By Marc Tepper, Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney Philadelphia Office Head and Shareholder

Everyone knows the people who call Philadelphia home are what makes the city special. At Buchanan, we feel the same way about the legal professionals who work for us. They are the lifeblood of our firm and embody the spirit of the city, drive our success and make us one of the greatest places to work in the area. 

It’s never been a more exciting time to work in our Philadelphia law firm office. The city is about to soar to new heights as the new mayoral administration starts its transformational work to better the city and prepare for the America250 celebrations and FIFA World Cup in 2026. We expect to see an even more vibrant and dynamic city as the new administration brings a renewed energy and continued focus on inclusion, equity, safety and jobs in life sciences and clean energy. 

Throughout my seven years at the helm, Buchanan’s Philadelphia office has mirrored the city’s transformation and continues to be in growth mode. We’ve expanded quickly over the past few years, and we have no plans on slowing down. Our strengths are in life sciences, energy, healthcare and finance, and we expect those core areas to soar at a measured pace as we expand into new areas. 

To sustain this growth and success, we’ve made our firm culture a priority. We are honored to be recognized in The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Top Workplaces. As the city continues to change, some things at Buchanan never will, including our energetic, collaborative and high-performing culture driven by diversity & inclusion, professional development and workplace well-being. 

D&I has always been a core value of the firm. We have marked several milestones on our D&I journey, and we continue to increase our commitment to making Buchanan an inclusive place where all employees can thrive. Under the guidance of our Chief D&I Officer, Lloyd Freeman, we take an intentional and people-first approach. We provide education and room for courageous conversations while also paying it forward to the next generation of diverse legal leaders through initiatives such as our Diversity Corporate Share Program. 

To meaningfully advance D&I, we believe that everyone must play a part. Our firm leadership set intentional diversity leadership pledges that identify measurable ways that they will further support our commitment to D&I. Now, we’re expanding upon this initiative by inviting all employees to set pledges, broadening the impact we have within our firm, communities and profession. 

To support our high-performing culture, we offer a hybrid work environment that offers flexibility while encouraging collaboration among employees. Our affinity groups, formed around common identities, offer opportunities for mentoring and networking and give all employees a chance to be heard, valued and engaged.

Additionally, the firm offers support via the Buchanan Employee Assistance Fund, aid for caregivers – including child, pet and eldercare, and several other benefits and resources geared toward providing employees with real work/life balance. 

Investing in the professional development of our employees is also incredibly important to us. Through our own Buchanan University, we provide everything from leadership development training and LinkedIn Learning courses to business development and marketing support. We often host on-site social gatherings as well and provide weekly technology tips and frequent in-house seminars.

“Throughout my seven years at the helm, Buchanan’s Philadelphia office has mirrored the city’s transformation and continues to be in growth mode. We’ve expanded quickly over the past few years, and we have no plans on slowing down. Our strengths are in life sciences, energy, healthcare and finance, and we expect those core areas to soar at a measured pace as we expand into new areas.”

Marc Tepper, Buchanan Philadelphia Office Head

To nurture the ever-important workplace well-being, we hold events such as our holiday party and annual Day of Service. We like to carve out time to strengthen our internal connections while also giving back to our community. In Philadelphia, we give back to a local organization called Chosen 300, where I serve on the board. Chosen 300 is dedicated to fighting food insecurity in the region and is just one example of how the office engages with local charities and not-for-profit organizations. 

Buchanan’s Philadelphia office is unique, much like the city it calls home. Since 1980, our Philadelphia office and its stellar lawyers, government relations professionals and business professionals have remained actively engaged in our office culture, continuing to cultivate a respectful and collegial environment. We celebrate our culture and assess it, not quantifiably but through qualitative measures of what it truly feels like to be a Buchanan employee. 

Philadelphia breeds the best of the best. At Buchanan, we seek to embody this spirit by giving our team every resource possible to help them reach their fullest potential. We foster diverse perspectives, but all agree on one thing: we’re stronger together. Join us and help us lift the Philadelphia region to new heights.