brightest and most respected names in the industry to ensure our results always exceed expectations."
Harvey says morale at Secretariat remains high, which is reflected in the firm's negligible attrition rate. "We believe it is due to the quality of consulting assignments, the opportunities for employees to gain expert testimony experience, and the selective hiring of culturally aligned senior practitioners," he says. "The firm is run by consultants committed to client facing work rather than by layers of non-billable management."
Those factors clearly contribute to Secretariat's success, but when Harvey is asked if there are any specific programs or initiatives that contributed to being a Best Small Firm to Work For, he says "Yes, the internal career development as evidenced by number of testifying experts developed at Secretariat and the recognition of our experts in Who's Who Legal, which is unparalleled at any other firm."
When he looks out over the next year or so, Harvey says he sees plenty of opportunities, among them is how the international arbitration marketplace continues to grow and provide Secretariat with opportunities to expand geographically. "Additionally, we meet many potential employees that have become tired with the large bureaucratic consulting organizations and have a desire to spend more of their time servicing clients," he says.
Along those same lines, Harvey says his top priority right now is "to ensure our employees and clients remain front and center as we continue to build a world class litigation consulting business."
On the survey, the firm excelled in the areas of Client Engagement and Culture. Why do you think that is?
Harvey: Our commitment to quality and culture are more than just words. At Secretariat, we have lived these two founding principles of 'Quality' and 'Culture' every day and will continue to do so.
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