Babst Calland recently named Mary H. Binker, Michael E. Fink, Jennifer L. Malik and Cary M. Snyder shareholders in the Firm.
Mary Binker is a member of the Corporate and Commercial, Energy and Natural Resources, and Real Estate groups. Her practice focuses primarily on corporate and transactional matters, including negotiation of commercial contracts and real estate transactions. Ms. Binker advises businesses of various sizes and complexity, in a broad range of industries including chemical, energy and real estate development, in their corporate contracting needs. She counsels clients on their day-to-day contracting needs such as procurement and service agreements. Ms. Binker also has experience assisting real estate clients in acquisitions, leasing, and management agreements. She is a 2010 graduate of the University of Pittsburgh School of Law.
Michael Fink is a member of the Corporate and Commercial and Emerging Technologies groups. Mr. Fink focuses his practice on assisting high-tech start-up ventures with both fundraising and general corporate or governance matters. He also counsels clients with technology transactions and licensing, and he works on both the buy-side and the sell-side in mergers and acquisitions in the technology, real estate, energy, and healthcare sectors. Entity selection and formation, preparation and programming of capitalization tables and distribution models, and corporate governance counseling are additional services Mr. Fink routinely provides clients. He is a 2011 graduate of the University of Pittsburgh School of Law.
Jenn Malik is a member of the Public Sector and Energy and Natural Resources groups. Ms. Malik’s practice focuses primarily on municipal and land use law, with an emphasis on zoning, subdivision and land development, and municipal ordinance construction and enforcement. She represents the Firm’s municipal clients on a wide array of local government issues, including developing and implementing zoning and land development ordinances, reviewing and overseeing the processing of Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code applications, such as applications for conditional uses and special exceptions, analyzing and responding to Pennsylvania Right-to-Know Law record requests, navigating public bidding procedures, assisting to identify and enforce property maintenance and zoning violations, and counseling clients to ensure compliance with both the Pennsylvania Sunshine Act and the Pennsylvania Public Official and Employee Ethics Act. Additionally, Ms. Malik represents corporations, and businesses before local governing bodies, zoning hearing boards, planning commissions and private landowners. In doing so, Ms. Malik assists private-sector clients in analyzing municipal zoning ordinances, obtaining land development approvals, filing Right-to-Know Law requests, defending against Notices of Violation, challenging the procedural and substantive validity of municipal zoning ordinances, and appealing the issuance or denial of local permits. She is a 2011 graduate of the University of Houston Law Center.
Cary Snyder is a member of the Litigation group. He primarily works in the areas of complex commercial litigation and appellate practice. Mr. Snyder has experience in all stages of litigation, from drafting complaints through dispositive motions, discovery, settlement, and trial. He also represents clients in matters before federal and state appellate courts. He is a 2011 graduate of the University of Minnesota Law School.
Babst Calland today announced the lateral move of Harley Stone, who recently joined the Firm’s Pittsburgh office.
A shareholder in Babst Calland’s Public Sector and Energy and Natural Resources groups, Attorney Stone provides senior-level counsel in municipal, land use, environmental and energy law. He represents municipal governments, authorities and private developers in municipal permitting, planning, land use, and zoning. A seasoned trial lawyer, he also has many years of experience as a litigator in the areas of municipal law, employment law, and tax assessment appeals.
Commenting about Harlan’s lateral move to the Firm, Babst Calland Managing Shareholder Donald C. Bluedorn II said, “We are very pleased to welcome Harlan to our Firm. He is a natural fit for us as he shares our values, experience and philosophy in serving clients. Harlan is a highly-regarded attorney and supports our strategy to expand Babst Calland’s legal counseling team and capabilities to serve the needs of existing and new clients in the region.”
With significant experience in municipal, land use and zoning law, Mr. Stone will be joining forces with Babst Calland’s well-established and respected Public Sector team.
“Much deliberation went into my decision to join Babst Calland after practicing with various law firms over my 40+ year career,” said Mr. Stone. “Ultimately, I became convinced that Babst Calland represented the perfect fit for me and my practice.”
Mr. Stone is admitted to practice in Pennsylvania and before the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, Supreme Court of the United States, United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, and United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania. He is a member of the Allegheny County Bar Association, Allegheny County & Western Pennsylvania Association of Township Commissioners (AC&WPTAC), Association of Municipal and School Solicitors, and the Local Government Academy. Mr. Stone is a past president of the Rodef Shalom Congregation, that oldest and largest reform Jewish congregation in southwest Pennsylvania. He has been rated by Martindale-Hubbell as AV Preeminent, Peer Rated for the Highest Level of Professional Excellence since 2009.
Jessica L. Altobelli recently joined Babst Calland as an associate in the Litigation and Employment and Labor groups. Ms. Altobelli has a broad range of litigation experience in several practice areas including employment, general liability, transportation, and school district defense. As part of her employment practice, she regularly defends employers in state and federal court litigation and administrative proceedings arising out of all aspects of the employment relationship.
Prior to joining Babst Calland, Ms. Altobelli was an associate with Lewis Brisbois. She is a 2016 graduate of Duquesne University School of Law.
Babst Calland has been ranked in the 2022 U.S. News & World Report-Best Lawyers® “Best Law Firms” list nationally in eight practice areas and regionally in 32 practice areas:
- National Tier 2
- Environmental Law
- Land Use & Zoning Law
- Litigation – Environmental
- Oil & Gas Law
- National Tier 3
-
- Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law
- Litigation – Construction
- Mining Law
- Natural Resources Law
- Metropolitan Tier 1
- Pittsburgh
- Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law
- Bet-the-Company Litigation
- Commercial Litigation
- Construction Law
- Corporate Law
- Energy Law
- Environmental Law
- Information Technology Law
- Land Use & Zoning Law
- Litigation – Bankruptcy
- Litigation – Construction
- Litigation – Environmental
- Litigation – Land Use & Zoning
- Municipal Law
- Natural Resources Law
- Water Law
- Charleston-WV
- Commercial Litigation
- Energy Law
- Environmental Law
- Litigation – Environmental
- Oil & Gas Law
- Metropolitan Tier 2
- Pittsburgh, PA
- Charleston-WV
- Mining Law
- Natural Resources Law
- Washington, D.C.
- Metropolitan Tier 3
- Pittsburgh, PA
- Mediation
- Mergers & Acquisitions Law
- Charleston-WV
- Bet-the-Company Litigation
- Litigation – ERISA
- Real Estate Law
- Washington, D.C.
- Environmental Law
- Litigation – Environmental
Firms included in the 2022 “Best Law Firms” list are recognized for professional excellence with persistently impressive ratings from clients and peers. Achieving a tiered ranking signals a unique combination of quality law practice and breadth of legal expertise.
Ranked firms, presented in tiers, are listed on a national and/or metropolitan scale. Receiving a tier designation reflects the high level of respect a firm has earned among other leading lawyers and clients in the same communities and the same practice areas for their abilities, their professionalism and their integrity.
The 2022 Edition of “Best Law Firms” includes rankings in 75 national practice areas and 127 metropolitan-based practice areas. One “Law Firm of the Year” is named in each of the nationally ranked practice areas.
Click here to view the full ranking on U.S. News U.S. News & World Report-Best Lawyers® “Best Law Firms” list.
The Legal Intelligencer and Martindale-Hubbell®, the company that has long set the standard for lawyer ratings, have announced the Pennsylvania Top Rated Lawyers®. To view the list of Babst Calland lawyers who have achieved an AV® Preeminent™ Peer Review Rating, click here.