Shareholder Mychal Schulz was named “Attorney of the Year” by the Defense Trial Counsel of West Virginia (DTCWV) at its 41st Annual Meeting on June 19, 2023. DTCWV provides a cohesive network of West Virginia attorneys who defend individuals and corporations in civil litigation. Formed in 1981, DTCWV currently has a membership of more than 500 attorneys.
The Chambers USA guide and legal rankings cover practice areas in all 50 states, Washington, DC and at nationwide level and identifies the best practice groups and lawyers working across the US legal market.
Pennsylvania – Environment
Chester R. Babst III
Donald C. Bluedorn II
Dean A. Calland
Kevin J. Garber
Lindsay P. Howard
Pennsylvania – Construction
Marc J. Felezzola
David E. White
Pennsylvania – Litigation: Mediators
Mark D. Shepard
West Virginia – Environment
Christopher B. “Kip” Power
Robert M. Stonestreet
West Virginia – Litigation: General Commercial
Timothy M. Miller
West Virginia – Energy & Natural Resources
Timothy M. Miller
Robert M. Stonestreet
District of Columbia – Environment
Sloane Anders Wildman
Babst Calland is pleased to announce that 15 attorneys were selected to the 2023 Pennsylvania and West Virginia Super Lawyers and the 2023 Washington, D.C. and Pennsylvania Rising Stars lists, published by Thomson Reuters. Only a few attorneys from each state are selected to receive the Super Lawyers and Rising Stars designation for any given year. The multi-factor selection process includes independent research, peer nominations and evaluations, as well as professional achievement in legal practice. Those selected include:
Pennsylvania Super Lawyers
West Virginia Super Lawyers
Pennsylvania Rising Stars
Washington, D.C. Rising Stars
Erin Lucas Hamilton recently joined Babst Calland as a shareholder in the Litigation Group. Ms. Hamilton’s experience spans a wide variety of industries, including energy and natural resources, aviation, engineering, construction, manufacturing, technology, professional sports, banking, insurance and financial services. Her practice involves litigating complex commercial disputes in all phases from initial pleadings through trial and appeal. Ms. Hamilton also provides legal counsel on best business practices, employment matters, risk mitigation and legal and regulatory compliance.
Prior to joining Babst Calland, Ms. Hamilton was a shareholder with Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney PC. She is a 2004 graduate of Notre Dame Law School.
Christina Manfredi McKinley, a shareholder in Babst Calland’s Litigation, Energy & Natural Resources, and Environmental groups, was selected by The Legal Intelligencer as a “2023 Lawyer on the Fast Track” in Pennsylvania.
A graduate of The Catholic University of America Columbus School of Law, Ms. McKinley continually strives to provide business-oriented solutions to her clients and routinely serves as a general advisor, counseling clients on day-to-day legal and business matters on any number of issues. Her business-focused, proactive approach to problem-solving allows her to provide solutions to clients in a variety of industries. Her experience spans a wide range of industries, including manufacturing, retail, energy, chemicals, and environmental.
As a litigator who focuses on complex commercial matters, Ms. McKinley’s trial practice encompasses all phases of litigation, from early alternative dispute resolution through post-trial motions. She has concentrated experience in complex purchase agreement and commercial contracts disputes, protection of competitive interests (e.g., Lanham Act, unfair competition, tortious interference, trade secret protection, restrictive covenants), technology disputes (e.g., software services and license agreements), and corporate governance.
The Legal Intelligencer asked the Pennsylvania legal community to submit nominations for the annual Lawyers on the Fast Track honors. After reviewing their results, a six-member judging panel composed of evaluators from all corners of the legal profession and the state selected 29 attorneys as the 2023 Lawyers on the Fast Track. This recognition is only given to attorneys under the age of 40 who have demonstrated excellence in four categories: development of the law; advocacy and community contributions; service to the bar; and peer and public recognition.
Attorney Mychal Schulz was selected to The DRI Center for Law and Public Policy’s newly formed State Legislation and Rules Task Force.
State and local defense organizations (SLDOs) facing potential legislation or rules likely to impact their members can seek support from the task force.
In the past year, The Center, at the request of DANY, offered comments that led to a veto in New York of changes to its wrongful death statute; submitted comments supporting positions taken by DTCWV on proposed changes to the West Virginia civil rules; and assisted ADC with a search for legislation in other states similar to a proposed bill in California to outlaw agreements to limit disclosure of discovery material about products posing danger to health or safety.
The Center’s State Legislation and Rules Task Force will provide similar support to SLDOs in the following ways:
a. Sharing information about the issue from other jurisdictions;
b. Alerting other SLDOs of such issues and soliciting their advice;
c. Supporting SLDOs by providing comments favorable to the SLDO’s position;
d. Spreading word of critical developments with all SLDOs, a sort of early warning system; or
Congratulations to Tiffany Arbaugh on being appointed as the 2023 President-Elect of Women’s Energy Network West Virginia Board of Directors.
WEN is an international organization of professional women who work across the energy value chain. Their mission is to develop programs to provide networking opportunities and foster career and leadership development of women who work in the energy industries.
Eric M. Spada recently joined Babst Calland as senior counsel in the Litigation Group. Mr. Spada’s practice focuses primarily on commercial litigation. He has represented a diverse array of clients in a variety of cases in state and federal courts in Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, and Florida, and also in commercial and construction arbitrations. Mr. Spada has also practiced in front of real estate tax assessment and appeal boards and state and federal ALJs. His litigation experience includes matters relating to construction, real estate, energy and natural resources, tax assessments and tax exemptions, and financial services. He has also successfully litigated cases concerning closely-held business disputes, franchising, civil identity theft, and insurance fraud issues. Mr. Spada also has extensive experience in the e-Discovery space.
Prior to joining Babst Calland, Mr. Spada was an associate with Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney PC. He is a 2008 graduate of George Washington University Law School.
Anna R. Hosack recently joined Babst Calland as an associate in the Public Sector Group of Babst Calland. Ms. Hosack’s practice focuses primarily on municipal and land use law with a concentration in general municipal, zoning, subdivision and land development, and code enforcement. Ms. Hosack participated in the Firm’s Summer Associate’s program. She is a 2022 graduate of Duquesne University School of Law.
Babst Calland attorneys celebrated the opening of the Moonshot Museum and gathered for a special tour of the new Museum housed inside Astrobotic’s headquarters facility, with Justine Kasznica, the firm’s Emerging Tech practice chair and founding board member of the Museum. Babst Calland is a founding partner of the Museum.
To learn more about the Moonshot Museum, visit https://moonshotmuseum.org/.
Justine Kasznica will be a panelist on the Small Business Presentation panel to speak from her role as a lawyer who helps space and other technology businesses/individuals designed soon-to-be proprietary information operate in the tech transfer space, especially individuals and companies in the early stages of idea development moving out of their lab and into the commercial realm.
Sean McGovern was selected to Leadership Pittsburgh 2022-2023 Cohort. Leadership Pittsburgh Inc. is the local independent nonprofit that is best known for serving as the region’s premier
community leadership, identification, connection and development organization.
It’s the 39th cohort to take part in the flagship, highly-selective program, which includes 10 months of curriculum focused around examining the region’s most pressing issues. The program will kick off in mid-September with a reception at the Duquesne Club, followed by an opening retreat later in the month. Then, the class will convene monthly for daylong sessions. The program will wrap up in June 2023.
“The participants selected for LP XXXIX represent a diverse cross-section of our community at significant levels of influence,” Jenn Beer, CEO of Leadership Pittsburgh, said in a release. “We are honored that leaders of this caliber believe that civic leadership engagement in our community matters. The commitment to participating in Leadership Pittsburgh will strengthen bonds and networks between the participants, their organizations and the region.”
In total, 58 individuals were named to the cohort.
Attorneys Susanna Bagdasarova and Joseph A. Pope recently joined Babst Calland.
Susanna Bagdasarova joins the Corporate and Commercial and Emerging Technologies groups as an associate. She represents business clients in connection with a broad range of general corporate and commercial law matters, including entity formation, corporate structuring, corporate governance, commercial contracts, and mergers and acquisitions, with a focus on the technology sector. Prior to joining Babst Calland, Ms. Bagdasarova was an associate with Jones Day. She graduated summa cum laude from The Pennsylvania State University, The Dickinson School of Law in 2015.
Joseph Pope joins the Corporate and Commercial Group as senior counsel. Mr. Pope’s practice focuses on corporate and transactional matters, including corporate and commercial finance transactions, with a particular focus on transactions involving commercial real estate. Prior to joining Babst Calland, he was a senior attorney with Hergenroeder Rega Ewing & Kennedy. Mr. Pope graduated cum laude from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law in 2008.
Attorney Alex Farone who is also the Co-Chair of the Allegheny County Bar Association’s Communications Committee of the Young Lawyer’s Division and the Editor and Chief of its “Point of Law” Newsletter led the newsletter to receive a 2022 American Bar Association Award of Achievement. This award is presented to projects submitted by local, state and national ABA YLD Affiliates for well-planned, and executed, programs that contribute significantly to the public and the betterment of the legal profession. Recognition is determined by a jury of their peers.
View the “Point of Law” Newsletter, here.
View the Spring 2022 issue, here.
Babst Calland is pleased to announce that three lawyers were selected as 2023 Best Lawyers “Lawyer of the Year” in Pittsburgh, Pa. and Charleston, W. Va. (by BL Rankings). Only a single lawyer in each practice area and designated metropolitan area is honored as the “Lawyer of the Year,” making this accolade particularly significant.
Receiving this designation reflects the high level of respect a lawyer has earned among other leading lawyers in the same communities and the same practice areas for their abilities, professionalism, and integrity. Those named to the 2023 Best Lawyers® “Lawyer of the Year” include:
Blaine A. Lucas, Litigation – Land Use and Zoning “Lawyer of the Year” in Pittsburgh, Pa.
Timothy M. Miller, Oil and Gas Law “Lawyer of the Year” in Charleston, W.Va.
Mychal Sommer Schulz, Litigation – ERISA “Lawyer of the Year” in Charleston, W.Va.
In addition, 31 Babst Calland lawyers were selected for inclusion in the 2023 edition of The Best Lawyers in America (by BL Rankings), the most respected peer-review publication in the legal profession:
11 Babst Calland lawyers were also named to the 2023 Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America list which recognizes associates and other lawyers who are earlier in their careers for their outstanding professional excellence in private practice in the United States:
Best Lawyers undergoes an authentication process, and inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America is based solely on peer review and is divided by geographic region and practice areas. The list has published for more than three decades, earning the respect of the profession, the media, and the public as the most reliable, unbiased source of legal referrals. Its first international list was published in 2006 and since then has grown to provide lists in over 65 countries.