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.
The following celebrates the initiatives of the women attorneys at Babst Calland.
In their recent article The Environmental Quality Board Evaluates Petition that Proposes Further Setbacks for Unconventional Oil and Gas Operators Alex Graf and Morgan Madden discuss a recent rulemaking petition with the Pennsylvania Environmental Quality Board to increase minimum setback distances from unconventional oil and gas wells. To read the full article, click here.
In her recent article Employer Guidance for Workplace Interactions with ICE with Steve Antonelli, Alex Farone provides guidance to employers for potential interactions with or inspections by ICE at the workplace, including preliminary actions, suggested steps during an ICE visit (whether announced or unannounced), and follow-up recommendations. To view the article, click here.
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.
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. …
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. …
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. …
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. …
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. …
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
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.
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. …
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.
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. …
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. …
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. …
