Cheers To Growth
Burch & Cracchiolo creates a powerhouse liquor licensing practice
By Michael Gossie
When the attorneys at Burch & Cracchiolo toast to their recent expansion, there will be an underlying reason to celebrate with a clink of glasses.
The premier Southwest law firm recently expanded its Phoenix office with the addition of Shareholder Ryan W. Anderson, Associate Shawn A. McCabe and a supporting staff of three essential employees. The addition of Anderson and his team gives Burch & Cracchiolo what is arguably the most powerful liquor licensing practice in the state.
“I've been developing our liquor licensing practice for the last seven years or so,” says Burch & Cracchiolo Shareholder Jake D. Curtis. “Ryan (Anderson) has the premier liquor licensing practice in Arizona. So to bring that to Burch & Cracchiolo and allow us to expand our practice in that area is huge.”
In his liquor licensing practice for Burch & Cracchiolo, Anderson will continue to provide advice and counsel concerning a full range of issues related to the manufacture, importation, distribution and sale of spirituous liquors within the state of Arizona. He has represented all types of clients in all facets of issues relating to the regulation of spirituous liquors, including producers, wholesalers and distributors, importers and retailers, including national chains and regional grocery stores, convenience markets, drug stores, restaurants, bars, hotels, management companies, homeowner associations and golf courses.
“In my liquor licensing practice, I have built a large portfolio of national retailers, national sports franchises and large restaurant chains,” Anderson says. “When you work with them for an extended period of time, they'll regularly ask you to do other things that I just couldn't do. I don't do lease work, landlord-tenant work and I don't do litigation that relates to those clients. So, I was constantly having to find other lawyers to help them do other things. Bringing the practice into Burch & Cracchiolo will definitely make it better for the clients. They'll have a one-stop resource for the full-service legal needs that they may have in the Arizona marketplace.”
In Arizona's red-hot retail development space, one of the strengths Burch & Cracchiolo's powerhouse liquor licensing practice will bring to the table is the firm's strong real estate and land use and zoning practices, where potential blockbuster developments sometimes hinge on the ability of developers to get a liquor license.
“Myself and other attorneys in our zoning department work with a variety of developers and owners who are developing restaurants, bars, supermarkets and gas stations,” says Madison Leake, associate at Burch & Cracchiolo. “We have clients that have come to our firm with neither liquor license nor entitlement and we also have clients that come in and say, ‘I want to open a bar and I have no idea what I need.’ Having the ability for them to get both from our firm is really important. We can help them make good decisions, understand their risk tolerance and understand the probability of them getting everything they need. That's great value for the client.”
In addition to his liquor licensing practice, Anderson has a robust practice representing court appointed fiduciaries, specifically Court Appointed Receivers and Bankruptcy Trustees. With arguably the largest dedicated receivership practice in the state, he will continue to provide clients with the legal resources for the successful administration of any receivership or court appointed fiduciary engagement. Anderson's success in the representation of receivers stems from decades of experience in the area, comprehensive understanding of the legal and business issues that arise in any type of receivership, as well as focus on providing efficient, timely, and cost-effective legal counsel to clients while preserving the assets that are the subject of the receivership estate for distribution to the creditors.
“The lawyers at Burch & Cracchiolo have an exceptional reputation,” Anderson says. “I'm humbled to be able to join them. I've respected them from near and from far for the last 30 years of my legal practice. Because of Burch & Cracchiolo's reputation and stellar ethics, it was an easy decision for me.”
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