Pros
1) CRA has a very open and friendly environment for the staff. You will work with bright individuals who are often widely respected in their industry while having the relaxed environment. From the analyst rank all the way through VP, all work as a team and you feel your opinions are valued during projects. 2) If employees are interested, it is possible to work across practices and even platforms. Employees must seek out this type of work though because it will not land in their lap. Seeking out work from other practices and platforms can create a great opportunity for personal development and create a broad skill base.
Cons
1) Long hours and time crunch projects are common. Time and project management are not key attributes of senior leaders in the firm. 2) Most staff are in a silo in their practice. At the junior level, it is very common to work on the same project or type of project over and over again. It takes work to reach out to other practices to get on projects so personal development has to be a desire of the employee. 3) Outside activities are not rewarded within CRA. Non-billable work must be done but you are not rewarded for creating marketing presentations or writing articles.