The 100 Best Places to Live and Work in Arizona for 2023 includes Burch & Cracchiolo, one of the Southwest's premier law firms.
Transcript:
Q: Why did Burch & Cracchiolo do so well in the Best Places to Work competition?
A: You know I've given that a lot of thought, and I think the answer is we actually ask all of our employees what they think about things that the firm is thinking about doing, and we get their input ahead of time, and then we get their feedback after we've made a decision. We let them participate in making decisions, and we share results of decisions, and we give them business reasons for why "yes" and why "no" and why "maybe", so I think everybody—you know all 90 employees—have the opportunity to feel invested in what we're doing, and I think that makes a big difference.
Q: How do you describe the Burch & Cracchiolo workplace culture?
A: Family friendly. Not just your immediate family at home, but the environment within the firm is family friendly. Everybody there is a professional, we let people do their jobs & stay out of their way. We'll provide all the mentoring, all the support that you might need, but we let you do your job, and I think that also creates buy-in for a firm.
Q: To what do you attribute the high employment satisfaction rate at Burch & Cracchiolo?
A: We always joke about maybe it's not the grass isn't greener on the other side. We've had a few who have left and they've come back, which which tells us that, you know, we're doing things right. And I think it's just the open ear listening environment that really makes a difference. Decisions aren't made from the top and pushed down—we try to make them collective decisions including not just the lawyers, but everybody.
Q: If you had to pick a mascot to define Burch & Cracchiolo, what would it be?
A: We have a few more Sun Devils and we do have Wildcats within the firm, so it's not going to be either one of those… The bear. The bear. I think it's representative. We're solid, we're consistent, we've been in the valley for 55 years, and I think that that image sort of captures the character of The Firm. 90% of the character of The Firm.
Q: What do you hope employees appreciate most about Burch & Cracchiolo as a place to work and build a career?
A: Stability of the firm. Historical stability of the firm, thoughtfulness about the future of the firm, planning for the future of the firm. You know our founders Birch and Cracchiolo are no longer with us, and you know when those years sort of crept up on us when it was time for their retirement, there was nervousness about where's the next generation. Well we're mostly through that next generation after them, and on to the next generation after that, and I think that creates stability, success, and cohesion among everybody at the firm.
Q: What do you enjoy most about going into the office each day?
A: Working with friends. Working with friends for sure. Not just everybody within the firm, but lots of clients who are friends. And you know there's a lot of stress in practicing law, it's easier to share the stress with friends than it is with adversaries. And we're lucky to enjoy that.