Category: Environmental

Attorney Mark Dausch Appointed to the Pennsylvania Environmental Hearing Board Rules Committee for Two-year Term

Babst Calland Attorney Mark Dausch has been appointed to the Pennsylvania Environmental Hearing Board (EHB) Rules Committee effective January 1, 2026. The EHB functions like a court, providing a forum to challenge actions taken by the Department of Environmental Protection and to seek judicial-like relief. The Rules Committee is composed of nine attorneys designated by the Governor, legislative leaders, the Secretary of the Department and the Department’s Citizens Advisory Council.  Members serve two-year terms and meet regularly to review the EHB’s procedural rules and recommend changes. Mark focuses his practice on energy and environmental litigation and has tried several high-stakes lawsuits in federal, state and administrative courts, as well as in arbitration.  He has extensive experience representing clients before the EHB. For more information, click here.

Babst Calland Ranked in 2026 Best Law Firms®

Babst Calland has been recognized in the 2026 edition of Best Law Firms®, ranked by Best Lawyers®, nationally in 8 practice areas and regionally in 41 practice areas:

  • National Tier 2
    • Energy Law
    • Environmental Law
    • Land Use and Zoning Law
    • Litigation – Construction
    • Litigation – Environmental
    • Mining Law
  • National Tier 3
    • Natural Resources Law
    • Oil and Gas Law
  • Regional Tier 1
    • Pittsburgh
      • Bet-the-Company Litigation
      • Commercial Litigation
      • Construction Law
      • Corporate Law
      • Energy Law
      • Energy Regulatory Law
      • Environmental Law
      • Land Use and Zoning Law
      • Litigation – Construction
      • Litigation – Environmental
      • Litigation – Land Use and Zoning
      • Mediation
      • Municipal Law
      • Natural Resources Law
      • Water Law
    • Charleston-WV
      • Business Organizations (including LLCs and Partnerships)
      • Commercial Litigation
      • Energy Law
      • Environmental Law
      • Litigation – Environmental
      • Oil and Gas Law
  • Regional Tier 2
    • Pittsburgh
      • Information Technology Law
      • Real Estate Law
    • Charleston-WV
      • Arbitration
      • Banking and Finance Law
      • Commercial Transactions / UCC Law
      • Corporate Law
      • Mining Law
      • Natural Resources Law
    • Washington, D.C.
      • Energy Law
      • Environmental Law
      • Litigation – Environmental
  • Regional Tier 3
    • Pittsburgh
      • Labor Law – Management
      • Litigation – Labor and Employment
      • Mergers and Acquisitions Law
    • Charleston-WV
      • Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law
      • Bet-the-Company Litigation
      • Litigation – ERISA
      • Mergers and Acquisitions Law
      • Real Estate Law
    • Washington, D.C.
      • Oil and Gas Law

Firms included in the 2026 Best Law Firms® list are recognized for professional excellence with persistently impressive ratings from clients and peers. To be considered for this milestone achievement, at least one lawyer in the law firm must be recognized in the 2026 edition of The Best Lawyers in America®.

Achieving a tiered ranking in Best Law Firms® on a national and/or metropolitan scale signals a unique credibility within the industry. The transparent, collaborative research process employs qualitative and quantitative data from peer and client reviews that is supported by proprietary algorithmic technology to produce a tiered system of industry-led rankings of the top 4% of the industry.

Receiving a tier designation represents an elite status, integrity and reputation that law firms earn among other leading firms and lawyers. The 2026 edition of  Best Law Firms® includes rankings in 75 national practice areas and 127 metropolitan-based practice areas. Additionally, one “Law Firm of the Year” was named in each nationally ranked practice area.

Click here to view Babst Calland’s profile.

Nicholas McDaniel Received Annual Arthur S. Flemming Award for Exceptional Civil Service for Legal Achievement

Attorney Nicholas McDaniel received the annual Arthur S. Flemming Award for exceptional civil service in his former role with the U.S. Department of Justice, Environment and Natural Resources Division. One of only 12 public servants from a number of federal agencies being honored for their exceptional service, Nick is being recognized for his outstanding performance for legal achievement. Nick is a shareholder in Babst Calland’s Washington, D.C. office and focuses his practice on energy and environmental law and litigation.

The Arthur S. Flemming Awards are the nation’s oldest and most prestigious award for government service given from outside the government. Flemming Award recipients are exceptional employees, with three to 15 years of federal service, who are nominated by their agencies and selected through a competitive judging process. The awards are presented by the Arthur S. Flemming Awards Commission, in partnership with the George Washington University Trachtenberg School of Public Policy and Public Administration (TSPPPA) and the National Academy of Public Administration (NAPA).

The Flemming induction ceremony will take place on Sunday, November 2, 2025, at the National Academy of Sciences Building in downtown Washington, D.C., as part of the National Academy of Public Administration’s Annual National Conference.

For more information about the Arthur S. Fleming Awards, click here.

James Chen Inducted into the Case Western Reserve University – School of Law’s Society of Benchers

Attorney James Chen was inducted into the Case Western Reserve University – School of Law’s Society of Benchers. Established in 1962, each year the Society inducts new alumni members, as well as a faculty member and public member, on the basis of extraordinary achievement and dedication to the highest principles of the legal profession.

Jim is a shareholder in Babst Calland’s Washington, D.C. office and focuses his practice on emerging technologies, environmental, and transportation technology and energy. He is a 1991 graduate of Case Western Reserve University – School of Law.

Jordan Brown Joins Babst Calland’s Washington, DC Office

Jordan N. Brown recently joined Babst Calland’s Washington, D.C. office as an associate in the Environmental Group.

Ms. Brown counsels clients in a broad range of environmental matters arising under federal and state environmental programs, with a primary focus on regulatory compliance and permitting. She regularly advises companies on day-to-day operational compliance and represents clients in enforcement defense actions brought by federal and state regulators. Ms. Brown also conducts environmental due diligence for corporate transactions to help clients identify and manage environmental risks.

Ms. Brown has experience with a wide array of environmental statutes, including the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, CERCLA, the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, the Toxic Substances Control Act, and related laws and regulations. She has advised on wetland permitting and Clean Water Act compliance, provided Clean Air Act counseling for the railroad industry, and defended enforcement actions under the Toxic Substances Control Act involving PFAS operations. She has worked on matters involving the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Department of Energy, and the Department of Justice, as well as various state environmental agencies.

Prior to joining Babst Calland, Ms. Brown was an associate with WilmerHale. She is a 2022 graduate of Duke University School of Law.

Former U.S. Department of Justice Environmental Enforcement Attorney Nicholas McDaniel Joins Law Firm Babst Calland’s Washington, D.C. Office

Babst Calland announced that Nicholas McDaniel has joined the firm as a shareholder in the firm’s Washington, D.C. office. With more than a decade of combined government and private practice experience, most recently as a senior enforcement attorney with the U.S. Department of Justice’s Environment and Natural Resources Division, Environmental Enforcement Section, McDaniel will be a member of the firm’s Litigation, Environmental, and Energy and Natural Resources groups. He will counsel companies on environmental compliance, enforcement, and litigation challenges.

At Babst Calland, McDaniel will focus his practice on complex environmental and commercial litigation for clients in the energy, natural resources, and manufacturing sectors. His work will include enforcement defense, citizen suits, and disputes involving environmental contamination. He also brings significant experience navigating bankruptcy proceedings involving environmental claims and negotiating settlements with regulators and citizen groups.

During his tenure at DOJ, McDaniel led major federal enforcement actions and complex negotiations that resulted in landmark environmental settlements. Notably, he secured the largest-ever civil penalty under the Clean Air Act, and is a three-time recipient of the prestigious Assistant Attorney General’s Award for Excellence – first for litigating and settling a cost recovery action under the Oil Pollution Act related to the longest-running oil spill in U.S. history, then for securing CERCLA cost recovery and natural resource damages on behalf of the United States, and later for his record Clean Air Act settlement. He also received numerous other honors, including the 2024 Arthur S. Flemming Award for legal achievement and recognition from the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for exceptional service.

Earlier in his career, he litigated energy and rate-making cases before the Public Utilities Commission and in state courts with the Environmental Law & Policy Center.

“Nick is a highly skilled litigator with significant first-chair trial experience who has handled some of the toughest environmental enforcement cases in the country,” said Mark K. Dausch, shareholder in Babst Calland’s Litigation practice. “His government experience and proven ability to lead in the courtroom and deliver results in complex, high-stakes matters will be invaluable to our clients and a tremendous asset to our litigation team.”

“I am excited to join Babst Calland and to continue my practice alongside such a strong team of environmental and litigation attorneys,” said Nick McDaniel. “This firm has a well-earned reputation for excellence in environmental law and energy matters, and I look forward to helping clients address their most pressing challenges.”

“We are thrilled to welcome Nick to Babst Calland,” said Managing Shareholder Donald C. Bluedorn II. “His leadership role at DOJ in some of the most significant environmental enforcement cases in recent years, combined with his strong litigation background, brings exceptional perspective and capability to our clients as they navigate complex environmental challenges.”

McDaniel earned his J.D. cum laude from Harvard Law School in 2011 and his B.A. summa cum laude from Eastern Kentucky University in 2008. He is admitted to practice in the District of Columbia and Massachusetts.

Veteran Attorney Polly Hampton Joins Law Firm Babst Calland; Opens New York Office

Babst Calland announced the lateral move of veteran attorney Priscilla (Polly) E. Hampton, who has joined the Firm as a Shareholder in its Environmental practice, and opened a new Babst Calland office in New York State.

Ms. Hampton’s practice focuses primarily on contaminated site cleanups, brownfield redevelopment, and environmental diligence and risk management in mergers and acquisitions. She counsels a range of businesses—from mining, manufacturing, and energy to real estate and project developers—on remediation, permitting, compliance, and enforcement matters under federal and state environmental laws.

Ms. Hampton has extensive experience with industrial operations throughout the country. She addresses the “dirty dirt” aspect of deals and projects, counseling on the identification, management, and cleanup of hazardous substances and allocation of related liability. She represents clients in defense of government enforcement and cleanup actions, and she has achieved favorable outcomes for clients facing potential natural resource damages liability. She also oversees internal environmental compliance audits both in the regular course of business and as part of transaction-related environmental due diligence, working with businesses to identify and correct potential deficiencies before and after closing.

A veteran and former U.S. Navy Surface Warfare Officer, Ms. Hampton helped found Women in Environment, an organization aimed at furthering professional development opportunities for women in the environmental field.

“I am excited to join Babst Calland, one of the nation’s premier law firms, with sophisticated and solutions-oriented representation in all areas of environmental law, including projects at the cutting edge of environmental and energy policy. I look forward to working with this well-regarded team of attorneys,” said Ms. Hampton.

Commenting on her lateral move to the firm, Babst Calland Managing Shareholder Donald C. Bluedorn II said, “We are very pleased to welcome Polly as part of our senior-level legal counseling team to serve the needs of existing and new clients across the country. Polly is a well-respected environmental lawyer with a great reputation among local, state, and federal regulatory agencies. She is a natural fit for us as she shares our values, philosophy, and experience in serving a nationwide clientele across a wide range of industries.”

Sean McGovern Elected to the Fellows of the American Bar Foundation

Babst Calland is pleased to announce that Sean M. McGovern  has been elected a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation (ABF). Membership is limited to just one percent of lawyers licensed to practice in each jurisdiction. Members are nominated by their peers and selected by the ABF Board.

The ABF Fellows is a global honorary society that recognizes attorneys, judges, law faculty and legal scholars whose public and private careers have demonstrated outstanding dedication to the highest principles of the legal profession and the welfare of their communities. ABF Fellows hail from nearly 40 countries and hold a wide variety of influential roles.

Sean McGovern is a shareholder in the Environmental practice and co-chairman of the Energy and Natural Resources practice of Babst Calland. Mr. McGovern’s practice involves counseling clients on a variety of federal, state, and local regulatory and compliance issues related to mining, renewable, oil and natural gas well development, production, midstream, storage, plugging and restoration in the Appalachian Basin. He counsels these clients on a wide range of environmental regulatory and enforcement matters, including water withdrawal, erosion and sediment controls, various permitting requirements, seismic and acoustic assessments, the transportation and disposal of wastes generated by industry, in addition to other issues related to pooling, unitization, and spacing and setback requirements under Pennsylvania’s Conservation Law. Mr. McGovern regularly handles storage tank issues, stray gas investigations, as well as site reclamation and remediation matters. He also has experience with environmental transactions, including due diligence activities; environmental justice considerations and requirements; and river basin commissions. In addition, Mr. McGovern has counseled clients pertaining to investigations by the Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General and the U.S. Department of Justice.

Mr. McGovern was recognized in The Best Lawyers in The Best Lawyers in America© in the Environmental Law Section for 2025 by BL Rankings. He is a 2022-23 alumnus of Leadership Pittsburgh XXXIX alumnus. In 2012, Mr. McGovern was selected by The Legal Intelligencer as one of only 35 “Lawyers on the Fast Track” in Pennsylvania. This recognition is 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/public recognition. He was also selected to the 2012-2013 and 2015-2016 Pennsylvania Rising Stars lists (Thomson Reuters).

Mr. McGovern graduated from the University of North Carolina School of Law at Chapel Hill in 2006.

About the ABF Fellows

Notable Fellows include Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader-Ginsberg, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court Sonia Sotomayor, Chief Justice of the United States John Roberts, Former United States Secretary of State Hilary Rodham Clinton.

The ABF Fellows serve as stewards of the American Bar Foundation, an independent, nonprofit research organization that conducts short- and long-term socio-legal research projects. The ABF’s mission is to serve the legal profession, the public, and the academy through empirical research, publications, and programs that advance justice and the understanding of law. The ABF’s research falls under one of three categories: learning and practicing law; protecting rights and accessing justice; and making and implementing law. The Foundation is committed to broad dissemination of research findings to the organized bar, scholars, and the general public.  

Babst Calland Ranked in 2025 Best Law Firms®

Babst Calland has been recognized in the 2025 edition of Best Law Firms®, ranked by Best Lawyers®, nationally in 8 practice areas and regionally in 38 practice areas:

  • National Tier 2
    • Environmental Law
    • Land Use and Zoning Law
    • Litigation – Construction
    • Litigation – Environmental
  • National Tier 3
    • Energy Law
    • Mining Law
    • Natural Resources Law
    • Oil and Gas Law
  • Regional Tier 1
    • Pittsburgh
      • Bet-the-Company Litigation
      • Commercial Litigation
      • Construction Law
      • Corporate Law
      • Energy Law
      • Environmental Law
      • Land Use and Zoning Law
      • Litigation – Construction
      • Litigation – Environmental
      • Litigation – Land Use and Zoning
      • Municipal Law
      • Natural Resources Law
      • Water Law
    • Charleston-WV
      • Business Organizations (including LLCs and Partnerships)
      • Commercial Litigation
      • Energy Law
      • Environmental Law
      • Litigation – Environmental
      • Oil and Gas Law
  • Regional Tier 2
    • Pittsburgh
      • Information Technology Law
      • Labor Law – Management
      • Real Estate Law
    • Charleston-WV
      • Arbitration
      • Banking and Finance Law
      • Commercial Transactions / UCC Law
      • Corporate Law
      • Mining Law
      • Natural Resources Law
    • Washington, D.C.
      • Energy Law
      • Environmental Law
      • Litigation – Environmental
      • Oil and Gas Law
  • Regional Tier 3
    • Pittsburgh
      • Litigation – Labor and Employment
    • Charleston-WV
      • Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law
      • Bet-the-Company Litigation
      • Litigation – ERISA
      • Mergers and Acquisitions Law
      • Real Estate Law

Firms included in the 2025 Best Law Firms® list are recognized for professional excellence with impressive ratings from clients and peers. To be considered for this milestone achievement, at least one lawyer in the law firm must be recognized in the 2025 edition of The Best Lawyers in America®.

Achieving a ranking in Best Law Firms signifies high-quality legal practice and a depth of legal proficiency. Recognized firms, categorized into three tiers, receive acclaim on both national and metropolitan levels, reflecting the extent of their practice and geographic reach. Receiving a tier designation represents an elite status, reflecting the integrity and reputation earned by law firms.

Receiving a tier designation represents an elite status, integrity and reputation that law firms earn among other leading firms and lawyers. The 2025 edition of  Best Law Firms® includes rankings in 75 national practice areas and 127 metropolitan-based practice areas. Additionally, one “Law Firm of the Year” was named in each nationally ranked practice area.

Click here to view the Best Law Firms® profile.

Babst Calland Names Buchman, Bytner and Castello Shareholders

Babst Calland recently named Gina Falaschi Buchman, Timothy S. Bytner and Carla M. Castello shareholders in the Firm.

Gina Falaschi Buchman focuses her practice on environmental regulatory matters arising under the Clean Air Act. Ms. Buchman provides advice to clients in the energy, transportation, and technology sectors regarding compliance with state and federal environmental regulations. 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, Ms. Buchman 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 also advised clients regarding aftermarket parts and vehicle tampering enforcement. Ms. Buchman 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. Courts of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit and Third Circuit. Ms. Buchman is admitted to practice in the District of Columbia, California, U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, and U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California. Ms. Buchman 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. Courts of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit and Third Circuit. Ms. Buchman earned her J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center and her A.B. from Georgetown University.

Timothy Bytner focuses his practice primarily on federal and state environmental regulation and litigation. A significant portion of his practice is spent advising clients on matters involving the remediation and reuse of contaminated properties under both state and federal jurisdiction, including counseling clients on Pennsylvania’s Act 2 Land Recycling and Environmental Remediation Standards Act. He has counseled clients on a variety of matters involving storage tank jurisdictional issues and compliance under Pennsylvania’s Storage Tank Program. Mr. Bytner has also counseled clients in environmental compliance issues involving the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, RCRA, EPCRA, CERCLA, and a wide variety of state regulatory issues. He regularly handles wetlands, stream encroachment, and stormwater issues associated with site development. In addition, Mr. Bytner has experience in matters involving environmental emergency response and the Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasure Rule, the Facility Response Rule, and various state planning requirements. Mr. Bytner is a member of the Allegheny County, Pennsylvania and American Bar associations. Mr. Bytner received his J.D. from the Duquesne University School of Law, and a B.S. in Biology from the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown.

Carla Castello has a broad range of litigation experience in several practice areas including commercial, labor and employment, consumer protection, antitrust, energy, and toxic tort. Her experience includes assisting corporate clients in defending a variety of matters, including environmental and toxic tort disputes, commercial contract disputes regarding the manufacture, design, installation and testing of large industrial equipment, and conflicts between shareholders in closely-held businesses. Ms. Castello has experience in all stages of litigation, including complex commercial and class action litigation involving extensive electronic and foreign language discovery. She has represented clients in various federal and state courts and before single and three-judge arbitration panels. Ms. Castello is admitted to practice in Pennsylvania, the District of Columbia and Virginia, as well as before the United States District Courts for the Eastern District of Virginia, the Western District of Virginia, and the Western District of Pennsylvania and the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. She is a member of the Allegheny County, Virginia, District of Columbia, and American Bar associations. Ms. Castello graduated from the University of Maryland with a B.A. in Economics and received her J.D. from the George Washington University Law School.

Babst Calland Ranked in 2024 Best Law Firms®

Babst Calland has been recognized in the 2024 edition of Best Law Firms®, ranked by Best Lawyers®, nationally in 8 practice areas and regionally in 31 practice areas:

  • National Tier 1
    • Environmental Law
    • Litigation – Environmental
  • National Tier 2
    • Land Use & Zoning Law
    • Natural Resources Law
    • Oil & Gas Law
  • National Tier 3
    • Energy Law
    • Litigation – Construction
    • Mining Law
  • Regional Tier 1
    • Pittsburgh
      • Bet-the-Company Litigation
      • Commercial Litigation
      • Construction Law
      • Corporate Law
      • Energy Law
      • Environmental Law
      • Information Technology Law
      • Land Use & Zoning Law
      • 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
  • Regional Tier 2
    • Pittsburgh
      • Admiralty & Maritime Law
      • Labor Law – Management
    • Charleston-WV
      • Mining Law
      • Natural Resources Law
    • Washington, D.C.
      • Energy Law
      • Environmental Law
      • Litigation – Environmental
      • Oil & Gas Law
  • Regional Tier 3
    • Pittsburgh
      • Mergers & Acquisitions Law
    • Charleston-WV
      • Bet-the-Company Litigation
      • Litigation – ERISA
      • Real Estate Law

Firms included in the 2024 Best Law Firms® list are recognized for professional excellence with persistently impressive ratings from clients and peers. To be considered for this milestone achievement, at least one lawyer in the law firm must be recognized in the 2024 edition of The Best Lawyers in America®.

Achieving a tiered ranking in Best Law Firms® on a national and/or metropolitan scale signals a unique credibility within the industry. The transparent, collaborative research process employs qualitative and quantitative data from peer and client reviews that is supported by proprietary algorithmic technology to produce a tiered system of industry-led rankings of the top 4% of the industry.

Receiving a tier designation represents an elite status, integrity and reputation that law firms earn among other leading firms and lawyers. The 2024 edition of  Best Law Firms® includes rankings in 75 national practice areas and 127 metropolitan-based practice areas. Additionally, one “Law Firm of the Year” was named in each nationally ranked practice area.

Click here to view Babst Calland’s profile.

12 Attorneys Ranked in the 2023 Chambers USA Guide

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

Christina Manfredi McKinley Selected by The Legal Intelligencer as a “2023 Lawyer on the Fast Track”

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.

Babst Calland Names Arbaugh, Fennell, Keegan and Wood as Senior Counsel

Babst Calland recently names Tiffany Arbaugh, Dane Fennell, Sean Keegan and Matthew Wood as Senior Counsel in the Firm.

Tiffany Arbaugh is a member of the Energy and Natural Resources and Litigation groups. Mrs. Arbaugh has more than 16 years of experience in the oil and gas industry. She focuses her practice on representing corporations in a variety of litigation matters with an emphasis on mineral title, real estate, trespass, fraud and title curative disputes. Mrs. Arbaugh’s practice also includes advising clients in customary business operations, litigation avoidance strategies and litigation preparedness.

Dane Fennell is a member of the Corporate and Commercial group of Babst Calland. Mr. Fennell’s practice focuses primarily on commercial real estate transactions, mergers and acquisitions, drafting commercial transaction agreements, and general corporate matters. Mr. Fennell’s background includes managing complex due diligence aspects of small and large acquisitions and contract management projects. For these projects, he works closely with Solvaire Technologies, L.P., an affiliate of Babst Calland, to achieve reliable and cost-effective results.

Sean Keegan is a member of the Litigation and Employment and Labor groups of Babst Calland. Mr. Keegan has a broad range of litigation experience in several practice areas including commercial, labor and employment, energy, and maritime. He has experience defending shareholder dispute claims, oil and gas lease disputes, insurance claims, and premises liability claims. Mr. Keegan has represented clients in both state and federal courts throughout the United States.

Matthew Wood is a member of the Environmental group. He 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.

Babst Calland Names Shekhar and Snyder as Shareholders

Babst Calland recently named Varun Shekhar and Josh Snyder shareholders in the Firm.

Varun Shekhar is a member of the Environmental and Transportation Safety groups. Mr. Shekhar’s Environmental practice emphasizes federal, state and local regulatory matters arising under the Clean Air Act (CAA). He counsels Title V facilities across the country regarding compliance determination and assurance, CAA Section 114 information requests, and environmental audits. Mr. Shekhar draws upon his science and engineering background to help clients develop compliance solutions that are practical, technically and legally sound, and to advise entities in the course of enforcement actions by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Department of Justice, and state agencies, as well as citizen suits within federal district and appellate courts. Mr. Shekhar also has substantial experience in assisting entities with continuous parametric and emissions monitoring systems, including coordinating with consultants and other technical advisors in identifying and addressing operational and data processing issues as they relate to compliance determination.

Joshua Snyder is a member of the Litigation and Energy and Natural Resources groups of Babst Calland.  Mr. Snyder has extensive experience representing oil and gas producers in a range of disputes.  His energy litigation experience includes defending oil and gas producers and contractors from personal injury, toxic tort, nuisance, and lease dispute claims.  Additionally, Mr. Snyder has represented clients in the manufacturing, finance, healthcare, and coal industries in a range of commercial disputes.  He has represented clients in federal and state courts, as well as before administrative bodies and arbitration panels.

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