April 13, 2026
Attorneys Don Bluedorn and Ethan Johnson presented “The AI Playbook – Strategizing Artificial Intelligence in Legal Practice” at the Western Pennsylvania Chapter of the Association of Corporate Counsel’s (ACC) Draft-ing Day.
Artificial intelligence is rapidly reshaping the legal profession, much like how NFL teams draft, strategize, and execute on the field. This CLE program provided attorneys and in-house counsel with an “AI playbook” designed to help understand, implement, and manage artificial intelligence technologies while maintaining compliance, ethical integrity, and risk mitigation.
Don and Ethan discussed GenAI products for use in the legal practice, focusing on available products, how the products can be most effectively used in the legal practice, and best practices to avoid GenAI-related pitfalls (both for lawyers using GenAI and for lawyers supervising others who are using GenAI).
April 13, 2026
Theresa Davis recently joined Babst Calland’s Harrisburg, Pa. office as an associate in the Employment and Labor and Public Sector groups. Ms. Davis represents public and private employers in a wide range of labor and employment matters. Her practice includes all aspects of state and federal litigation involving employment claims, as well as advising clients on day-to-day workplace issues and compliance strategies. She also represents municipal clients on a wide range of matters.
Ms. Davis has experience handling employment litigation matters from inception through resolution, including drafting pleadings, discovery requests and responses, dispositive motions, and position statements. Her litigation experience includes representing clients in employment discrimination claims, grievance arbitrations, unfair labor practice matters, unemployment compensation hearings, and civil service proceedings.
In addition, Ms. Davis regularly provides counsel to employers on a variety of workplace issues, including employee discipline, internal investigations, terminations, and contract negotiations. She reviews and drafts employment-related documents such as employee handbooks and contracts as well as separation and settlement agreements to ensure compliance with applicable laws and best practices.
Ms. Davis also has experience representing and advocating on behalf of municipal clients, including assisting with responses to, and subsequent appeals of, Right-to-Know Law requests, advising on zoning and land use matters, and drafting ordinances and easements. She brings prior experience in regulatory compliance from her time with the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency, where she worked on legislative and regulatory initiatives impacting the student loan industry.
Prior to joining the Firm, Ms. Davis was an associate with Eckert Seamans Cherin & Mellott, LLC. She is a 2022 graduate of Widener University Commonwealth Law School.
March 26, 2026
Kate W. Millikan recently joined Babst Calland’s Harrisburg, Pa. office as senior counsel in the Corporate and Commercial Group. She focuses her practice on complex real estate transactions and development matters, including advising clients on the sale, acquisition, financing, and development or redevelopment of multi-unit residential, commercial, industrial, and mixed-use projects.
Ms. Millikan represents national and regional developers, builders, investors, and lenders in guiding diverse, large-scale, multi-faceted real estate development from start to finish. She provides strategic guidance on financing, land use, zoning, and regulatory approvals, and has extensive experience navigating municipal processes, including securing Special Exceptions, Conditional Uses, and Variances. She regularly appears before municipal boards and commissions and works closely with local officials, solicitors, engineers, and other stakeholders to advance project approvals and resolve development-related issues.
Ms. Millikan has significant experience with Pennsylvania’s Municipalities Planning Code (MPC) and Subdivision and Land Development Ordinances (SALDO), including zoning analysis, ordinance amendments, and compliance strategies. She is also highly experienced in the statutory frameworks governing common interest communities, including the Pennsylvania Uniform Condominium Act and Uniform Planned Community Act.
In addition, she counsels clients on risk mitigation, complex title analysis, and due diligence matters and on complex real estate acquisitions, dispositions, financing, mergers, reorganizations, leasing, and development projects.
Before joining the Firm, Ms. Millikan was with McNees Wallace & Nurick LLC and Troutman Pepper Locke. She is a 2015 graduate of The Pennsylvania State University Dickinson School of Law.
February 19, 2026
Congratulations to Ryan McCann on his selection as the Distinguished Bankruptcy Law Student for the Third Circuit for 2026 by the American College of Bankruptcy.
The American College of Bankruptcy established the Distinguished Law Student program to identify and promote prospective leaders in the insolvency and bankruptcy profession. The criteria for the selection of the distinguished law student include academic excellence, professional accomplishments, commitment to public service, and extraordinary law school experience and familiarity with insolvency law.
Nominated by Judge Jeffery A. Deller of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court of the Western District of Pennsylvania and Professor Richard Gaffney at the Thomas R. Kline School of Law of Duquesne University, this award demonstrates Ryan’s extraordinary accomplishments, as well as hard work and strength of character.
Ryan is an associate in the Litigation practice at Babst Calland and represents clients in a variety of litigation practice areas, including breach of contract claims, construction disputes, and various environmental matters. Ryan earned his Juris Doctor from the Duquesne University School of Law in 2025, graduating cum laude. During his time at Duquesne, he served as a Junior Staff Member on the Energy and Environmental Law Journal and gained valuable judicial experience through externships with Judge Michael J. Lucas of the Washington County Court of Common Pleas, Judge Jeffery A. Deller of the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania, and Judge David S. Cercone of the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania. His most significant achievement in law school came through his participation in the Federal Litigation Clinic, where he argued before the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. He also received several awards during law school, including CALI Excellence for the Future Awards in Criminal Law and International Law, the Bankruptcy Judges Memorial Award, the American Bankruptcy Law Journal Prize, and the Outstanding Oral Argument Recognition.
Award recipients will be recognized on March 19, 2026 at the American College of Bankruptcy annual meeting, attended by many leaders of the bankruptcy bar, distinguished jurists, andinsolvency academics from around the world.
For more information about the Distinguished Bankruptcy Law and Business Student program established by the American College of Bankruptcy, click here.
January 30, 2026
Betsy Dupuis has been chosen as an honoree for the 2026 Pennsylvania Business Central Top 100 People.
The dynamic economic and social fabric of central Pennsylvania is powered by its people. Behind every business, institution, and service are individuals whose vision, determination, and leadership drive progress. These are the people who think bigger, go further, and elevate those around them. Their impact reaches beyond workplaces into communities and everyday lives, reminding us how much one person can truly make a difference.
With the help of community leaders, chambers of commerce, and readers, there was a wide range of nominations reflecting the diversity and strength of the region. This year’s honorees span all levels of leadership — from small business owners to corporate CEOs — each united by hard work, bold thinking, and a commitment to excellence.
Click here, to view the announcement.
January 5, 2026
Meghan S. Mesojedec recently joined Babst Calland’s Pittsburgh, Pa. office as an associate in the Corporate and Commercial Group. Ms. Mesojedec focuses primarily on corporate, real estate and transactional matters, including mergers and acquisitions, commercial contracts, and the acquisition, disposition, and leasing of various asset types.
Prior to joining the Firm, Ms. Mesojedec was an associate with Metz Lewis Brodman Must O’Keefe LLC. She is a 2023 graduate of the University of Pittsburgh School of Law.
January 2, 2026
Babst Calland recently named Tiffany M. Arbaugh, Alexandra G. Farone and Stefanie Pitcavage Mekilo shareholders.
Tiffany Arbaugh practices in the Firm’s Charleston, W.Va. office and is a member of the Energy and Natural Resources and Litigation groups. Tiffany focuses her practice on representing corporations in a variety of litigation matters with an emphasis in energy-related litigation, including mineral title, real estate, trespass, fraud, title curative, personal injury and toxic torts. She regularly represents clients in will and trust contests, beneficiary disputes and fiduciary litigation. Tiffany’s practice also includes corporate transactions and advising clients in customary business operations, litigation avoidance strategies and litigation preparedness. She is a 2005 graduate of Appalachian School of Law.
Alexandra Farone practices in the Firm’s Pittsburgh, Pa. office and is a member of the Employment and Labor, Litigation, and Emerging Technologies groups. Alex has extensive experience advising and representing corporate, technology, municipal, and energy clients in employment and labor law and complex commercial litigation. Her practice includes comprehensive human resources counseling and litigation for employers ranging from Fortune 500 companies and startups to municipalities, police departments, family-owned businesses, healthcare providers, financial services and technology companies. She advises on restrictive covenants, discrimination and harassment, disability accommodation, grievances, personnel best practices, contract negotiations, wage and hour issues, and collective bargaining, and litigates matters involving complex commercial disputes, trade secrets, employment discrimination, restrictive covenants, product liability, and toxic torts. Alex also has additional experience litigating matters concerning technology, insurance, construction, class actions, maritime, environmental, and oil and gas law. She is a 2017 graduate of the University of Pittsburgh School of Law.
Stefanie Pitcavage Mekilo practices in the Firm’s Harrisburg, Pa. office. Stefanie is a civil litigator who draws on more than a decade of trial-court experience in the federal judiciary to guide clients through all aspects of the litigation process. She focuses her practice on complex commercial litigation, environmental litigation, and energy litigation, regularly representing businesses in high-stakes disputes in state and federal courts throughout the country. Stefanie also represents clients before state and federal agencies and in proceedings seeking judicial review of agency action in state and federal courts. In addition, she has extensive experience with disputes involving breach of restrictive covenants; breach of fiduciary duties, tortious interference, and related business tort claims; employment discrimination; civil and constitutional rights; and emergency injunction litigation, as well as in the areas of antitrust, securities, trademark infringement, product liability, class action, and multidistrict litigation. Stefanie is a 2011 graduate of Widener University Commonwealth Law School.
November 24, 2025
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.
November 6, 2025
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.
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.
November 1, 2025
Babst Calland is pleased to announce the addition of five attorneys. Alexander O. Giorgetti, Morgan B. Hubbard, Ryan M. McCann and Peter D. Zittel are associates in the Firm’s Pittsburgh office, and Joseph E. (Jed) Meadows is an associate in the Charleston, W.Va. office.
Alex Giorgetti joins the Public Sector and Real Estate, Land Use and Zoning groups. Alex’s practice focuses primarily on municipal and land use law with a concentration in general municipal, zoning, subdivision and land development, and code enforcement. He is a 2025 graduate of Duquesne University School of Law.
Morgan Hubbard joins the Corporate and Commercial Group and focuses her practice primarily on corporate and transaction matters, including commercial contracts, corporate structuring, mergers and acquisitions. She is a 2025 graduate of the University of Pittsburgh School of Law.
Jed Meadows joins the Energy and Natural Resources and Litigation groups representing clients in energy and commercial litigation, insurance matters, and all phases of civil litigation. Additionally, he assists clients in corporate representation and business formation matters. Jed is a 2025 graduate of the University of Tennessee College of Law.
Ryan McCann joins the Litigation Group representing clients in a variety of litigation practice areas, including breach of contract claims, construction disputes, and various environmental matters. He is a 2025 graduate of Duquesne University School of Law.
Peter Zittel joins the Public Sector and Real Estate, Land Use and Zoning groups and focuses his practice on representing both public and private sector clients in matters involving land use, zoning, subdivision and land development, and code enforcement. He is a 2025 graduate of Duquesne University School of Law.
October 17, 2025
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.
October 13, 2025
On Friday, October 10, 2025, Attorney Moore Capito was sworn in as the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of West Virginia by the Honorable Chief United States District Judge Frank W. Volk in a private ceremony. President Donald J. Trump nominated Moore on June 30, 2025, and the United States Senate confirmed his nomination on October 7, 2025.
Prior to this appointment, Moore was a shareholder in Babst Calland’s Charleston, W.Va. office. Moore represented publicly traded and privately held clients in corporate mergers, acquisitions, and divestitures as well as business structuring, governance, commercial contracts, and real estate transactions. Moore also advised and counseled companies in navigating the complex legal landscape of emerging technologies, including data center development.
October 13, 2025
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.
September 8, 2025
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.
September 3, 2025
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.