Les Chambers, Ryan Chambers, Coleman Anglin and Nataliya Tipton Join the Firm’s Energy and Natural Resources Practice
PITTSBURGH, PA – June 5, 2019 – Babst Calland announced today the opening of a new office in Houston, Texas, and merger with attorneys of The Chambers Law Firm, a prominent Houston law firm.
Les R. Chambers, Ryan A. Chambers, and Coleman G. Anglin join the Firm as shareholders, and Nataliya K. Tipton as associate.
These Houston-based attorneys represent clients on a variety of legal and regulatory matters, particularly in the areas of oil and gas, property, and transactional law and all aspects of oil and gas title examination and analysis process for exploration and production companies in the Mid-Continent (including Texas, New Mexico and Oklahoma) and Appalachian Basin.
Commenting on these developments, Donald C. Bluedorn II, managing shareholder of Babst Calland, said, “These highly-regarded oil and gas attorneys are a natural fit in advancing our Firm’s vision to continue to expand our geographic footprint to serve clients’ needs in the development of the Permian Basin and other major and emerging shale plays in the country.”
“Our nationally-recognized multidisciplinary team of experienced energy attorneys, along with the resources of our new Houston office, offer our clients exceptional regional and national legal representation to help navigate challenges and opportunities to succeed in the oil and gas industry.”
“We are very excited to be joining Babst Calland,” said Les Chambers. “The vast experience of our respective firms in the energy and natural resource sector, along with the diversity of practice areas and significant support staff at Babst Calland, will create a synergy that will greatly enhance the services we can provide to both our individual and mutual clients across the country.”
Les Chambers, the managing shareholder of Babst Calland’s Houston office, concentrates his practice in the areas of oil, gas and mineral title examination and opinions, oil and gas transactions, property law, as well as assisting clients on a wide range of energy matters including negotiating and drafting oil and gas contracts, leases, due diligence examination and analysis, pipeline acquisitions and surface use and seismic agreements.
Ryan Chambers, Coleman Anglin, and Nataliya Tipton also focus their practice on a wide range of oil, gas, and mineral-related matters including title opinions, title examination, due diligence, business and land transactions, operating agreements, litigation, and contractual and regulatory issues.
“The addition of our Houston office supports our strategy to expand Babst Calland’s team and capabilities to serve the needs of existing and new oil and gas clients in the Permian, San Juan, and Eagle Ford Basins as well as the Mid-Continent,” said Bruce F. Rudoy, Co-Chair of Babst Calland’s Energy and Natural Resources Practice Group.
The Firm’s new Houston, Texas office is located in The Woodlands, Texas.
About Babst Calland
Babst Calland was founded in 1986 and has represented environmental, energy and corporate clients since its inception. The Firm has grown to more than 150 attorneys who concentrate on the current and emerging needs of clients. This team of attorneys has focused law practices in construction, corporate and commercial, creditors’ rights and insolvency, employment and labor, energy and natural resources, environmental, litigation, pipeline and hazardous materials safety, public sector, real estate and transportation safety.
Headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pa., Babst Calland also has offices in Canton, Ohio, Charleston, W. Va., Houston, Texas, Sewell, N.J., State College, Pa., and Washington, D.C. Babst Calland has been ranked in the 2019 U.S. News & World Report’s – Best Lawyers® “Best Law Firms” list nationally in seven practice areas and regionally in 29 practice areas, and the firm’s attorneys have also been included in the 2019 Best Lawyers in America© by BL Rankings. The firm has also been acknowledged in the 2019 Chambers USA’s America’s Leading Lawyers for Business. For more information, including attorney profiles, visit babstcalland.com.
WASHINGTON, DC and PITTSBURGH, PA – May 13, 2019 – Babst Calland announced today the lateral move of Gina Falaschi, who joined as associate in the firm’s Washington, D.C. office in the Environmental, Mobility, Transport and Safety, and Litigation practice groups.
Ms. Falaschi’s move to Babst Calland, along with Julie Domike, another seasoned environmental attorney who recently joined Babst Calland as shareholder in late April, further represents the firm’s commitment to meet clients’ needs related to environmental and emissions mobile source services before EPA, the California Air Resources Board, and other regulatory agencies as a part of its best-in-class team.
Ms. Falaschi provides advice to clients in the energy, transportation, and technology sectors regarding environmental regulatory compliance. She has assisted companies with disclosure of regulatory violations to state and federal agencies, and has counseled clients in negotiations with the U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. EPA, and California Air Resources Board. In addition to counseling on compliance issues, she has worked with technology and energy companies in developing new projects and has advised clients on regulatory issues arising from joint ventures, mergers, and acquisitions.
She has litigated cases in federal court, represented clients in administrative cases before various federal agencies, and has experience with administrative rule challenges before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. Ms. Falaschi is admitted to practice in the District of Columbia, California, U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, and U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California.
Ms. Falaschi earned her J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center in 2016 and her A.B., magna cum laude, from Georgetown University in 2013.
WASHINGTON, DC and PITTSBURGH, PA – May 6, 2019 – Babst Calland today announced the lateral move of Julie Domike, a veteran environmental attorney, who joined the firm’s Washington, D.C. office as shareholder, effective April 29.
Ms. Domike will provide senior-level legal counsel in key practice areas including Environmental, Mobility, Transport and Safety, and Litigation. Ms. Domike has represented numerous clients across the country in complex negotiations with the U.S. Department of Justice and EPA, resulting in global settlements affecting multiple company facilities. Much of Ms. Domike’s practice involves permitting and other issues under the Clean Air Act, addressing issues associated both with mobile and stationary sources. Ms. Domike has worked with companies engaged in developing new projects or modifying existing plants, and she has worked with clients on environmental audits and subsequent correction and disclosure to state and federal environmental agencies.
Having previously served as an attorney and manager at the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Headquarters, Ms. Domike understands the Agency’s enforcement approach and counsels clients to engage with EPA in rulemaking, and enforcement. She has represented a variety of companies that have been the focus of EPA’s regulations, including refineries, engine manufacturers, independent power producers, chemical plants, fuel producers, and construction and farm equipment makers.
Commenting about this lateral move to the Firm, Donald C. Bluedorn II, managing shareholder of Babst Calland, said, “We are very pleased to welcome Julie to our Firm and to our established team in Washington, D.C. She is a natural fit for us and her experience further complements the existing synergies that we offer clients, particularly in the Energy, Mobility, and Transportation industries.”
Julie Domike’s arrival at Babst Calland also represents sustained growth in the Mobility practice, led by Firm shareholder Tim Goodman, responding to our clients’ requests to provide environmental and emissions mobile source services before EPA, the California Air Resources Board (CARB), and other regulatory agencies as a part of our best-in-class team.”
“As an attorney focused on environmental law, I am pleased to be joining a well-established, multidisciplinary legal team representing clients in the various industries where I have served ” said Attorney Julie Domike.
“Since opening Babst Calland’s Washington, D.C. office in 2016, we have grown to 10 professionals focused on serving clients in the energy, mobility, emerging technologies and transportation sectors. Julie brings a new dimension to our team, and allows the firm to better serve our clients throughout the country.” said James Curry, managing shareholder of the Washington, D.C. office.
PITTSBURGH, PA, April 29, 2019 – Attorneys Alexandra G. Farone, Bilal M. Harris, Daniel P. Hido and Amy T. Oven joined Babst Calland.
Alexandra G. Farone is an associate in the Litigation and Employment and Labor groups of Babst Calland. Ms. Farone has a broad range of litigation experience in several practice areas including complex commercial litigation, premises liability, employment, construction, and oil and gas law. She also has experience counseling corporate clients regarding employment matters including best practices and procedures, and compliance with the FLSA, ADA, ADEA and Title VII. She is a 2017 graduate, magna cum laude, of the University of Pittsburgh School of Law.
Bilal M. Harris is an associate in the Firm’s Environmental Group. As a former attorney for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA), Mr. Harris utilizes his experience to assist clients on a broad range of matters under major federal and state environmental programs, with emphasis on matters arising under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA). He is a 2011 graduate of Howard University School of Law.
Daniel P. Hido is an associate in the Environmental Group. Mr. Hido assists clients on environmental regulatory matters in the context of compliance counseling, enforcement defense, remediation obligations, and business transactions. With a broad background in the principal federal environmental regulatory programs, he particularly focuses on hazardous and non-hazardous waste issues, the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) and the Clean Water Act. He is a 2014 graduate of Cornell Law School.
Amy T. Oven is a staff attorney in the Energy and Natural Resources Group of Babst Calland. Mrs. Oven counsels various energy, oil, gas and mineral-related clients on transaction matters, including title examination, title curative, oil and gas title opinions, division order title opinions and due diligence. She is a 2007 graduate of the University of Pittsburgh School of Law.
WASHINGTON, DC, April 15, 2019 – Babst Calland announced that Arija Flowers has joined the Firm as an attorney in the Mobility, Transport and Safety Group in the Firm’s Washington, D.C. office.
Ms. Flowers, a former NHTSA attorney well-known in the industry, served as a Senior Trial Attorney with the NHTSA Office of Chief Counsel. There, she was the lead U.S. federal enforcement attorney for a number of matters addressing some of the most significant issues in the industry. Ms. Flowers’ joining the Firm continues to enhance its best-in-class capabilities to meet the developing needs of mobility and transport clients and other companies with emerging technologies. The practice provides strategic leadership with business and legal advice for manufacturers, suppliers, start-ups, technology companies and government entities in the full-spectrum of transportation regulatory, safety, product quality, and automation matters, including automated/autonomous driving systems.
“Arija Flowers’ joining our team represents a consolidation at Babst Calland of several recent former NHTSA and DOT senior staff and leadership with the freshest and deepest understanding of NHTSA/DOT’s current decision-makers and technical analysis approach,” said Babst Calland’s Managing Shareholder Donald C. Bluedorn II. “The continued outreach to us for services from companies – even those who are well represented at present – has really spoken to the success of our vision,” he added.
Ms. Flowers will join Will Godfrey, Babst Calland’s Director, Mobility, Automation and Safety, and a former General Motors engineer and senior NHTSA regulatory chief, and Tim Goodman, the leader of Babst Calland’s Mobility, Transport and Safety Group, and former NHTSA chief legal officer for enforcement and U.S. federal senior executive.
Ms. Flowers will help companies navigate the full-spectrum of mobility, vehicle safety and related regulatory matters, including self-certification of standards, homologation, regulatory compliance, automated/autonomous driving systems, innovative mobility and safety approaches, best practices and emerging trends, standards enforcement, defects investigations, government inquiries and enforcement proceedings, and recall implementation.
“The industry knows and respects Arija, and I’m delighted she’s rejoining me and Will Godfrey,” said Tim Goodman. “The sheer number of companies we advise – from OEMs to suppliers, from start-ups and ride-sharing companies and e-commerce enterprises – is objective evidence of our organic growth, and Arija will be a force-multiplier on our team.”
At NHTSA, among other things, Ms. Flowers served as lead counsel for the agency’s investigation and ongoing oversight of the largest motor vehicle recall in U.S. history (Takata air bag inflators, involving 19 automotive manufacturers and an estimated 65-70 million inflators in 40-50 million vehicles in the U.S. market). She provided insight and leadership in agency investigations of vehicle and equipment manufacturers concerning safety-related defects, noncompliance with federal safety standards, and other violations of the Vehicle Safety Act and regulations. Ms. Flowers also supported DOT’s U.S. Supreme Court and federal appellate litigation practice on a number of cases.
Ms. Flowers has a background in public service. Prior to the Department of Transportation, she served as a judicial law clerk, and before law school served as the Scheduler and Executive Assistant to a senior U.S. Senator and staff to a Senator in the Washington state legislature.
Ms. Flowers earned her J.D., magna cum laude, from American University Washington College of Law. She graduated from the University of Washington with dual Bachelor of Arts degrees in History and in Communications and Political Science.
Pittsburgh, PA, February 21, 2019 – Matthew C. Wood recently joined Babst Calland as an associate in the Environmental Group. Mr. Wood assists clients on a variety of environmentally-related legal matters arising under major federal and state environmental and regulatory programs, with a focus on issues involving government inquiries, environmental investigations, remediation and concomitant activities under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), and their state analogs. In connection with this experience, he has advised clients during all stages of multi-year environmental remediation projects under consent decrees and administrative orders at sites across the U.S.
Mr. Wood counsels clients in the manufacturing, chemical, metals, and other sectors on permitting matters, compliance, enforcement actions, and government investigations and provides support on issue assessment, risk management, and strategy implementation to ensure effective client operations. His work often involves coordinating with technical consultants to prepare reports, position papers, and other deliverables for clients, agencies, and other relevant stakeholders. He also has experience with state and federal agency information requests and conducts environmental due diligence in transactional matters.
A 2011 graduate of the University of Pittsburgh School of Law, he previously was an associate for a law firm in Phoenix, Ariz. where he gained experience working on a variety of environmental matters at the county, state, federal, and tribal levels.
CHARLESTON, W. Va., January 22, 2019 – Jennifer J. Hicks, an associate in the Litigation, Employment and Labor, and Energy and Natural Resources groups at Babst Calland, has accepted an invitation to participate in the 2019 Class of Leadership West Virginia. Fifty-seven leaders from across the state were selected from a list of applicants submitted in late 2018.
A 2010 graduate of West Virginia University College of Law, Ms. Hicks has represented clients in a wide variety of litigation matters in state and federal courts throughout West Virginia. These include breach of contract, employment, environmental, nuisance, trespass, property damage, premises liability, product liability, consumer protection, partition, unknown heirs, criminal, and landlord-tenant, among others. Ms. Hicks has both trial and appellate court experience, including jury trials, and has also litigated before administrative agencies.
Leadership West Virginia (www.leadershipwv.org) is now in its 28th year as the statewide education and leadership development program in West Virginia. The eight-month program identifies emerging leaders from a variety of employers throughout West Virginia and enhances their knowledge not only of the challenges facing the state, but also the state’s unique attributes and diversity. Recognizing that the cultivation of new leadership is of utmost importance to West Virginia’s future prosperity and progress, Leadership West Virginia works to develop and motivate a cross-section of leaders who will use their talents and abilities to inspire others and to foster a new spirit of energy, enthusiasm and vitality throughout the state. LWV is affiliated with the West Virginia Chamber of Commerce.
“Each year, the class participants are selected from a list of top-quality applicants from around the state. Individuals are selected into the program because they demonstrate leadership skills and experiences in civic activities and in their professional careers,” said Pam Farris, Executive Director of Leadership West Virginia. “We continue to see an increase in the number of applicants each year and we are very pleased with the diversity of candidates in the 2019 class.” Farris noted that interest in being a class member continues to be a very competitive process as the program now has over 1,400 alumni from across the state and graduates from 53 out of 55 counties.
Throughout this year members of the class will travel to different communities in West Virginia to receive broad-based education on critical topics and, at the same time, have opportunities to hone their leadership skills.
“Leadership West Virginia provides graduates with the skills and the knowledge in making sound, informed decisions,” added Farris. Many of the participants serve as private citizen volunteers, and many seek and serve in public office. Among the many benefits that come with being a graduate of the program is the network of alumni throughout the state. “Leadership West Virginia congratulates the individuals who were selected to this year’s class.”
PITTSBURGH, January 2, 2019 – Babst Calland recently named Meredith L. Calfe, Kate H. Cooper, Alana E. Fortna and Rachel E. James shareholders in the Firm.
Meredith Calfe, a member of the Firm’s Energy and Natural Resources Group, concentrates her practice on counseling oil and gas clients on mineral-related transaction matters, including title examination, due diligence and curative work.
Ms. Calfe is a 2009 graduate of the University of Pittsburgh School of Law.
Kate Cooper, a member of the Firm’s Corporate and Commercial Group, counsels for-profit and non-profit entities in connection with mergers, acquisitions and divestitures, and a broad range of general corporate matters, including business planning and structuring, commercial contracts, securities law matters and governance issues.
Ms. Cooper is a 2010 graduate, cum laude, of Boston College Law School.
Alana Fortna is a member of the Firm’s Litigation, Environmental, Employment and Labor, and Emerging Technologies groups. Ms. Fortna represents clients in complex commercial litigation with a focus primarily on environmental litigation, including large-scale cost recovery actions under CERCLA and state law statutes, actions seeking injunctive relief under RCRA, and citizens’ suits brought under various federal statutes and regulatory programs. She also leverages her litigation experience to help companies and other entities with emerging technologies strike a balance between innovation and risk management.
Ms. Fortna is a 2010 graduate, magna cum laude, of Duquesne University School of Law.
Rachel James, a member of the Firm’s Energy and Natural Resources Group, represents energy clients on oil, gas and mineral-related transaction matters, including title examination, due diligence activities, curative work and the acquisition and disposition of oil and gas fee and leasehold assets.
Ms. James is a 2009 graduate of the University of Pittsburgh School of Law.