Babst Calland has been named to this year’s Pennsylvania Business Central’s “Top 100 Organizations” list and profiled in its Signature Top 100 issue. Nominations were taken throughout the publication’s 23-county coverage area, and the final organizations were selected by an editorial committee due to their positive impacts in the business community of central Pennsylvania.
For the full list, click here.
Babst Calland has been ranked in the 2021 U.S. News & World Report and Best Lawyers “Best Law Firms” list nationally in eight practice areas and regionally in 31 practice areas:
Firms included in the 2021 “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 2021 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.
Babst Calland is pleased to announce that five lawyers were selected as 2021 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 2021 Best Lawyers “Lawyer of the Year” include:
Kevin J. Garber, Environmental Law “Lawyer of the Year” in Pittsburgh, Pa. – In addition to the “Lawyer of the Year” award, Kevin Garber was also listed in the 2021 Edition of The Best Lawyers in America in Environmental Law, Natural Resources Law, Energy Law, Water Law, and Litigation – Environmental.
Timothy M. Miller, Litigation – Environmental “Lawyer of the Year” in Charleston, W. Va. – In addition to the “Lawyer of the Year” award, Timothy Miller was also listed in the 2021 Edition of The Best Lawyers in America in Energy Law, Commercial Litigation, Bet-the-Company Litigation, Oil and Gas Law, Litigation – Environmental.
Christopher B. “Kip” Power, Natural Resources Law “Lawyer of the Year” in Charleston, W. Va. – In addition to the “Lawyer of the Year” award, Kip Power was also listed in the 2021 Edition of The Best Lawyers in America in Environmental Law, Natural Resources Law, Energy Law, Commercial Litigation, Mining Law, Oil and Gas Law, Litigation – Regulatory Enforcement (SEC, Telecom, Energy), Litigation – Environmental, Litigation – Land Use and Zoning, Litigation – Municipal.
Joseph K. Reinhart, Natural Resources Law “Lawyer of the Year” in Pittsburgh, Pa. – In addition to the “Lawyer of the Year” award, Joseph Reinhart was also listed in the 2021 Edition of The Best Lawyers in America in Environmental Law, Natural Resources Law, Energy Law, Litigation – Environmental.
Mychal Sommer Schulz, Litigation – ERISA “Lawyer of the Year” in Charleston, W. Va. In addition to the “Lawyer of the Year” award, Mychal Schulz was also listed in the 2021 Edition of The Best Lawyers in America in Litigation – ERISA.
In addition, 32 Babst Calland lawyers were selected for inclusion in the 2021Edition of The Best Lawyers in America (by BL Rankings), the most respected peer-review publication in the legal profession:
Twelve Babst Calland lawyers were also named to 2021 Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch 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.
Firm to Develop Legal/Commercial Framework for Payload Service for NASA’s Artemis Human Landing System
PITTSBURGH, PA – Babst Calland today announced that under a recently announced NASA award, Astrobotic Technologies, Inc. (Astrobotic) has selected the firm to develop what could become the first-of-its-kind blueprint for commercial payload delivery to space for the Artemis human missions as well as future human-crewed space missions.
Pittsburgh-based Astrobotic will be developing the commercial payload service for Dynetics (a Leidos subsidiary), one of three prime contractors (alongside SpaceX and Blue Origin) selected by NASA to design and build a commercial Human Landing System (HLS) and compete to build a privately-developed system to take the first woman and next man to the lunar surface in 2024 as part of the NASA Artemis program.
“As the leading lunar payload delivery provider, we are thrilled to begin setting up this new business model onboard the Dynetics human lander,” said Astrobotic CEO John Thornton. “With payload expertise from our Peregrine and Griffin lunar lander programs, we are well-positioned to extend our payload services to include the new lunar lander. We’re helping to develop and set the standard for the commercial payload market, and that is very exciting,” added Thornton.
Dynetics is leading a broad coalition of industry partners, including Astrobotic, to not only send humans back to the lunar surface, but to also help companies, governments, universities, and nonprofits across the globe send non-human payloads onboard the Artemis Human Lander System. Such payloads can include critical instruments, project and infrastructure products and materials that can support human activities on the lunar surface.
“Helping to launch this new mission to the Moon and to develop the commercial, policy and regulatory framework for its payload delivery business is an exciting opportunity for Astrobotic, all of its partners, and for our team of attorneys at Babst Calland, “ said Justine M. Kasznica, Outside General Counsel for Astrobotic, and Chair of the Firm’s Emerging Technologies practice.
“It’s exciting to be a part of such a groundbreaking opportunity as a legal partner to Astrobotic,” said Donald C. Bluedorn II, Managing Shareholder at Babst Calland. “We are thrilled to be involved in this important role for our national space program.”
PITTSBURGH – Babst Calland recently named Marc J. Felezzola a shareholder in the Firm.
Marc Felezzola is a member of the Litigation and Construction groups. He has extensive experience in cases involving the Pennsylvania’s Mechanics’ Lien Law, Commonwealth Procurement Code and the Contractor and Subcontractor Payment Act. Mr. Felezzola serves as outside general counsel for construction companies and frequently represents clients in a variety of commercial and construction related disputes including products liability claims, asbestos related claims, construction bid protests, construction defect claims, differing site condition claims, delay and inefficiency claims, payment and performance bond claims, and payment and contract performance disputes. Mr. Felezzola has litigated before the Pennsylvania trial level and appellate courts, the United States Federal District Courts for the Western District of Pennsylvania, the Northern District of West Virginia and the District of New Jersey, the American Arbitration Association, and other private dispute resolution forums.
Mr. Felezzola is a 2011 graduate of the University of Pittsburgh School of Law.
Jean M. Mosites was recently appointed by Rep. Mike Turzai, the Speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives to the Pennsylvania Environmental Hearing Board Rules Committee. Committee members serve two-year terms and may be reappointed for additional terms.
The Rules Committee reviews and makes recommendations regarding procedural rules for matters brought before the EHB. The Committee consists of nine attorneys who are in good standing before the Bar of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania and who have practiced before the Board for a minimum of three years or who have comparable experience.
As a shareholder in Babst Calland’s Environmental and Energy and Natural Resources practice groups, Ms. Mosites has extensive experience representing clients in administrative appeals and environmental litigation in state and federal courts and before the Environmental Hearing Board in Pennsylvania, as well as counseling on environmental compliance and resolving liabilities under federal and state law.
Law firm Babst Calland will participate at the 2020 Smart Business Dealmakers Conference in Pittsburgh, Pa. on March 5 at Wyndham Grand Pittsburgh Downtown.
The conference will feature middle-market CEOs, top private equity and venture capital firms, major lenders and leading service providers participating in sessions that cover the breadth of the merger and acquisition landscape addressing such topics as buying a business, selling a business, financing a deal, liquidity events, merging operations, alternative investing and more.
Attorney Christian A. Farmakis will join a group of recognized entrepreneurs and business experts in discussing Transaction Audits: How to prepare your company for any type of deal.
For more information about the Dealmakers conference, or to register to attend, visit: https://www.smartbusinessdealmakers.com/pittsburgh//event/
Elizabeth A. Dupuis has been named to this year’s Pennsylvania Business Central’s “Top 100 People” list and profiled in its Signature Top 100 issue. Nominations were taken throughout the publication’s 24-county coverage area, and the final honorees were selected by a special selection committee for their professional and community contributions.
Betsy Dupuis has practiced law in Central Pennsylvania since 1997, most recently as Managing Shareholder at law firm Babst Calland’s State College office. Her practice focuses on real estate transactions, business planning and formation, commercial and contract litigation, estate planning and administration. She is also a licensed title agent in Pennsylvania and conducts commercial real estate closings through MidState Closing Company, a Babst Calland affiliate.
Among other honors, she is a graduate of Leadership Centre County and was recognized by LCC with the Community Leadership Association’s Distinguished Leader Award. She is the incoming chair for the National Association of Home Builders Legal Action Committee. She presently serves on the boards of the Centre County Chamber of Business and Industry (CBICC), the Central Pennsylvania Risk Management Association, and the Pennsylvania Builders Association. She is a past Chair of the Centre County United Way and the Palmer Museum of Art Gala.
She was recently re-appointed for a second four-year term as Solicitor for Centre County.
For more information, click here.
PITTSBURGH – Babst Calland recently named Jennifer J. Hicks shareholder in the Firm.
Jennifer Hicks is a member of the Litigation, Environmental, Employment and Labor, and Energy and Natural Resources groups. 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.
Ms. Hicks is a 2010 graduate of the West Virginia University College of Law.
Attorney Richard S. Wiedman Joins Firm
PITTSBURGH, PA – Babst Calland announced today the addition of veteran environmental attorney, Richard S. Wiedman, who joined as a shareholder at the Firm’s Pittsburgh headquarters.
Mr. Wiedman is joining Babst Calland’s team of highly-focused environmental attorneys in providing senior-level legal and regulatory counsel, particularly in the areas of environmental, permitting, environmental business counseling, and environmental litigation.
“We are very pleased to welcome Rick to our Firm and to our established team in Pittsburgh. I have known Rick for over 30 years and he is a natural fit for us as he shares our values, experience, and philosophy in serving clients, some with whom we already have existing relationships,” said Donald C. Bluedorn II, Managing Shareholder of Babst Calland. “Rick is a great addition as we continue to expand Babst Calland’s team and capabilities to serve the needs of existing and new clients across the country.”
Since 1980, Mr. Wiedman has represented clients before federal and state environmental agencies, and counseled clients on regulatory compliance issues and environmental considerations in a variety of business transactions. He also devotes significant time to the negotiation and prosecution of environmental permit and regulatory challenges, the defense of federal and state enforcement actions, and the representation of clients in remedial action/corrective action and cost recovery matters under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA or Superfund), the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), and their state counterparts.
His experience reflects the interrelationship of the major regulatory programs as they pertain to industrial activities. Many of the projects with which he is involved require the coordination of multidisciplinary efforts where creative engineering and technical approaches are often critical to the development and success of legal and regulatory strategy. In this regard, he works closely with experts and outside consultants in diverse fields including engineering design, analytical and applied chemistry, hydro-geology, marine biology, meteorology, and computer dispersion modeling.
Commenting about his lateral move to the Firm, Mr. Wiedman said, “I am pleased to be joining Babst Calland’s well-established environmental team representing industry. It is an exciting time for me to become part of a nationally-recognized firm grounded in environmental law.”
Mr. Wiedman earned his B.A. from Tufts University and his J.D. from Case Western Reserve University School of Law.
Attorney Ben Clapp Joins Firm
Law firm Babst Calland announced today the lateral move of Ben Clapp, who joined as associate in the firm’s Washington, D.C. office in the Environmental, Energy and Natural Resources, and Emerging Technologies practice groups.
For the past decade, Ben Clapp has advised clients on environmental and transactional matters across a wide range of industries including the upstream, midstream, and downstream oil and gas sectors, renewable energy, real estate, utilities, chemicals, manufacturing, mining, pharmaceuticals, pulp and paper, and food and beverage.
“Ben’s move to Babst Calland further represents the firm’s commitment to continue to meet the environmental and regulatory needs of our clients,” said James Curry, Managing Shareholder of the D.C. office. “Ben Clapp is well-known in industry and among key regulators. We’re very pleased that he has joined our team.”
Mr. Clapp has significant experience advising clients on the environmental components of complex transactions, including identifying and analyzing significant environmental liability and compliance issues arising in connection with mergers and acquisitions, asset sales, securities offerings, project financings, and corporate restructurings. He works to manage, allocate or mitigate these environmental risks in the client’s best interest.
Mr. Clapp also advises project developers and investors as they encounter state and federal environmental review, facility siting, and permitting requirements, with a particular focus on providing advice on National Environmental Policy Act requirements to clients seeking government agency approvals for large-scale energy and infrastructure projects.
Mr. Clapp earned his J.D., cum laude, from American University Washington College of Law in 2008 and B.A. from the University of Richmond in 1996.
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Babst Calland has joined with area law firms, in-house legal departments, and law schools to form the Pittsburgh Legal Diversity and Inclusion Coalition (PLDIC). The Coalition’s mission is to attract and retain people of all races and backgrounds to Pittsburgh, and assist employers in the legal industry for the purpose of increasing the hiring, retention and inclusion of diverse legal professionals. Managing Shareholder Donald C. Bluedorn II serves as an officer on the Coalition’s Board. The firm will work collaboratively with PLDIC and other member organizations to foster diversity and inclusion in the legal community.
In addition to Babst Calland, other current Coalition members include: Alcoa, Allegheny County Bar Association, Chevron, Duquesne Light Company, FedEx Ground, FHL Bank Pittsburgh, Highmark Health, Mine Safety Appliances, PPG, and U. S. Steel, and 18 other prominent law firms in Pittsburgh.
Click here to view a video with attorneys and law firms, discussing the legal profession in Pittsburgh and the importance of the Coalition’s work in the city.
Babst Calland is glad to sponsor the Adopt-a-School program with The Education Partnership to provide essential school supplies to the teachers and kids at the Sister Thea Bowman Catholic Academy. Each student receives their very own Power Tools Homework Kit. For more information about the Adopt-a-School program, click here.
Babst Calland supports the Allegheny County Bar Association and 2018-2021 Law Firm Leadership Circle campaign to continue to provide much-needed support to our community and profession. For more information about ACBA and its Pro Bono Center Gratitude Report, click here.