The law firm of Babst Calland today announced the addition of lawyer Anne C. Blankenship to the firm’s environmental and energy practices as a shareholder. Ms. Blankenship will be based in the firm’s Charleston, WV office.
During the past decade, Anne Blankenship has represented environmental, utility and energy and natural resources clients in West Virginia’s state and federal courts and before numerous environmental authorities and West Virginia’s Public Service Commission. Her experience spans advising clients on environmental issues, including air quality, water and waste management, as well as public utility regulation. Anne is also a registered lobbyist in West Virginia where she has focused on regulatory and statutory developments in the utility and environmental arena.
“Anne Blankenship is a significant addition to the Firm’s national environmental practice group,” said Chester R. Babst III, managing shareholder of Babst Calland. “We now have 20 lawyers who spend 100 percent of their time focused on environmental regulatory matters and, with the addition of Anne in West Virginia and Dave Northrop in Ohio, the Firm has environmental lawyers with years of experience working on environmental issues in the three key states for Marcellus and Utica shale development.”
Ms. Blankenship is admitted to the United States District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia and the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals. She is a member of the West Virginia State Bar Association, the American Bar Association, and the National Order of Barristers. Ms. Blankenship was named a West Virginia Super Lawyer Rising Star in 2009 and 2010. She received her J.D. degree from the Capital University Law School, and M.S. and B.S. degrees in Biological Sciences from Marshall University.
PITTSBURGH, January 17, 2012 – Babst Calland, one of the region’s leading law firms, recently named Sara M. Antol, Christopher S. Channel, Stephen L. Korbel and Timothy A. Schoonover shareholders in the firm.
Ms. Antol is a member of the firm’s Business Services group. Her practice areas include mergers, acquisitions and divestitures; business planning and structuring; routine and complex commercial contracts in, among other areas, technology and telecommunications; development and licensing arrangements; teaming, distribution, reseller and original equipment manufacturer relationships; public company securities compliance; executive compensation programs and employment and non-competition agreements; and general business counseling. Prior to joining the firm, Ms. Antol served as general counsel of Tollgrade Communications, Inc., a Pittsburgh-based, publicly traded telecommunications equipment and software supplier. Ms. Antol is a 1990 graduate of the University of Pittsburgh School of Law.
Mr. Channel is a member of the firm’s Litigation Services group. His practice includes commercial and intellectual property litigation. He has represented numerous individuals and corporations in cases involving covenants not to compete and trade secrets. Mr. Channel has also represented corporations, artists and photographers in intellectual property matters involving copyrights, trademarks and trade secrets. He has defended numerous products liability, premises liability and negligence claims on behalf of hospitals, a wood products manufacturer and industrial equipment manufacturers. Mr. Channel has experience with a number of Alternative Dispute Resolution mechanisms including arbitration, mediation and use of neutral evaluator. He is a 2002 graduate of the Marshall-Wythe School of Law at the College of William and Mary.
Mr. Korbel is a member of the firm’s Employment & Labor Services and the Land Use & Public Sector Services groups. He counsels public and private employers in all aspects of the employment relationship, from hiring through termination. Mr. Korbel advises clients on employment discrimination issues and rights, workplace harassment, disability accommodation, Family & Medical Leave Act compliance, employee handbooks, workplace investigations, disciplinary action, employment agreements, restrictive covenants, and waivers and releases. He is a 2002 graduate of the University of Pittsburgh School of Law.
Mr. Schoonover, who is based in the firm’s State College office, is a member of the firm’s Energy & Natural Resources, Litigation and Land Use & Public Sector Services groups. He has practiced law in the Centre County region since 1997 in both private practice and the corporate setting. Mr. Schoonover has significant experience with Marcellus shale related issues, including contract matters and land use litigation issues. His practice also includes the areas of real estate, corporate/business law, municipal law, litigation, estate planning and estate administration. Mr. Schoonover is a 1995 graduate of the Ohio Northern University Pettit College of Law.
Leonard Fornella, an attorney in Babst Calland’s Litigation group, was recently elected as President of the Board of Trustees of the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America Western Pennsylvania/West Virginia Chapter. His practice focuses primarily in the areas of admiralty and maritime law, labor and employment law and general commercial litigation on behalf of corporations and other business entities.
The Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America is a non-profit, volunteer-driven organization dedicated to finding the cure for Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, and to improve the quality of life of children and adults affected by these diseases. It was founded in 1967 and the Western Pennsylvania/West Virginia Chapter offices located 300 Penn Center Boulevard, Suite # 401, Pittsburgh, PA, 15235.
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.
Babst Calland has continued its focus on energy-driven expansion with the addition of 16 lawyers and two paralegals from the Pittsburgh office of Tucker Arensberg.
The group, led by Bruce Rudoy and Steve Silverman, will join the firm’s natural resources practice. The team consists of mergers & acquisitions and title attorneys along with a litigator in energy. Rudoy was the head of Tucker Arensberg’s energy oil, gas and minerals department and Silverman was the co-chairman of the firm’s technology and intellectual property practice.
Babst Calland’s latest addition follows on the heels of its October launch of a Charleston, WV office, which was opened with a pair of energy attorneys from Charleston-based Jackson Kelly.
Joining Rudoy and Silverman from Tucker Arensberg are Paul Atencio, Heather Brooks, Jonathan Dan, Chris Hall, Josh Hall, Rachel Henry, Leah LaFramboise, Ashley Lypson, Matt Malcho, Scott McKernan, Ashley Resko, James Weaver and Jason Zoeller. Aside from Rudoy and Silverman, Atencio and Malcho were listed as shareholders at Tucker Arensberg. The four shareholders will join as shareholders at Babst Calland and the remaining attorneys will be associates.
Babst Calland recently announced the opening of its newest office in Charleston, WV at the United Center on Virginia Street. Click here to read the printed article from the Pittsburgh Business Times.
Marc J. Felezzola, Meredith A. Odato and Christina Pro recently joined downtown Pittsburgh law firm Babst Calland as associates. Mr. Felezzola, an ‘11 graduate of the University of Pittsburgh School of Law, will join the Litigation and Construction Services groups; Ms. Odato also an ‘11 graduate of the University of Pittsburgh School of Law, will join the Environmental, and Energy & Natural Resources groups; and Ms. Pro an ‘11 graduate of Duquesne University School of Law will join the Business Services group.
Michael H. Winek, a shareholder in the Environmental group of Babst Calland, a downtown Pittsburgh law firm, recently was appointed as a member of the Department of Environmental Protection’s Air Quality Technical Advisory Committee (AQTAC) for a two-year term. Mr. Winek, a 1993 graduate of Duquesne University School of Law, has extensive experience in a wide range of environmental regulatory programs, with an emphasis on regulatory issues arising under the Clean Air Act. He devotes a substantial amount of time advising clients on complex air permitting for plant expansions and projects. In addition to new source permitting, Mr. Winek advises industrial clients with respect to Title V operating permits, Compliance Assurance Monitoring (CAM) requirements, and self-reporting and compliance certification issues arising under the Title V program. Mr. Winek provides environmental due diligence services and advice as part of acquisitions involving industrial facilities. He represents various industrial facilities in air enforcement cases.
AQTAC members are appointed by the Secretary of Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and include at least 11 members with technical backgrounds in the control of air pollution from stationary or mobile sources. AQTAC members advise DEP on the technical and economic or other social impacts of existing, new or proposed revisions to pollution control regulations, policies and new control techniques or technologies affecting air. AQTAC, at the request of DEP, may be utilized to provide technical advice on or to review DEP policies, guidance and regulations needed to implement the Clean Air Act. AQTAC also facilitates public participation by encouraging public input on the air quality technical matters under consideration at the committee meetings.