Mission Statement

The Babst Calland Women’s Initiative strives to increase the retention and advancement of women attorneys at our Firm and in the broader legal community by promoting inclusivity and equal opportunities.

The Women’s Initiative meets regularly to facilitate open discussions about workplace challenges historically faced by women in professional settings and encourages the exchange of advice and experiences to aid others in navigating those challenges.

The Women’s Initiative further supports the Firm’s women attorneys in developing and promoting their practices by acknowledging and celebrating successes and encouraging mentorship among all of the Firm’s attorneys. A key goal of the Women’s Initiative is to connect women attorneys across the Firm’s practice groups and offices, allowing for organic support systems to develop and prosper. This blending of practice groups and offices encourages collaboration and cross-marketing opportunities that benefit our attorneys and clients. By encouraging these relationships, the Women’s Initiative’s work advances the professional and business development of women attorneys at the Firm and within the legal community at large.

 

Features

The following celebrates the initiatives of the women attorneys at Babst Calland.


Three Babst Calland Women Attorneys Ranked in the 2025 USA Chambers Guide

The following three Babst Calland women attorneys have been ranked in the 2025 USA Chambers Guide. The Chambers USA guide identifies the best practice groups and lawyers working across the US legal market.

Brianne K. Kurdock USA – Nationwide – Energy: PHMSA Specialists

Jean M. Mosites Pennsylvania – Environment

Sloane Anders Wildman District of Columbia – Environment

To view the Firm’s profile, click here.

Anna Hosack Co-Authors Legal Intelligencer Article

With election season just around the corner, Pennsylvania municipalities often face the issue of municipal vacancies.  While some municipalities have highly contested elections, others, particularly small boroughs, may struggle to find individuals even willing to serve.  Municipalities often have questions regarding the rules for these openings, which follow rules from multiple statutes and codes.  To add to the confusion, the rules for filling vacancies differ greatly depending on the type of municipality and the exact timing of when the vacancy occurs. 

Janet Meub Co-Authors Employment and Labor Alert

Employers that have a presence within the city limits of Pittsburgh should be aware of upcoming changes to the city’s paid sick leave law. Currently, the City of Pittsburgh’s Paid Sick Days Act requires businesses within the city limits to provide one hour of sick leave for every 35 hours worked. For businesses that employ 15 or more employees, this requirement is capped at 40 hours per year. For businesses with fewer than 15 employees, the cap is 24 hours per year. 

Gina Buchman Co-Authors Environmental Alert

On May 31, 2025, PADEP published notice of opportunity for public comment on its Proposed State Plan for 40 CFR Part 60, Subpart OOOOc Emissions Guidelines for Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Existing Crude Oil and Natural Gas Facilities in the Pennsylvania Bulletin. 55 Pa.B. 3810. Babst Calland’s Environmental Practice attorneys are closely tracking PADEP’s Proposed State Plan and EPA’s pending interim final rule, and are available to provide strategic advice on how these actions may affect the oil and gas industry in Pennsylvania and can assist with drafting and submitting comments on PADEP’s proposal.

Morgan Madden Co-Authors Legal Intelligencer Article

In the ever complex and evolving landscape of employment law, some of the most effective compliance tools are not found in case law or federal regulations but in routine and consistent documentation. Job descriptions, performance evaluations, and disciplinary writings are three foundational tools that can play a crucial yet often underestimated role in shaping and defending employers’ decisions. In their recent article in The Legal Intelligencer, Attorneys Morgan M.

Natalie Baughman Joins Babst Calland’s Washington, DC Office

Babst Calland announced that Attorney Natalie Baughman has joined the firm’s Washington, DC office as a shareholder and member of its Environmental practice group.  

Natalie Baughman has a deep expertise in CERCLA site remediation, particularly in complex, multi-party cleanups involving decades of contamination. Her practice also includes representing clients in enforcement actions, environmental litigation, and permitting and compliance matters arising under the Clean Water Act, Safe Drinking Water Act, and state environmental laws.

Six Babst Calland Women Attorneys Selected to the 2025 Super Lawyers Rising Stars® List

Congratulations to the following Babst Calland women attorneys who were selected to the 2025 Washington, D.C. and Pennsylvania Super Lawyers’ Rising Stars® lists:

Gina Falaschi Buchman – Washington, D.C. Rising Stars

Kathleen H. Cooper – Pennsylvania Rising Stars

Alexandra G. Farone – Pennsylvania Rising Stars

Angela M.

Kristen Petrina Authors TEQ Article

In her recent article TAKE IT DOWN Act Signed into Law by President Trump, Kristen Petrina discusses President Trump signing the law the “TAKE IT DOWN Act (the “Act”). The Act includes data privacy, digital protections, and AI governance requirements of companies to remove deepfakes from “covered platforms”, particularly with a focus on nonconsensual intimate imagery (“NCII”). To read the full article, click here.

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Sloane Wildman and Jessica Deyoe Co-Author Environmental Alert

On May 14, 2025, less than three weeks after the EPA released its strategy to address per and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), EPA announced its intent to retain the existing drinking water standards for the two most common PFAS (perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane (PFOS)). At the same time, EPA stated it would rescind and “reconsider” the regulation of the four other PFAS compounds included in the previous rule. For more information or answers to questions, contact Environmental Attorneys Sloane Wildman and Jessica Deyoe.

Attorney Spotlight on Betsy Dupuis

This is the sixth in a series of profiles featuring the women attorneys of Babst Calland to acknowledge and celebrate their success and to connect women attorneys across the Firm’s practice groups, offices and clients. This attorney spotlight features Betsy Dupuis.

To view the profile on Betsy, click here.

Sloane Wildman and Jessica Deyoe Co-Author Environmental Alert

On April 28, 2025, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin announced “major EPA actions to combat PFAS contamination.” Few details have been provided yet, but in emphasizing EPA’s goals in “strengthening the science,” “fulfilling statutory obligations and improving communication,” and “building partnerships” with states and Tribes, EPA signals that it may take a different regulatory approach to PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) than the prior administration. In this Alert, Environmental Attorneys Sloane Anders Wildman, Jessica Deyoe and Ethan Johnson discuss EPA’s announcement and its intended PFAS actions.

Anna Jewart Co-Authors Legal Intelligencer

Pennsylvania municipalities are empowered not only to adopt ordinances and enforce them but to establish fines and penalties for violations of the same. However, municipalities are creatures of statute and authorized only to act within the bounds of the powers granted to them by the General Assembly. In their recent article, Accumulating Accountability: Commonwealth Court Reviews Constitutional Limits on Cumulative Municipal Fines, Attorneys Michael Korns and Anna Skipper Jewart explain that the power of a municipality to seek fines and penalties is not only limited by the state statute that authorizes it but confined by the protections of the state and U.S.

Susanna Bagdasarova Selected by The Legal Intelligencer as a “2025 Lawyer on the Fast Track, Small/Midsize Winner”

Attorney Susanna Bagdasarova, along with Joseph V. Schaeffer, has been recognized by The Legal Intelligencer as a “2025 Lawyer on the Fast Track, Small/Midsize Winner” in Pennsylvania.

After reviewing the results of nominations for the annual The Legal Intelligencer awards, a judging panel composed of evaluators from all corners of the legal profession and the state selected 12 attorneys as the 2025 Lawyers on the Fast Track, Small/Midsize Winners.

Jenn Malik and Anna Hosack Co-Author Perspective

Regardless of party affiliation, the one issue that most Americans seem to be able to agree about in 2025 is that we all are sick of our healthcare system. Healthcare reform is no stranger to the American political discourse, but recent public sentiment at the expense, difficulty, and confusion inherent in navigating the American healthcare is at an all-time low. In this article, Sick of Healthcare? Healthcare Benefit Update for Employers – What to Watch in 2025, Attorneys Jenn Malik and Anna Hosack outline key issues for employers to watch in the healthcare benefits space this year to guide in planning healthcare benefits and to budget accordingly.

Erin Hamilton and Cella Iovino Co-Author Legal Intelligencer Article

On Feb. 19, 2025, U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Acting Chair Andrea Lucas announced that the agency will direct its focus on protecting American workers from unlawful national origin discrimination (the February 2025 EEOC guidance). In a shift from previous priorities usually relating to the prevention of discrimination against foreign nationals and historically marginalized groups, the EEOC’s new enforcement priority will likely lead to an increase in investigations, compliance checks and litigation relative to the protection of American workers from alleged discrimination.

Women's Initiative
Anna Jewart Sits as a Panelist for Women’s History Month Educational Networking Event
Anna Jewart will be a panelist for the Women’s History Month Educational Networking Event on...
News
SAY “YES”: Reinventing Yourself in the Legal Profession
The Legal Intelligencer (by Janet Meub) Clients come and go. There is no guarantee that...
News
Babst Calland Participates in the New Jersey State Bar Association’s DEI Conference
Babst Calland participated in the New Jersey State Bar Association’s DEI Conference on October 7,...
Women's Initiative
Babst Calland Celebrates International Women’s Day
On March 8, 2025, we observe International Women’s Day (IWD), a global day to celebrate...
News
Babst Calland Partners with PLDIC for “Ask Us Anything” Panel Discussion
Babst Calland partnered with the Pittsburgh Legal Diversity & Inclusion Coalition (PLDIC) to sponsor and...